Geographic Names Conference

Poster from Univ of Minnesota
with Ojibwe and Dakota names

This week I'm participating in the conference of the Council of Geographic Names Authorities (COGNA). We're meeting Minneapolis, where as in Alaska spring has yet to arrive. This annual meeting brings together representatives from the various state boards which represent the first hurdle in the official place name approval process. The state boards make recommendations to the federal Board of Geographic Names, which then serves as the final arbiter of names. At least that's the way it's supposed to work. In Alaska we have an ongoing name controversy which has circumvented the board process, but more on that shortly. This year unfortunately, due to that strange piece of legislation known as the "sequester" few federal representatives have been able to attend the COGNA meeting, but the reports from the state boards are nonetheless interesting.

The good news is that Alaska has an amazingly supportive names board in the form of the Alaska Historical Commission. The board has recommended several Native names over the past year, all of which have been approved at the federal level. These include Troth Yeddha', Tł'oo Hanshyah Mountain, Łochenyatth Creek, Hawadax Island, and G̲andláay Háanaa. Notice that many of these names include special characters, long held up by opponents as an excuse not to approve Native names. Also, while some might claim that these names are "unpronounceable," this criterion is no longer part of the Alaska guidelines. What I've learned here at COGNA is that the same cannot be said of other states, many of which are still almost colonial in their approach to Native names. Further, two of these names were approved without the addition of a English generic and thus remain true to the original Native name.

Of course when it comes to Alaska names not everyone likes to follow due process. For many years supporters of the name Mt. McKinley have regularly introduced legislation to block attempts to change the name of the mountain. This effectively hamstrings the board approval process, as the US Board's guidelines prevent it from considering name changes so long as there is "pending" legislation. But it doesn't prevent the legislative branch from fighting it out in congress, and over the last year Senator Murkowski has done just that, introducing legislation to officially adopt the name Denali.

Last week this legislation passed another hurdle, receiving a hearing at the National Parks subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. As reported in AK Public, the Park Service testified in favor of the name change, and surprisingly Senator Portman, the Ohio member on the committee, offered no comment. Of course, as APRN's Peter Granitz points out, even if the bill passes the subcommittee and then the full committee, then the full Senate, it must still face the House and its speaker John Boehner ... who represents Ohio.

On the subject of Denali I reluctantly mention a disappointingly uninformed piece by Craig Medred which appeared in the Alaska Dispatch. That Medred manages to be offensive is not so surprising (though it leaves one wondering about the lack of editorial oversight at the Dispatch). See my comments on Medred's if you're interested how misinformed the anti-Native names arguments can be. Otherwise, just give it a miss and let Senator Murkowski know you support her efforts.