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- By Native News Online Staff
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced legislation today to officially recognize North America’s highest peak as Denali, the name given by Alaska’s Koyukon Athabascans. The bill mandates that all references to the mountain in U.S. laws, maps, regulations, and records use the name Denali.
“In Alaska, it’s Denali,” Murkowski said. “Once you see it in person, and take in the majesty of its size and breathe in its cold air, you can understand why the Koyukon Athabascans referred to it as ‘The Great One.’ This isn’t a political issue – Alaskans from every walk of life have long been advocating for this mountain to be recognized by its true name. That’s why today I once again introduced legislation that would officially keep this mountain’s quintessential name, ‘Denali.’”
In 1975, the State of Alaska officially recognized “Denali” as the peak’s name and requested the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to do the same. In 1980, Congress renamed Mount McKinley National Park as Denali National Park and Preserve.
Murkowski has long advocated for the mountain to officially be called “Denali,” having introduced this legislation in three previous Congresses. In 2015, the Department of the Interior returned its official designation to “Denali.” Last month, President Trump signed an executive order titled “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness,” which directed the Secretary of the Interior to change the name of the mountain to “Mount McKinley.”
Last week, the Alaska State Senate unanimously passed a resolution urging the President, Secretary of the Interior, and U.S. Board on Geographic Names to uphold the name Denali. The Senate approved House Joint Resolution 4, originally introduced by State Representative Maxine Dibert, following its passage in the Alaska State House of Representatives.
U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) is an original cosponsor of the legislation.
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