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- By Kaili Berg
President-elect Donald Trump has announced plans to change the name of Mount Denali in Alaska back to Mount McKinley, reigniting a longstanding debate about the cultural and historical significance of place names.
Trump’s remarks, seen as an appeal to specific political bases, have raised concerns among Alaska Native communities and other Indigenous groups who view such actions as a disregard for their cultural heritage.
Mount Denali, the tallest peak in North America, holds deep cultural and spiritual significance for the Koyukon Athabaskan people, who have called it "Denali," meaning "The High One," for generations.
In 2015, the Obama administration restored the mountain’s original name, Denali, following decades of advocacy from Alaska Natives. The decision was celebrated across Indigenous communities as a recognition of Native heritage and a step toward addressing historical erasure.
The move was part of a broader effort to restore Indigenous names to significant landmarks, a practice viewed by many tribes as an essential element of cultural revitalization.
The name "Mount McKinley" was first applied in 1896 by a gold prospector who chose to honor then-presidential candidate William McKinley—a man with no ties to Alaska who never visited the region. For Alaska Natives, McKinley’s name is a lasting symbol of colonization and the marginalization of Native history.
For many, reverting to "Mount McKinley" represents a setback in the ongoing effort to acknowledge Indigenous peoples' deep ties to the land. Place names are more than labels; they carry stories, histories, and identities that shape a region’s cultural landscape. Changing Denali’s name back to one imposed during colonization undermines progress in decolonizing these narratives.
Across the U.S., Indigenous communities have increasingly advocated for restoring Native names to landmarks as a means of reclaiming history and fostering cultural awareness. For example, the Squamish Nation successfully renamed British Columbia’s Stawamus Chief to "Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Chief," and the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes have pushed to rename Devils Tower in Wyoming.
Trump’s proposal may resonate with certain constituencies but highlights a broader cultural divide in how America reckons with its history. For Indigenous communities, preserving the name Denali is about far more than a mountain—it is a fight for cultural recognition and the visibility of Native peoples in a society that has often sought to erase them.
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