The name of a mountain
12/08/16 05:30
Having lived in South Dakota longer than any other state, I still can’t really claim to be a native South Dakotan. That title goes to those who have but in more than a couple of decades. Those of us who live a more migratory lifestyle will never share the perspective of those who have remained in the same place for all of their lives. There are, of course advantages and disadvantages to any point on the stability/mobility spectrum. Occasionally, I find it challenging to speak appropriately, especially when I find something about our place and culture to be amusing or outrightly funny. I have no right to make fun of others, but sometimes a bit of self-deprecating humor is just what is needed. When we are able to laugh at ourselves, we become open to meaningful change as well as a healthy perspective. But I’m a bit careful not to make too many jokes about South Dakotans even though I consider myself to be one of them.
One of the lines that I have been known to repeat is this: “Here in South Dakota, we believe that God made no mountain so beautiful that it cannot be improved by carving it.” Of course I’m not a sculptor and I have never participated in the mountain carving. I’m just trying to make a comment about human nature in general and including myself along with other humans seems to be a more humble and less provocative way of making my point.
I’ve live in places with higher mountains and I know that the attraction and beauty of the hills doesn’t come from superlative size or stunning height. There are plenty of mountains that are higher than ours. What is fascinating and wonderful about the hills is the way in which they stand apart from other mountains and form their own kind of island in the prairie. I have a reprint of a composite satellite image of the hills showing how striking our geography really is.
As I think of the announcement yesterday that the U.S. Board on Geographic Names has decided to rename Harney Peak as Black Elk Peak, I want to include myself in the conversations that have led up to the decision. We’ve been arguing about the name of this feature for quite a while.
For those who haven’t been participating in our discussions, the peak is the highest point in the Black Hills. It is also the highest point in the United States east of the Rockies. That means that when you think of all of the Eastern Mountain Ranges: The White Mountains, the Catskills, The Blue Ridge Mountains, The Appalachians, The Adirondack Mountains, and all of the others, none feature a peak as high as ours.
The peak was called Hinhan Kaga by the Lakota people. Late in the 1850’s it was given the name Harney Peak by the civil engineer Gouverneur K. Warren. The name Harney Peak has stuck in contemporary usage and is the name that appears on maps and other documents of the area.
The name is controversial because General William S. Harney whose name it was given was an honor, is not seen by all of the people as a particularly honorable person. His military actions, especially the ordering of violence against women and children at the Battle of Blue Water Creek, earned him infamy among Lakota people.
It has, since, I have lived in South Dakota, seemed fitting that the name of the peak be a point of controversy. After all it is the place in South Dakota that has been struck by lightning more times than any other. Before the stone watch tower was constructed on the peak there was a wooden one that was struck by lighting so many times that most of its fire calls were referencing the fact that it was the lookout that was on fire. Having the name draw a firestorm of controversy seems appropriate for a peak that attracts so much lightning.
A little over a year ago the South Dakota Board of Geographic Names recommended renaming Harney Peak Hinhan Kaga. That made some South Dakotans angry and there was a move in the state legislature to remove the authority of the Board of Geographic Names. Then the Board reversed its decision stating that , “there was no public consensus on a new name.” That was true. I have heard a lot of impassioned arguments for and against several of the proposed names.
Then, yesterday, the U. S. Board on Geographic Names adopted the official name “Black Elk Peak.”
I suspect that this will not yet be final.
Our Governor and one of our U.S. Senators have already made statements opposing the name change. The Governor cites possible confusion and the expense of renaming the feature on all of the maps. The senator says the group acted more quickly than was promised. When you are a politician it seems that it is a good idea to appear to be indignant in front of the press from time to time.
I don’t think calling the spot Black Elk Peak will be much of a challenge. After all it is right in the midst of the Black Elk Wilderness area. And Black Elk is a well-known Lakota spiritual leader. And John Neihardt’s book, “Black Elk Speaks,” has sold a lot of copies and attracted a lot of readers. It probably isn’t the definitive description of traditional Lakota religious practices that it claims to be, but it is one of those books that everyone who is serious about understanding the history of Lakota people should read.
