Displaying items by tag: kuwohi
Government censorship rolls toward Smokies
This interpretive sign describing both the Smokies natural haze and the impact of air pollution on the park are among the numerous signs and exhibits targeted for removal from Great Smoky Mountains National Park by a Trump executive order. Save Our Signs
Trump executive order targets history, science and culture in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
This story was originally published by Compass.
GATLINBURG — The Trump Administration’s war against “woke” appears poised to extend to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Ten interpretive signs within the park referencing slavery, science and the Cherokee are included in a leaked dataset of national park educational features subject to removal, according to a Compass review of the now publicly available document.
The signs are subject to removal per the “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” executive order from President Donald Trump, issued in March 2025.
Pierce Gentry at WUOT first reported the inclusion of the Smokies in a massive leaked database that lists hundreds of Department of the Interior sites with signs, exhibits, films and publications that the administration deems offensive.
The Department of the Interior and National Park Service have already removed signs from park-service units elsewhere, including displays at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia that highlighted the people enslaved by George Washington during the Revolutionary War era. A lawsuit is pending.
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ᎫᏬᎯ: Cherokee name restored to Tennessee’s highest mountain
The U.S. Board on Geographic Names approved the formal name change of Clingmans Dome to Kuwohi, which means ‘mulberry place’ in Cherokee. Simon Whitehurst/Great Smoky Mountains Association
Work already underway to replace signage related to peak named after Rebel general
Katie Liming is a public information officer at Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
GATLINBURG — The U.S. Board on Geographic Names voted Sept. 18 in favor of the formal request submitted by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to change the name of Clingmans Dome (FID #1326387) 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 today’s 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. Efforts are already underway to update signage, website and other materials with the Kuwohi name.
Clingmans Dome has always been known as Kuwohi to the Cherokee. 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.