Grand Canyon area will be renamed for tribe that owned it
Decades ago, the
National Park Service forced the Havasupai tribe from an area once known as Ha’a Gyoh, officials said.
In 1928, the last tribal resident, “Captain Burro, was forcibly removed,” according to a Nov. 21 news release from the park service. The land was named Indian Garden.
Now, after a 19-0 vote by the U.S. Board of
Geographic Names and a formal request for the name change earlier this year from the Havasupai tribe, the popular destination will be renamed Havasupai Gardens, NPS said.
“The eviction of Havasupai residents from Ha’a Gyoh coupled with the offensive name, Indian Garden, has had detrimental and lasting impacts on the Havasupai families that lived there and their descendants,” Havasupai Chairman Thomas Siyuja
Sr. said. “The renaming of this sacred place to Havasupai Gardens will finally right that wrong.”
About 100,000 people visit the area each year, typically hiking the Bright Angel Trail, Siyuja said. Most are “unaware of this history.”
Ed Keable, Grand Canyon National Park’s superintendent, said the renaming “is long overdue,” according to the release.
“It is a measure of respect for the undue hardship imposed by the park on the Havasupai people,” Keable said.
For generations, the Burro family, who later changed their name to Tilousi, fought “to protect the history and culture of the Havasupai people,” the release said.
“As a descendent of the Burro-Tilousi family, I am glad to see that we will always remember and honor the true history of my family’s forced relocation due to the development of the Grand Canyon National Park,” Carletta Tilousi, a member of the Havasupai tribe and former council member, said.
Even after being forced from the land, the Havasupai people “continued to live and work within Grand Canyon National park,” the release said.
NPS said it’s working to change the name on signage, as well as other materials. A rededication ceremony will be held in the spring.