Kuwohi: The Cherokee Name Reclaimed for the Tallest Peak in the Smoky Mountains

GATLINBURG, Tenn. — The highest peak at Great Smoky Mountains National Park will now be known by its Cherokee name after more than 150 years of being named after a Confederate general. The U.S. Board of Geographic Names recently granted a request from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to officially change the name Clingmans Dome to Kuwohi, which translates to “mulberry place” in Cherokee. This change acknowledges the mountain’s significance to the Cherokee People.

Superintendent Cassius Cash of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park expressed pride in supporting the restoration of the mountain’s original name. Kuwohi holds great importance for the Cherokee community, being the highest point within their traditional homeland. The peak is visible from the Qualla Boundary, the home of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. To honor this significance, the park closes Kuwohi for half-days every year so that Cherokee schools can bring students to learn about its history.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, located on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina, is the most-visited national park in the United States. Kuwohi, formerly known as Clingmans Dome, is a popular destination with over 650,000 visitors annually. The peak was initially named Clingmans Dome after a surveyor named Thomas Lanier Clingman, a Confederate Brigadier General, lawyer, and politician from North Carolina.

The proposal to restore the mountain’s original Cherokee name was submitted by Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Principal Chief Michell Hicks in January, prompting the recent decision by the U.S. Board of Geographic Names to officially recognize Kuwohi as the new name for this iconic peak.