GATLINBURG, Tenn.— The U.S. Board of Geographic Names voted in favor of the formal request submitted by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to change the name of Clingmans Dome to Kuwohi.
Kuwohi is the Cherokee name for the mountain and translates to “mulberry place.” In Cherokee syllabary, the name is ᎫᏬᎯ. The National Park Service strongly supported the name restoration and applauds the decision, which also received support from local communities and governments.
Kuwohi is a sacred place for the Cherokee people and is the highest point within the traditional Cherokee homeland. Kuwohi is visible from the Qualla Boundary, the home of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Efforts are already underway to update signage, website and other materials with the Kuwohi name.
“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 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.”
The proposal was submitted in January of this year by Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Principal Chief Michell Hicks following an effort started in 2022 by Lavita Hill and Mary Crowe, both enrolled citizens, to restore the traditional name of the summit.
Kuwohi is one of the most popular sites in Great Smoky Mountains National Park with 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.
Clingmans Dome has always been known as Kuwohi to the Cherokee People. The mountain became known as Clingmans Dome following an 1859 survey by geographer Arnold Guyot, named for Thomas Lanier Clingman who was a lawyer, U.S. Representative and Senator from North Carolina, and Confederate Brigadier General.
According to the Restore Kuwohi website, the “mountain has special significance to Cherokees, as it was visited by medicine people who prayed and sought guidance from the Creator regarding important matters facing Cherokee people, and then returned to Cherokee towns to give guidance and advice.”
The website also states the significant place is “well documented in oral teachings of Cherokee stories; for example, the Bears used to meet in council under Kuwohi.”
