By Erin Malcolm
Tavá, or Sun Mountain, is the native Ute name for the famous “14er,” commonly known as Pikes Peak.
The Sacred Tree Council, a southern Colorado organization composed of 37 indigenous people representing numerous tribes, is working on officially changing the name of “America’s Mountain” to Tavá in honor of the sacred peak and the Ute people who deeply revere it.
Manuel Pulido, a member of the Sacred Tree Council, said, “In theory, this was the birthplace of the Ute people and Tavá (or Pikes Peak) is their mother. They loved their mother so much that they changed their name to Tabeguache. Tabeguache means ‘people of Sun Mountain.’”
As an organization that exists to give representation to native people and share the truth about the history and cultures of their individual tribes, the Sacred Tree Council has already rededicated other landmarks in the Pikes Peak region. Three years ago, the group rededicated the accurate Ute Trail with the presentation of a prayer tree. This year, they renamed ceremonial boulders (formerly called Gog and Magog) located on Eagle’s Peak to “Bear Brothers,” in remembrance of a native story depicting two brothers who learned the feminine side of humanity from a bear, Pulido said.
Renaming Pikes Peak is perhaps the group’s most challenging renaming project yet, and the whole process will be documented in a Netflix film.
The group has already secured a deal with the streaming service and is currently in search of a filmmaker who will help tell the story of the Sun Mountain and follow it through the estimated three-year process, until the naming decision is made.
Pulido is prepared for a lengthier process than usual. “This is a tough one because it’s registered through the government — it’s one of the few mountains in the United States that’s registered through the government,” he said. “And because of that, it’s going to be a bit of a hassle. We will end up having to go to court to make it happen. It won’t be as easy as getting the governor or mayor to change the name.”
Another factor that Pulido said he thinks will make the task more difficult is the correlation that Pikes Peak has many local businesses and organizations in the region that also go by the name “Pike.”
Pulido said, “I’m hoping that we can get people on our side, because that mountain is so important to them (the Ute people).”
