The Highest Peak in Great Smoky Mountains National Park Will Now Be Called by Its Cherokee Name

A 6,643-foot crest in Awesome Smoky Mountains National Stop has been renamed “Kuwohi,” which suggests “mulberry place” within the Cherokee dialect.

The Cherokee individuals have long considered Kuwohi a sacrosanct put. But in 1859, a Swiss-American geographer named Arnold Guyot studied the zone and named the crest “Clingmans Dome.” Guyot named the mountain after Thomas Clingman, a congressman and representative from North Carolina who afterward got to be a brigadier common within the Accomplice Armed force.

The title “Clingmans Dome” endured for 165 years—until final week. On September 18, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names voted to reestablish the peak’s Cherokee title, which is articulated “koo-WHOA-hee.”

Individuals of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians have been campaigning for the alter since 2022. They submitted a formal ask to the board in January.

The National Stop Benefit moreover bolstered reestablishing the peak’s Cherokee title. Staffers have as of now begun upgrading the park’s signage and site.

“The Cherokee individuals have had solid associations to Kuwohi and the encompassing range long some time recently the arrive got to be a national park,” says Cassius Cash, the park’s administrator, in a explanation. “The National Stop Benefit looks forward to proceeding to work with the Cherokee individuals to share their story and preserve this scene together.”