Consultations on renaming Red Indian Lake are underway, but the general consensus seems to be that it shouldn’t be changed at all.

Buchans Mayor Derm Corbett and Millertown Mayor Fiona Humber both agree that most residents do not want to see the name changed.

Mayor Humber explains that some say if the name must be changed, they’d support “Beothuk Lake” or something else that represents the Beothuk culture.

Humber explains why most people don’t want the name to be changed. She says nobody in the area considers the name to be derogatory because they’ve never used it in that way, and some people find it shocking the change is being suggested.

Corbett describes a “packed house” and a “lively discussion” at the consultations in Buchans as well. He says while it wasn’t unanimous, there were a large number of people who want to keep the name as is.

He says the major point brought forward was that the term “Red Indian,” in the context of being a descriptor of the lake, is not negative, but rather a nod to the Beothuk’s use of red ochre

Corbett says it has never been explained to the Indigenous people he knows why the name is so unacceptable, noting they consider the name one that reflects respect for the people and their culture.