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| Mt. Rainier |
A controversy that has swirled, mist-like, about the peaks
and valleys from Oregon to Alaska is that of the names of the great mountains
that stand like guardian angels over the forests and fields of the Pacific
Northwest. Christened with the names of admirals, presidents, and close friends
by European explorers, there have always been a few who have argued that these
mountains should instead be referred to by their original monikers given to
them by the local tribes that inhabited the region before the pioneers.
On the surface, this appears a simple, worthy cause, but as
with many controversies, its roots are far more complex than is immediately
evident. One problem, for example, is that Mt. Rainier has been called Mt.
Rainier for so long that in our heads this name is associated with all the
qualities that make the mountain so wonderful, and not to the British admiral
the name belonged to so long ago. Rainier now means, for all intents and
purposes, broad, flower-filled meadows meeting eternal glacial ice; a great
white tower visible above lesser peaks and low clouds throughout the region.
In the same way, the
name Mt. St. Helens is associated with the fire and ash rocketed from it nearly
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| Mt. St. Helens |
Aside from the fact that the current names have been
established in the public mind, there is another far more fundamental problem
that hinders reverting mountain names to their first nation’s origins. There
were so many first nations, and so many languages, each with its own monikers
for the patriarchal giants that towered overhead, that choosing among Indian
names could be equally controversial. Mt. St. Helens’ Indian names include
Loowit (“Keeper of the Fire”), Louwala-Clough (“smoking mountain”), Lawelatla
(“one from whom smoke comes”), Tah-one-lat-clah (“fire mountain”), and Suek.
While these names clearly indicate that this is indeed the most tumultuous of
Northwest volcanoes, which should be chosen to represent it officially?
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| Mt. Baker |
One mountain whose
name has been changed is McKinley, now known as Denali (The Great One), but it
was also known as Doleika (The Big Mountain), and Traleika. Though the
McKinley/Denali name change is perhaps the most well-known, the current naming
controversy in the region is centered on Mt. Rainier. The Indian name it is
most recognized as carrying is Tahoma (bigger than Mt. Baker), but it is not
the one local tribal councils have decided on, which is Ti’Swaq (it touches the
sky/the sky wiper).
Perhaps most importantly of all is the effect name changes
would have on the Northwest’s tourism industry, which brings billions of
dollars into the state, and results in thousands of jobs; people from around
the world know the names St.Helens, Rainier, Baker, and Hood, but would they
recognize so easily the names Louwala-Clough, Ti’Swaq, Kulshan, and Wy-east? It
is a terrible risk to gamble a sustainable, profitable industry that supports
widespread conservation efforts over a name.
The many names of Pacific Northwest mountains:
Mt. St. Helens
Loowit
("keeper of the fire")
Louwala-Clough
("smoking mountain")
Lawelatla
("one from whom smoke comes")
Tah-one-lat-clah
("fire mountain")
Suek
Mt. Hood
Wy-east (a
mythical son of the great spirit)
Tumtum (strong
heart)
Mt. Adams
Klickitat
Pahto
pahdo
Mt. Rainier
Talol
Tacoma (bigger
than Mt. Baker)
Tahoma
Tacobeh
Pooskaus
Ti'Swaq (it
touches the sky/the sky wiper)
Mt. Olympus
Sun-a-do
O-Sky
El Cerro de la
Santa Rosalia (named by Juan Perez, means "The Hill Of The Holy One
Rosalia" - supposedly the first feature in Washington to be given a
European name)
Glacier Peak
Dakobed (Great
Parent)
Tda-ko-buh-ba
Takobia
Mt. Baker
Koma
Kulshan/Kulshan (a Lummi word indicating that the summit of the peak has been
damaged, or blown off by an explosion, alternatively might mean "shot at
the extreme end or very point", perhaps referring to lava flowing from the
mountain like blood from a wound.)
Kweq’ Smánit
(white mountain)
Kollia-Kulshan
(white, shining, steep mountain)
Ko-ma-el
(white friar/great white watcher)
Te-kómeh
(snow-capped mountain)
Puk’h’kowitz
(White mountain)
La Gran
Montaña del Carmelo [Mt. Carmelo] (name given by Spanish explorer Quimper,
means "The Great Mountain Carmelo")
Mt. Garibali
Nch'kay
("Dirty place", or "Grimy One")
Ta Nch'qai
Mt. McKinley
Denali (The
High One/The Great One)
Doleika (The
Big Mountain)
Traleika
Bolshaya Gora
(Russian for Big Mountain)
Tenada (name
by Ferdinand Von Wrangell)
Densmores Peak
(named after a trapper)
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| Mt. Hood |
