Alaska’s U.S. senators are mounting a new effort to formally give North America’s tallest peak its Athabascan name, Denali, replacing its current name in honor of the nation’s 25th president.
In a joint statement Wednesday, Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan announced a Senate bill to rename Mount McKinley. William Dickey, a 19th-century prospector, coined the name to honor William McKinley of Ohio, who served one full term as president before he was assassinated in 1901.
Both senators emphasized the longer provenance of Denali, meaning “The Great One” or “The High One,” in their comments on the move.“ Alaskans take great pride in this gorgeous natural monument, so it is important that we grant it its ancestral name to honor and respect our heritage as well as the lands through a name that goes back centuries,” Murkowski said. “This is our Alaska, and this should be our decision.”
“Denali absolutely belongs to Alaska and its citizens — and with all due respect to my colleagues and the good people of Ohio, where President McKinley was born and where I have many friends and family, the mountain is not theirs to name,” Sullivan said. “The naming rights already went to the Alaska Native ancestors of my wife and daughters’ people.”
Via ktuu.com
