EDITOR’S NOTE: ICT will use Mount Denali, formerly known as Mount McKinley, as named by the original land stewards since time immemorial.
Shondiin Mayo
ICT
The Department of the Interior announced the initiation of name restorations on Friday, January 24, following the recent executive order issued by President Donald J. Trump.
Following the president’s order, the Gulf of Mexico will henceforth be referred to as the Gulf of America, and North America’s tallest mountain will revert to Mount McKinley.
As stated in the Department of the Interior’s press release, “The U.S. Board on Geographic Names, under the purview of the Department of the Interior, is working expeditiously to update the official federal nomenclature in the Geographic Names Information System to reflect these changes, effective immediately for federal use.”
According to the National Park Service, “Mount McKinley” emerged after a gold prospector named William Dickey (who was an admirer of President-elect McKinley) used the name in an 1897 New York Sun article. Despite McKinley never having visited Alaska, the U.S. government officially recognized this name until it was changed to Denali by the Obama administration in 2015.
Denali since time immemorial
Alaska hosts a minimum of 20 unique Indigenous languages. These languages are not merely dialects; they embody the rich cultural heritage of the Native peoples of Alaska.
Denali has long been recognized by the Indigenous communities in interior Alaska as the name for the mountain. The term “Denali” is derived from “deenaalee,” a word from the Denaakk’e language, historically spoken in the interior of the state.
Eliza Jones, born in 1938 in Cutoff, a village close to Huslia along the Koyukuk River, is known by her Indigenous name, Neelteloyeeneelno, signifying “mixed talent” or “engaging in multiple projects simultaneously.”
Throughout her life, she has committed herself to the preservation of the Denaakk’e language, culminating in the creation of the Junior Dictionary for Central Koyukon Athabaskan. The dictionary defines deenaalee as “the long one,” reflecting the vastness of the mountain’s characteristics. Interchangeably, people also refer to the mountain as either the big one or the great one.
At 86 years old, Jones reflects on the meaning of the name. “Denali has always been called Denali because it’s a tall mountain and you could see it from everywhere,” she told ICT.
In an oral story passed down through the late Chief Mitch Demientieff of Nenana, Alaska, the creation of Denali was born from a dramatic battle between a mighty warrior named Yahoo and the fearsome raven chief.
Long before Denali’s towering peak pierced the sky, the land was home to spirits and warriors with great power. Yahoo, an Athabascan warrior, was a figure of immense strength, but despite his abilities, he was alone.
Desiring a wife, Yahoo set off westward, embarking on a journey that would not only alter the landscape but also forever shape the mythology of the region. According to the legend provided by Demientieff, Denali was created by Yahoo’s actions during his journey.
“Yahoo used all his medicine to turn this wave into a tremendous mountain of stone,” according to the National Park Service.
Standing before the mountain
In 1913, expedition leaders Hudson Stuck and Harry Karstens assembled a team that included Robert Tatum, Walter Harper — Stuck’s guide — and two teenagers, John Fredson and Esaias George.
The journey from Fairbanks to the summit took approximately three months. During this time, Fredson and George managed the base camp for four weeks while the rest of the team ascended Denali.
Stuck proposed that an Athabascan should be the first to reach the higher southern summit. Walter Harper, a Koyukon Athabascan, was the first individual to reach the summit of Denali, achieving this historic feat with his expedition team on June 7.
One hundred years later, on June 28, 2013, descendants of the original expedition party retraced their steps up the mountain.
Among them was Ken Karsten, the great-grandson of Harry Karsten, who felt compelled to organize the anniversary climb due to his disappointment over the fading memory of the 1913 expedition. He expressed his concern, stating it was “very depressing for me that 1913 (was) going to be forgotten.”
The ascent proved to be arduous, yet Karsten found profound significance in the experience, noting that Denali was one of only two places on Earth that had deeply moved him.
He described the moment of standing at the base of Denali, “right up on the ice, looking up,” as incredibly powerful.
Upon reaching the summit with his team, he observed how the vast clouds enveloped them, remarking, “You are at the mercy of the mountain,” and he felt a connection to those who had climbed before him, acknowledging the presence of his ancestors in that moment.
Sam Alexander, an associate professor of Gwich’in at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, took part in the centennial ascent of Denali, representing his community of Fort Yukon alongside Alaska Natives John Dodson and Esias George, who were also involved in the expedition. They were not part of the original summit team but maintained the base camp.
His participation was driven not only by a spirit of adventure but also by the influence of Hudson Stuck, a prominent advocate for Indigenous rights.
Alexander notes that Stuck expressed in his book on the ascent that achieving the first summit of Denali would grant his climbing team the opportunity to name the mountain, which he wished to be called Denali.
Alexander highlighted the importance of Denali’s name, advocating for its acknowledgment to maintain Indigenous identity.
He noted that the mountain has been known by this name for countless generations, and the recent name change underscores the significance of identity.
“I, as an Alaskan, don’t agree with that. And as a Native person, I especially don’t agree with that, because it’s trying to erase our identity,” Alexander said. “It’s trying to take away, this is the greatest mountain in North America, and it has a Native name, and to erase that identity is a way in which we are trying to be erased as Native people.”
Nevertheless, there is still a glimmer of hope.
As he reflects, Alexander remembers a story from his past. He tells the story of an encounter between an English explorer and Aboriginal people off the coast of Australia.
The Aboriginals mention a mountain in the ocean, but to the explorer, all he sees is water. He dismisses their story, thinking they are mistaken, but in reality, the mountain had existed thousands of years ago, when the water levels were lower.
The Aboriginals, however, held on to the memory and the name of the mountain, even when it was no longer visible to them.
“There was a mountain there, and the Aboriginal people had given it a name, and they kept that name even when they couldn’t even see the mountain, they kept that name for 10,000 years,” he said.
The Aboriginal people kept the mountain’s name as it symbolized their historical narrative, their connection to the land, and their understanding of environmental changes over millennia.
The mountain’s significance was deeply embedded in their collective memory, so preserving its name was enough to sustain a connection to a crucial part of their heritage, even in its physical absence.
Alexander highlights the enduring presence of Indigenous peoples.
“Administrations are going to come and go. Nations like the United States will come and go. But Indigenous people, we’re going to be here,” he said.
Rooted in his Gwich’in heritage, he reflects on his people’s history, and the message is clear: “You come from warriors.”
This legacy of strength and survival continues to inspire future generations such as Alexander. He shares that, “My children will recognize it as Denali, and their children will too.” Ensuring that the name Denali will be passed down, remaining a steadfast element of their Alaskan identity.
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