The Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s highest peak has officially returned to its original Cherokee name, Kuwohi, after more than a century.
The change recognizes the mountain’s cultural and historical significance to the Cherokee people.
After more than 150 years, the tallest mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has been formally renamed Kuwohi, returning it to its original Cherokee name.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians requested a name change from Clingmans Dome, which was named for a Confederate leader, and the U.S. Board of Geographic Names granted their request.
Since Kuwohi is the highest point in their native territory, the Cherokee people attach great cultural significance to this “mulberry place”
The summit, which is visible from the Qualla Boundary and is home to many Eastern Band members, has long been revered. Every year, the park closes Kuwohi so that children from Cherokee schools can come and explore their history.
It is crucial to the continuation of our history,” said Park Superintendent Cassius Cash, who added that the park is proud to play a part in this restoration.
“The Cherokee People were deeply ingrained in Kuwohi long before this landscape became a national park,” Cash said.
The peak was named Clingmans Dome in 1859, after Confederate Brigadier General Thomas Lanier Clingman.
Still, the place is again susceptible to efforts by successive generations to strengthen recognition of the Cherokee people’s cultural and ancestral attachment to the land. One such effort has been renamed to Kuwohi.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park receives around 650,000 tourists every year. It is the most visited national park in the United States.
