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Mount Denali Myths

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1. History and myth is an important part of any culture. History is a study of events that have already occurred and is comprised of stories from first-hand experiences. Myth is connected to history as it speaks to the stories and ideas passed down over time that are not true but widely believed by people. This paper will link myth and history together concerning Mount McKinley, more recently named Mount Denali located in the Alaskan mountain range. Then I will move into discussing the current day controversy in renaming Mount McKinley to Mount Denali. 2. As with anything there are differing ways to view information provided. With history the information needs to be validated for accuracy. Myths are not necessarily validated with the …show more content…

To place perspective on the size of Mount Denali, Aconcagua, Argentina is the tallest mountain in the world followed by Mount Everest in Nepal. Mount Denali is seen as the third tallest mountain and is the tallest mountain in North America. A wall street journal article, written by Elizabeth Williamson and Ryan Tracy on 30 August 2015, discussed President Barack Obama changing Mount McKinley’s name to Mount Denali.3 Alaska initially requested the name change in 1975 which the state of Ohio fought considering President McKinley was from Ohio. Sally Jewell, Secretary of the Interior Department utilized her position to change the name to appeal to Alaskan natives and was supported by the White House stating they “Generally believed to be central to the Athabaskan creation story, Denali is a site of significant cultural importance to many Alaskan natives.”3 Now that we have an understanding of changing Mount McKinley to Mount Denali, let’s look back at everything. 4. It is important to reflect on history and appreciate the myths that interweave and provide us with our customs. American’s lives change overtime but history and myth thrives and shapes our interactions in society. Myth is very much alive in historical accounts and is seen in the story of how Mount Denali became from a mythical creature, how a pioneer attempted to put his mark on an important landmark and how our government has recognized the importance of respecting the Alaskan history and how it is important to our

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