Indian Gardens, a popular campground inside the Grand Canyon, had its "long overdue" "offensive name" changed after the U.S. Board of Geographic Names granted the request of the Havasupai Tribe in a unanimous vote, the Natonal Park Service said in a statement on Monday.
The new name of the popular campground and rest area located along the Bright Angel Trail will be Havasupai Gardens.
The area's original name was Ha'a Gyoh. But in the early 1900s, federal policies instituted by the park forced the Havasupai people from Ha'a Gyoh. And in 1928, the park forcibly removed the last Havasupai resident, Captain Burro.
"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," Thomas Siyuja Sr., the Havasupai Tribe's chairman, said in a statement.
"Every year, approximately 100,000 people visit the area while hiking the Bright Angel Trail, largely unaware of this history. The renaming of this sacred place to Havasupai Gardens will finally right that wrong."
Today, there are many Havasupai people who live on the Havasupai Indian Reservation. The reservation sits west of Grand Canyon National Park.
"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. This renaming is long overdue," Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent Ed Keable said in a statement.
According to the National Park Service, a rededication ceremony is planned for the spring.
"I hope this historic action will help other tribes take similar steps and reclaim lands back by changing place names for historic and cultural preservation purposes," said Carletta Tilousi, a Havasupai Tribe member.
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