"Squaws Along the Yukon" is a song written by Cam Smith, popularized in 1958 by Hank Thompson, and released in July 1958 on the Capitol label.
The language of the gold rush era is used throughout, including referring to seasoned prospectors as "sourdoughs", newcomers as "chechakos", and women as "squaws".
The singer declares his love for a local native girl and includes light-hearted references to her beautiful figure, smile, and culture.
The complaint resulted in a 2018 ruling that the Sirius XM breached Canadian broadcast standards by playing a song with discriminatory, degrading and derogatory references to Indigenous women.
The panel noted: In addition to the prominent use of the word “squaw”, references to a “salmon colored girl” and making underwear from the hides of grizzly bears, the nonsense language “Ooga ooga mooshka”, the line “The squaws along the Yukon are good enough for me”, and the paternalistic tone expressed throughout as exemplified by the line “Then I take her hand in mine and set her on my knee” combine to render the song all the more problematic.