GREENVILLE, Maine — Three women have started a petition to change the name of Big Squaw Mountain Ski Resort, a popular ski area in Greenville.
"That word is historically a racial slur used against indigenous women," Penobscot Nation Tribal Ambassador Maulian Dana said.
Dana, along with Sarah Bigney and Morgan Hynd, started the petition calling on the owner of the ski resort to change its name.
"I think it's absolutely time to change the name of the resort and I'm pretty hopeful that it will work this time around," Dana added.
The mountain on which the ski resort is located was renamed in 2000 following the passage of a law then-Gov. Angus King signed. It required the slur be removed from the names of public places. The law didn't extend to private businesses. So now, Big Squaw Mountain is named Big Moose Mountain.
Ambassador Dana notes the movement to remove stereotypes and harmful symbols is gaining momentum across the country.
"We've seen things like Aunt Jemima and the Land O' Lakes butter lady be removed, all the way up to Confederate statues coming down," Dana said.
NEWS CENTER Maine tried reaching out to the nonprofit group "Friends of the Mountain," which is said to operate the resort, and have not heard back.