Not being a Lakota speaker, I find Black Elk Peak much easier to remember than Hinhan Kaga, which would have challenged me had it been the final name chosen.
I think that not only do we find carving mountains to be a pastime here in South Dakota, we also find arguing about the names of our mountains to be worthy of our time.
One of the lines that I have been known to repeat is this: “Here in South Dakota, we believe that God made no mountain so beautiful that it cannot be improved by carving it.” Of course I’m not a sculptor and I have never participated in the mountain carving. I’m just trying to make a comment about human nature in general and including myself along with other humans seems to be a more humble and less provocative way of making my point.
I’ve live in places with higher mountains and I know that the attraction and beauty of the hills doesn’t come from superlative size or stunning height. There are plenty of mountains that are higher than ours. What is fascinating and wonderful about the hills is the way in which they stand apart from other mountains and form their own kind of island in the prairie. I have a reprint of a composite satellite image of the hills showing how striking our geography really is.
As I think of the announcement yesterday that the U.S. Board on Geographic Names has decided to rename Harney Peak as Black Elk Peak, I want to include myself in the conversations that have led up to the decision. We’ve been arguing about the name of this feature for quite a while.
For those who haven’t been participating in our discussions, the peak is the highest point in the Black Hills. It is also the highest point in the United States east of the Rockies. That means that when you think of all of the Eastern Mountain Ranges: The White Mountains, the Catskills, The Blue Ridge Mountains, The Appalachians, The Adirondack Mountains, and all of the others, none feature a peak as high as ours.
The peak was called Hinhan Kaga by the Lakota people. Late in the 1850’s it was given the name Harney Peak by the civil engineer Gouverneur K. Warren. The name Harney Peak has stuck in contemporary usage and is the name that appears on maps and other documents of the area.
The name is controversial because General William S. Harney whose name it was given was an honor, is not seen by all of the people as a particularly honorable person. His military actions, especially the ordering of violence against women and children at the Battle of Blue Water Creek, earned him infamy among Lakota people.
It has, since, I have lived in South Dakota, seemed fitting that the name of the peak be a point of controversy. After all it is the place in South Dakota that has been struck by lightning more times than any other. Before the stone watch tower was constructed on the peak there was a wooden one that was struck by lighting so many times that most of its fire calls were referencing the fact that it was the lookout that was on fire. Having the name draw a firestorm of controversy seems appropriate for a peak that attracts so much lightning.
A little over a year ago the South Dakota Board of Geographic Names recommended renaming Harney Peak Hinhan Kaga. That made some South Dakotans angry and there was a move in the state legislature to remove the authority of the Board of Geographic Names. Then the Board reversed its decision stating that , “there was no public consensus on a new name.” That was true. I have heard a lot of impassioned arguments for and against several of the proposed names.
Then, yesterday, the U. S. Board on Geographic Names adopted the official name “Black Elk Peak.”
I suspect that this will not yet be final.
Our Governor and one of our U.S. Senators have already made statements opposing the name change. The Governor cites possible confusion and the expense of renaming the feature on all of the maps. The senator says the group acted more quickly than was promised. When you are a politician it seems that it is a good idea to appear to be indignant in front of the press from time to time.
I don’t think calling the spot Black Elk Peak will be much of a challenge. After all it is right in the midst of the Black Elk Wilderness area. And Black Elk is a well-known Lakota spiritual leader. And John Neihardt’s book, “Black Elk Speaks,” has sold a lot of copies and attracted a lot of readers. It probably isn’t the definitive description of traditional Lakota religious practices that it claims to be, but it is one of those books that everyone who is serious about understanding the history of Lakota people should read.
Not being a Lakota speaker, I find Black Elk Peak much easier to remember than Hinhan Kaga, which would have challenged me had it been the final name chosen.
I think that not only do we find carving mountains to be a pastime here in South Dakota, we also find arguing about the names of our mountains to be worthy of our time.