Rain showers early becoming a steady light rain overnight. Low 42F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%..
Rain showers early becoming a steady light rain overnight. Low 42F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
Updated: November 13, 2026 @ 8:20 pm
OLYMPIA — The Washington State Committee on Geographic Names approved nine proposals to rename features bearing a derogatory term that refers to Indigenous women during its meeting Tuesday morning.
The proposals from tribes came in the wake of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s orders last year to rename geographic features throughout the country.
During the meeting, the Committee also approved a spelling correction for the name of a bay in the San Juan Islands, as well as four proposals for initial consideration in Mason, Garfield, and Okanogan counties.
•••
Proposals from the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama NAtion included:
• A pair of Columbia River islands in Klickitat County would be named Sq’wanana, meaning “two sitting on lap.” The name would reflect the names of the islands in the Wishxam language.
• A Skamania County lake southeast of Blue Lake would be named Aalvic Wahtum, after Lucille Aalvic. Aalvic was a citizen of the Yakama Nation who lived in Stevenson after being removed from her original family home by the Army Corps of Engineers during the construction of the Bonneville Dam. Aalvic was the first officially enrolled citizen of the Yakama Nation.
• A Skamania County butte would be named Pataniks Pushtye, referencing the name of Lulukash, the child of the woman for whom the nearby twin buttes are named.
• A Skamania County creek along East Canyon Ridge would be named Timla Wapykt from the traditional name of the adjacent butte, Timla-Timla Pushtye, meaning “little heart mountain of that shape.”
• A Skamania County stream that flows into the Little White Salmon River would be named Shluxiksikswana, meaning “the eating place,” after the name of the Klickitat village site within the drainage.
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