In a stunning move that has united an unlikely alliance of Indigenous rights advocates and Republican lawmakers, former President Donald Trump recently reiterated his intentions to strip North America’s tallest peak of its traditional Alaska Native name—Denali—and revert it back to Mount McKinley, in honor of the 25th U.S. president. The announcement, made during Trump’s inaugural address, has reignited a firestorm of controversy and backlash.
A Mountain’s Sacred Legacy
For centuries, the majestic peak has held a revered status among Alaska’s Indigenous peoples, particularly the Koyukon Athabascan, who have referred to the mountain as “Denali”—meaning “the high one” or “the great one”—long before William McKinley took office or Alaska achieved statehood. The mountain’s name was officially changed to Denali in 2015 by the Obama administration, in a move to “recognize the sacred status of Denali to many Alaska Natives.”
Keeping this name honors that connection and recognizes the enduring contributions of Alaska Native peoples.
Emily Edenshaw, Alaska Native Heritage Center
GOP Leaders Stand with Indigenous Groups
In a surprising turn of events, prominent Republican senators from Alaska have joined Indigenous leaders in condemning Trump’s proposed renaming. Senator Dan Sullivan took to social media, stating in a video post:
I prefer the name Denali that was given to that great mountain by the great patriotic Koyukon Athabascan people thousands of years ago.
Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK)
Fellow Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski echoed the sentiment, asserting that she “strongly disagreed” with Trump’s decision. Murkowski emphasized that the mountain “must continue to be known by the rightful name bestowed by Alaska’s Koyukon Athabascans, who have stewarded the land since time immemorial.”
McKinley’s Controversial Legacy
The choice to honor former President William McKinley through the renaming has drawn intense scrutiny due to McKinley’s well-documented racist views towards Indigenous populations. In a historical interview, McKinley infamously stated:
We could not leave them [the native people] to themselves – they were unfit for self-government. There was nothing left for us to do but to take them … uplift and civilize and Christianize them and by God’s grace do the very best we could by them.
President William McKinley
Critics argue that enshrining McKinley’s name on the sacred mountain is not only a slight to Indigenous peoples but also an endorsement of the former president’s colonialist and racist ideologies.
The Battle Ahead
As the debate rages on, Indigenous rights organizations are mobilizing to protect the mountain’s rightful name and the cultural heritage it represents. Meanwhile, the rare alliance forged between Alaska Native groups and GOP leaders in the face of Trump’s declaration underscores the profound significance of Denali to the state’s identity and the imperative to honor Indigenous sacred sites.
The looming fight over Denali’s name is poised to become a defining battleground, pitting the preservation of Indigenous culture against the specter of America’s colonial past. As the nation grapples with its history of racism and native displacement, the mountain stands as a powerful symbol—one that Indigenous Alaskans and their allies are determined to defend.
