Native Americans are seeking to rename Mount Rainier to Ti’ swaq’. There have been unsuccessful efforts over the years to name the mountain for Americanized variations of the name — Tahoma, Tacoma, etc. and the Native Americans say it should it should have its proper Native name. That name was believed to be the name “snowy mountain.” The “Ti’ swaq'” name is for the group Native Americans who lived on the mountain.
The tribes also note that the mountain is named for British captain Peter Rainier who was wounded while fighting Americans during the American Revolution.
Attempts over the years to give it an American name included naming it for Presidents Lincoln, Harding, and Harrison
Among the events pushing the naming is
The Day of 1000 Drums on May 30 in Tacoma.
The proposal has been made by Robert Satiacum of the Puyallup Tribe. Satiacum said that it is not a name change but rather a restoration of the name. He is one of the creators of puyalluptribalnews.com
Satiacum said that the “name when when correctly pronounced, has so many clicks and glottal stops that it is virtually unpronounceable for modern tongues – his own included.” We have placed a request on the Facebook group page to get an .mp3 of the name.
According to the Bellingham Herald the pronunciation “tea-swawk” is acceptable, Satiacum said, though it really should be pronounced with more character given to the final K sound. To be more accurate, the word should end with a coughlike exhalation of air, Satiacum said. “Think of blowing out a candle.”