Squaw Humper Dam is a dam on Tahc'a Okute Wakpa (formerly Squaw-Humper Creek) in

Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota Oglala Lakota County (known as Shannon County until May 2015) is a county in southwestern South Dakota, United States. The population was 13,672 at the 2020 census. Oglala Lakota County does not have a functioning county seat; Hot Springs in ne ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is located within

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation ( lkt, Wazí Aháŋhaŋ Oyáŋke), also called Pine Ridge Agency, is an Oglala Lakota Indian reservation located entirely within the U.S. state of South Dakota. Originally included within the territory of the Gr ...

, the lands of the

Oglala Lakota Nation The Oglala (pronounced , meaning "to scatter one's own" in Lakota language) are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people who, along with the Dakota, make up the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Seven Council Fires). A majority of the Oglala live o ...

. The name has generated a degree of controversy for containing the term

squaw The English word ''squaw'' is an ethnic and sexual slur, historically used for Indigenous North American women. Contemporary use of the term, especially by non-Natives, is considered derogatory, misogynist, and racist.King, C. Richard,De/Scri ...

, which is often held to be pejorative. While the Oglala Lakota successfully changed the name of the stream in federal usage, a proposal to rename the dam to ''Tahc'a Okute Mni Onaktake'' did not succeed. At the time, there were concerns expressed that the proposed name would be difficult for the general public to pronounce.

References

Buildings and structures in Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota Dams in South Dakota {{SouthDakota-geo-stub