I write to you as an alnobaskwa, an Abenaki woman, questioning the motion to gut our original language in the name of political correctness. Squaw means the totality of being female Squaw is NOT an English word. The word has been interpreted by modern activists as a slanderous assault against Native American women. There are rumors about the word's usage as an insult by French fur traders among western tribes who were not Algonkian speakers. But the insult was in the usage, not in the original word.
Any word can hurt when used as a weapon.
Banning the word will not erase the past, and will only give the oppressors power to define our language. If we accept the slander, and internalize the insult, we discredit our female ancestors who felt no shame at hearing the word spoken. To ban indigenous words discriminates against Native people and their languages. Let me tell you a story. All my teachers told me it's a dirty word.