MAKE DENALI
THE GREAT ONE AGAIN

Peak Stupidity

One of Trump's first executive actions after returning to office was to change the name of Denali to Mount McKinley, part of his culture war on "woke ideology." This was literally peak ignorance—denying history, Native heritage, and the will of Alaskans across the political spectrum.[1]

Since time immemorial, the mountain bore its Athabaskan name, Denali, often transalted as The Great One. The name remained until 1896 when a wealthy Seattleite arbitrarily slapped "McKinley" on it, naming it after his preferred presidential candidate who never once set foot in Alaska. In 2015, after decades of bipartisan effort, the mountain's name was rightfully restored to Denali.

Trump's willful ignorance denies the deep history of Alaska Natives in their homeland, and he's just another rich white man from the Lower 48 pushing irrelevant politics on this icon of the North. Let's Make Denali The Great One Again!

Show Your Support For The Great One

During his 1896 misadventure in the Susitna basin, William Dickey wrote off the Dena'ina people's name for the mountain as simply "their word for anything very large."[2] We don't have to accept this denial of Alaska Natives' knowledge of the land they've always called home. Restore the mountain's rightful name and Make Denali The Great One Again!

Trucker Hat - $20

Make Denali The Great One Again hat

Bumper Sticker - $6

Make Denali The Great One Again sticker

Put Your Money Where Your Hat Is

100% of the proceeds from Make Denali The Great One Again hats and stickers are donated to Native Peoples Action, an Alaska non-profit advocating for Native rights, engagement, and lifeways. Want to support them even more? Make a direct contribution on their donation page.

Native Peoples Action is not in any way affiliated with the Make Denali The Great One Again campaign. You can, however, support this vital organization and simultaneously tell our political leaders to do what's right and Make Denali The Great One Again!

Want To Get Involved?

Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska introduced legislation to officially rename the mountain to Denali. If passed, the bill would undo Trump's absurd executive order.

Contact your congressional representatives and tell them to support Senator Murkowski's simple and sensible bill Make Denali The Great One Again once and for all!

Questions?

Curious about how you can help Make Denali The Great One? Want to know more about the hat or the sticker?

Contact us at info@makedenaligreat.org!

References

  1. Ruskin, L. (2025, February 3). We asked: Mount McKinley or Denali? You said: Denali. Alaska Public Media. https://alaskapublic.org/news/2025-02-03/we-asked-mount-mckinley-or-denali-you-said-denali
  2. Dickey, W. (1897, January 24). Discoveries in Alaska. The New York Sun. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030272/1897-01-24/ed-1/seq-26/