By Carrie Moore
Nearly two years after the original request was made, the decision to rename Harney Peak is now a reality.
During its regular monthly meeting on Thursday, Aug. 11, the U.S. Board of Geographic Names (BGN) made the unanimous decision to rename Harney Peak— the highest peak east of the Rockies—to Black Elk Peak. The summit has been named Harney Peak on federal maps since 1896, having been named in 1864 or 1865.
“The current name is painful and distressing to the tribal people,” said a member of the BGN during the lengthy deliberation.
During the meeting, BGN members determined the name Harney Peak was subject to Policy V of its Principles, Policies and Procedures, which reads: “The guiding principle of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names for the names of places, features, and areas in the United States and its territories is to adopt for official Federal use the names found in present-day local usage. An exception to this principle occurs when a name is shown to be highly offensive or derogatory to a particular racial or ethnic group, gender, or religious group. In such instances, the Board does not approve use of the names for federal maps, charts, and other publications.”
According to Louis Yost, executive secretary for the BGN, the board typically considers 200 to 250 name changes or requests to name unnamed places each year.
The decision will change Harney Peak to Black Elk Peak on all maps and publications at a federal level. However, the state has no obligation to honor the decision and there is no legal authority that requires a state to change its own maps, signs or literature.
The push for the name change started in September 2014, when Basil Brave Heart, an Oglala Lakota tribal member from Pine Ridge, sent a letter requesting that the name be changed from Harney Peak to Black Elk Peak. The request was forwarded to the South Dakota Board of Geographic Names (SDBGN).
Available only in the print version of the Hill City Prevailer News. To subscribe, call (605) 574-2538.
Nearly two years after the original request was made, the decision to rename Harney Peak is now a reality.
During its regular monthly meeting on Thursday, Aug. 11, the U.S. Board of Geographic Names (BGN) made the unanimous decision to rename Harney Peak— the highest peak east of the Rockies—to Black Elk Peak. The summit has been named Harney Peak on federal maps since 1896, having been named in 1864 or 1865.
“The current name is painful and distressing to the tribal people,” said a member of the BGN during the lengthy deliberation.
During the meeting, BGN members determined the name Harney Peak was subject to Policy V of its Principles, Policies and Procedures, which reads: “The guiding principle of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names for the names of places, features, and areas in the United States and its territories is to adopt for official Federal use the names found in present-day local usage. An exception to this principle occurs when a name is shown to be highly offensive or derogatory to a particular racial or ethnic group, gender, or religious group. In such instances, the Board does not approve use of the names for federal maps, charts, and other publications.”
According to Louis Yost, executive secretary for the BGN, the board typically considers 200 to 250 name changes or requests to name unnamed places each year.
The decision will change Harney Peak to Black Elk Peak on all maps and publications at a federal level. However, the state has no obligation to honor the decision and there is no legal authority that requires a state to change its own maps, signs or literature.
The push for the name change started in September 2014, when Basil Brave Heart, an Oglala Lakota tribal member from Pine Ridge, sent a letter requesting that the name be changed from Harney Peak to Black Elk Peak. The request was forwarded to the South Dakota Board of Geographic Names (SDBGN).
Available only in the print version of the Hill City Prevailer News. To subscribe, call (605) 574-2538.