One of the most popular sites in Great Smoky Mountains National Park has a new name.
Clingman’s Dome, which receives more than 650,000 visitors per year, has officially been renamed Kuwohi (pronounced koo-WHOA-hee) to honor the Cherokee name for the mountain. The site is located near Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
Kuwohi, which translates to “mulberry place,” is what the Cherokee have always called the mountain. The site became known as Clingman's Dome following an 1859 survey by geographer Arnold Guyot. It was named for Thomas Lanier Clingman who was a lawyer, U.S. Representative and Senator from North Carolina, and Confederate Brigadier General.
The tallest point in Tennessee and the third-highest summit east of the Mississippi River, Kuwohi is a sacred place for the Cherokee people, and is visible from the Qualla Boundary, the home of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI). The park closes Kuwohi for three half days every year to give Cherokee schools the opportunity to visit the mountain and learn the history of Kuwohi and the Cherokee people from elders, Cherokee language speakers, culture bearers and community members.
“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 U.S. Board of Geographic Names approved the request submitted by the EBCI.
