‘Squaw’ a derogatory term for woman, will be dumped from place names of land overseen by the U.S. federal government, including national parks and recreation centres; a government order will officially declare the word a ‘derogatory term’.
The word - currently in the names of more than 650 federal locations, has been used as an ethnic, sexual slur toward Native Americans by colonisers from Europe since the 1600s.
"Racist terms have no place in our vernacular or on our federal lands," Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the nation's first Native American cabinet official, said.
"Our nation's lands and waters should be places to celebrate the outdoors and our shared cultural heritage - not to perpetuate the legacies of oppression."
States including Maine, Minnesota and Montana had preempted the federal move by banning the use of the term through state legislatures.
The government has aggregated a list of replacement names through an advisory committee made up of tribes, Native Hawaiians, civil rights and cultural studies experts and members of the public.
"Consideration of these replacements is a big step forward in our efforts to remove derogatory terms whose expiration dates are long overdue,” said Haaland.
"Broad engagement with tribes, stakeholders and the general public will help us advance our goals of equity and inclusion.”
The move has been praised by Native Americans and civil rights groups including the Native American Rights Fund.
"It is well past time for us, as a nation, to move forward, beyond these derogatory terms, and show Native people - and all people - equal respect," executive director John Echohawk said.
Following the public consultation period the new names will be confirmed by the Board on Geographic Names later this year.