Until I visited Haida Gwaii in the summer of 2007, I felt awkward and frankly a little pretentious using the aboriginal name for the remote archipelago off British Columbia’s northern coast.

I was more comfortable saying “Queen Charlotte Islands”–the name that had been printed on every grade school map I’d ever studied.

But last week, the Globe and Mail reported that the traditional name–meaning “islands of the people”–will now appear on all official provincial maps. And this small act of reconciliation by the provincial government is wise and good, no matter what the Monarchist League of Canada says to the contrary.

My 21-year-old daughter, who spent a couple of weeks teaching in Haida Gwaii this past summer, put it best:

“It’s hard to grasp until you’ve actually been there, but once you have, you understand that of course it is Haida Gwaii. You see with your own eyes that it is the Haida’s ancient land, and everyone else is just a guest in their home.”

During my own visit, I toured the then-new Haida Heritage Centre and wrote about it for the Globe and Mail. When I emerged, I never again felt comfortable saying “Queen Charlotte Islands.”

I wonder how long it will be before the guidebooks catch up?