Native American name restored to Smoky Mountains’ highest peak

[admin]

On Sept. 18, 2024, the U.S. Board of Geographic Names voted in favor of the request submitted by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to change the name of Clingmans Dome to Kuwohi (pronounced koo-WHOA-hee). Kuwohi is the Cherokee name for the mountain and translates to “mulberry place.” In Cherokee syllabary, the name is. The National Park Service strongly supported the name restoration. Kuwohi is a sacred place for the Cherokee people and is the highest point within the traditional Cherokee homeland. The peak is visible from the Qualla Boundary.

“The Great Smoky National Park team was proud to support this effort to officially restore the mountain and to recognize its importance to the Cherokee People,” said Superintendent Cassius Cash. “The Cherokee People had strong connections to Kuwohi and the surrounding area long before the land became a national park. The National Park Service looks forward to continuing to work with the Cherokee People to share their story and preserve this landscape together.”

Kuwohi is one of the most popular sites in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, hosting more than 650,000 visitors per year. It is the tallest point in Tennessee and the third-highest summit east of the Mississippi River. The park closes Kuwohi for three half days annually to provide access to predominantly Cherokee schools to visit the mountain and learn the history of Kuwohi and the Cherokee people from elders, Cherokee language speakers, culture bearers, and community members.

At 6,643 feet, Kuwohi is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is the highest point in Tennessee and the third-highest mountain east of the Mississippi River. Only Mt. Mitchell (6,684 feet) and Mt. Craig (6,647 feet), both located in Mt. Mitchell State Park in western North Carolina, rise higher. The observation tower on the summit of Kuwohi offers spectacular views of the Smokies visitors willing to climb the steep half mile walk to the top.

The mountaintop was called Smoky Dome by early white settlers. In 1859, Arnold Guyot changed the name to Clingman’s Dome to honor Thomas Lanier Clingman, a Confederate general and U.S. Senator from North Carolina who explored the area extensively in the 1850s and then spent years promoting it.

Guyot named the mountain for Clingman because of an argument between Clingman and Professor Elisha Mitchell over which mountain was the highest in the region. Mitchell contended that a peak named Black Dome (now known as Mt. Mitchell) was the highest, while Clingman asserted that Smoky Dome was the actual highest peak. Guyot determined that Black Dome was 39 feet higher than Smoky Dome.

Of course, not everyone is thrilled with the name change, but most people seem to agree that changing the official name back to the Cherokee name was the right thing to do. However, after calling the highest peak in Tennessee Clingman’s Dome all our lives, it will be quite an adjustment saying (and pronouncing) Kuwohi. The National Park Service’s educational department will be changing the signage on the mountain and offering information at Kuwohi about the Cherokee People’s history and the mountain’s cultural significance.

Read More:
https://www.themountainpress.com/opinio ... 998a2.html