Why Sambo Creek may become Paemasing Creek, and what it means

Local government leaders agree on a preferred new name for a controversially named creek.

At the Wednesday, Feb. 28, Smithfield Township Board of Supervisors meeting, Smithfield Township Conservation and Recreation Director Alex Jackson provided an updated on the process of renaming Sambo Creek.

Jackson said that the new preferred name among relevant stakeholders is "the historically relevant name, Paemasing Creek.” He added that the Lake Valhalla community would like to rename the adjacent Little Sambo Creek to Whitetail Creek after a native species.

Jackson added that the board would still accept public comments on the creeks’ renaming until March 15; anyone wanting to do so should email Jackson at alex@smithfieldtownship.com.

The possible new name, Paemasing, honors a Mahican Native American by the same name, who helped save the life of, and free, a local slave by the name of Johanna Boston from her infamous slave master Solomon Jennings.

According to a 2012 speech by historian Susan Klepp, Paemasing took in Boston when he found her collapsed of hypothermia while checking his traps after she continuously ran after escaping Jennings’s house.

The term "Sambo" is widely seen as a racist slur that refers to Black people, as well as other people with darker skin tones. While some locals have argued that creek's name refers to a local Native American chieftain by that name, others point to the creek's prior name, N-word Run, as proof of the name's racist intent.

Jackson also said that the township is collaborating with Monroe County Historical Association to consult federally recognized tribes on the new name.

Max Augugliaro is the public safety and government watchdog reporter at the Pocono Record. Reach him at MAugugliaro@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Paemasing Creek is preferred new name for controversial Sambo Creek