By Nichola Groom

(Reuters) – The Biden administration will remove the word “squaw” from place names on federal land as part of an effort to reckon with the nation’s racist past, the Department of Interior said on Friday.

According to the Department of Interior, more than 600 place names are located on federal lands that contain this word.

Numerous states including Montana, Minnesota, Maine and Minnesota have already prohibited the usage of this term in place-names.

Deb Haaland from the Interior Department, the nation’s first Native American Cabinet Official said that racist terms are out of place on federal lands or in our language.

“Our country’s lands, waters should be places for celebrating the outdoors and sharing cultural heritage. Not to perpetuate the legacy of oppression.”

Her agency will also establish an advisory panel to start a review in order to replace derogatory names for places on federal land.

Members of Native Hawaiian tribes and civil rights experts, as well as members of the general public, will make up the so-called Advisory Committee on Reconciliation of Place Names.

It was established to speed up the process of renaming properties. According to the Department, currently, hundreds of name change applications are pending at the Board on Geographic Names. The process can be lengthy and could take several years.

Native American rights groups applaud Haaland for his actions.

John Echohawk, the executive director of Native American Rights Fund stated that it was time to “move forward” and move past these derogatory terms and show Native Americans – and everyone – equal respect.