Eastern Band of Cherokee Wins Bid To Restore Clingmans Dome Original Name

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Tribal Council lobbied to rename Clingmans Dome, the highest point in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, to its traditional Cherokee name: Kuwohi, which translates to “the Mulberry Place.”

On January 4th, 2024Tribal Council unanimously authorized the submission of an application to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to restore the name, “Kuwohi,” in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Members Mary Crowe and Lavita Hill started the process of changing the name back in 2022. Crowe explained that the renaming would help to keep the Cherokee culture alive and serve as a reminder for younger generations of the tribe.

The federal board on Sept. 18 unanimously approved the renaming of Clingmans Dome, the observation tower-topped mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

As of 2019 there were only about 200 fluent speakers of the native Cherokee language, causing the tribes to declare a state of emergency for the language.

The resolution passed by tribal council states that Kuwohi “is the highest and most visible point in our area, and has special significance to us as Cherokee people, as it was visited by medicine people who prayed and sought guidance from the Creator regarding important matters facing our people, and then returned to our towns to give guidance and advice.”

Resolutions supporting the change were passed by Buncombe, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain, Graham, Clay and Cherokee counties as well as the towns of Asheville, Andrews, Murphy, Hayesville, Fontana Dam, Lake Santeetlah, Robbinsville, Canton, Clyde, Maggie Valley, Waynesville, Dillsboro, Sylva, Webster, Franklin, Highlands and Bryson City.

“The Great Smoky (Mountains) National Park team was proud to support this effort to officially restore the mountain and to recognize its importance to the Cherokee people,” Superintendent Cassius Cash said in a written statement. “The Cherokee people have 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.”