Going woke, righting tone-deaf wrongs, changing with the times — call it what you will, but Grand Canyon National Park is renaming a popular stop to rid it of its offensive name, Indian Garden, the National Park Service said in a news release. The destination — which is frequently visited by hikers looking to rest and take in the views along Bright Angel Trail — is now to be known as Havasupai Gardens, a name that pays homage to members of the Havasupai tribe, who have inhabited the area for nearly a millennium.
Indian Garden has long been a major rest stop for hikers on the Grand Canyon’s Bright Angel Trail. But the landmark is getting a name change.https://t.co/3owuNxT3RM
— KJZZ Phoenix (@kjzzphoenix) November 22, 2022
Members of the Havasupai tribe were removed from the inner canyon area in the national park nearly a century ago as a result of park policies. The area, which the tribe referred to as Ha’a Gyoh, then became known as Indian Garden. Grand Canyon National Park worked with members of the Havasupai Tribal Council to reinstill the cultural significance of the area's name.
“The Havasupai people have actively occupied this area since time immemorial, before the land's designation as a national park and until the park forcibly removed them in 1926,” park Superintendent Ed Keable said in the release. “This renaming is long overdue. It is a measure of respect for the undue hardship imposed by the park on the Havasupai people.”
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The Havasupai Tribe and the park service are planning a rededication ceremony in early spring, the release said.
The announcement of the name change comes during National Native American Heritage Month, which, according to a White House proclamation, is a time to “celebrate Indigenous peoples past and present and rededicate ourselves to honoring Tribal sovereignty, promoting Tribal self-determination, and upholding the United States’ solemn trust and treaty responsibilities to Tribal Nations.”
