Decolonizing Place Names

Goal: Research the life of Admiral Peter Rainier (1741-1808) to challenge the current name of the Mountain

• Conduct historical “opposition research” into his naval career in the West Indies, East Indies, U.K., and elsewhere
• Explore Rainier’s battles against American revolutionaries, active efforts to return enslaved people to their “owners,” his lack of connection to the Pacific Northwest, and more

Books and published works

British primary documents

Goal: Justify the proposed name of Tahoma, a common name-change option discussed in media and academia

• provide relevant information about the proposed name, such as origin, meaning, how long it has been in current use, as well as current or historical significance
• discuss possible issues with the new name
• document current “local usage” of the name (with a spreadsheet and map)
• list other possible “variant” names used by different tribes

Books and published works

Recommended Databases

Recommended Publications

Tips for navigating NewsBank World Access

1. Search the catalog to see if we have access to a newspaper or periodical. When I search Bellingham Herald, for example, I get several results pointing to the various versions available. The important information is that it’s available through NewsBank. 
2. Select the link to go to NewsBank. You can also access NewsBank from our Databases A-Z. 
3. Once in NewsBank, go to A-Z Source List at the very top. 
4. Search “Bellingham Herald” and select all the versions you might want to search. For this search, I selected them all, just in case -- Web Edition, Videos, Blogs, etc. 
5. Once you’ve selected the publications you’re searching within, you can search for a specific title or a keyword. Since the title may be slightly (or radically!) different than what you’ve found on Google, I would suggest using 1-2 keywords and limiting by the year/month and browsing to find the article. Even limiting by exact date can lead you astray. The version I find on Google might say it was published on September 4, 2015, and the article I find in the database is September 2, 2015.

Goal: Seek ways to organize support for a name change, how to shift public opinion, how to enlist institutional support, and how to mobilize a social movement to remove obstacles to a new name (such as current corporate uses of “Rainier”)

• explore any local opposition or conflict with the proposed name & anticipate objections to a name change
• learn about the makeup of the WACGN and USBGN leadership & how to “inoculate” the leaders and public against specific arguments
• document groups and institutions that may be supportive of a name change, including letters of support from local governments, historical societies
• map out a plan to seek letters of endorsement from the governments (e.g., Tribal Councils) of any affected Tribes and intertribal groups, such as the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI)