GATLINBURG, Tenn. (828newsNOW) — The quest to restore a sacred mountain’s name has proven successful for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI).

Great Smoky Mountains National Park announced on Wednesday that the U.S. Board of Geographic Names voted in favor of changing the name of Clingmans Dome to Kuwohi (pronounced koo-WHOA-hee). Kuwohi is the Cherokee name for the mountain and translates to “mulberry place.”

“Kuwohi is a sacred place for the Cherokee people and is the highest point within the traditional Cherokee homeland,” the Park’s release said. “Kuwohi is visible from the Qualla Boundary, the home of the EBCI. Efforts are already underway to update signage, website and other materials with the Kuwohi name.”

The effort to restore the traditional name of the summit began in 2022 by Lavita Hill and Mary Crowe, both enrolled EBCI members. Then, in January 2024, EBCI Principal Chief Michell Hicks submitted the formal proposal.

“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 in a news release. “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.”

Kuwohi is one of the most popular sites in Great Smoky Mountains National Park with more than 650,000 visitors per year, the Park said. It is the tallest point in Tennessee and the third-highest summit east of the Mississippi River.

The park closes Kuwohi for three half days annually to provide access to predominantly Cherokee schools to visit the mountain and learn the history of Kuwohi and the Cherokee people from elders, Cherokee language speakers, culture bearers and community members.

“Clingmans Dome has always been known as Kuwohi to the Cherokee People,” the release said. “The mountain became known as Clingmans Dome following an 1859 survey by geographer Arnold Guyot, named for Thomas Lanier Clingman who was a lawyer, U.S. Representative and Senator from North Carolina, and Confederate Brigadier General.”