NORTH BEND — A University of Oregon professor asserts that the word “squaw,” in reference to Native American women, packs as much degradation as other racial slurs.

And yet, there are still dozens geographic features in Oregon that hold the name Squaw.

In a presentation before half-a-dozen attendees at the North Bend Public Library on Saturday evening, Debra Merskin outlined why the word should be scrubbed from state maps. She also advocates for popular culture to take a sensitive approach in portraying Native American women.

The word comes from Algonquin Indians meaning “woman.” However, over the years the word has degenerated and its use today holds a negative connotation.

In recent years, the Oregon Legislature ordered that the name on all geographic features — such as Squaw Creek and Squaw Butte — be changed. There were originally 42 such sites. About half have been renamed so far.

There was a heated debate locally about a proposed name change for an island off Sunset Bay, now known as Qochyax Island, in honor of Indian women and children who hid there historically in dangerous times.

While the island has been sanitized politically on maps, there are still many who refer to it as Squaw Island.

“You’ve changed a piece of paper, but you haven’t changed anything else,” said attendee Joy Vegar of Lakeside.

Education is key to quashing the casual use of the word, said Merskin, who studied the issue as part of UO’s Center for The Study of Women In Society

In “The S-Word: The Squaw Stereotype in American Popular Culture,” Merksin presented examples of common stereotypes of native woman. Advertisements for Squaw-brand produce featured native women hauling fruit by the basket loads, and Cher famously adopted a sexy Indian motif, complete with a gaudy headdress and beaded top baring her midriff.

“They’re either the bare-breasted fantasy or selfless drudge,” Merskin said.

Popular culture typically limits native people to living in the past or on reservations. Instances of successful, educated Indians living in concert with the rest of society are far and few between in movies and television.

These over-generalizations are dangerous, she said, because they “reduce people to types.”

But nowhere are Native American women more degraded than in westerns, especially those made famous by John Wayne and Clint Eastwood.

In those films, “I don’t think they can be treated any worse,” Merskin said.

Popular folks songs have also added to the misconception of the abject indigenous woman. Merskin played a clip of Lorretta Lynn singing merrily “Your squaw is on the warpath,” a song about a big brave chief who likes to drink and cheat on his spouse.

“What she’s talking about is a pretty awful situation,” Merskin said. “To laugh that away is somewhat problematic.”

Merksin also takes issue with the use of Native American iconology in sports. Teams should drop mascots such as the Braves and the Redskins, she argued. The same goes with companies that tie their products to Native American culture.

“Who would drive a Jeep Jew?” she asked. “But we drive a Jeep Cherokee.”