In September 2022, it was revealed that Squaw Peak, one of Utah Valley's most iconic mountains, was officially renamed Kyhv Peak.
The transformation came after years of debate about the name's origins.
The term "squaw" likely originated in the Algonquian language in Massachusetts, where it was used to simply describe a woman.
Yet by the 19th century, the word began to take on more negative connotations, signifying a more debased and sexualized caricature of Native American women.
Provo's peak was one of more than 650 geographic locations, including 50 in Utah, changed by the Department of Interior in 2022.
Not mentioned in the articles reporting the name change, however, was the meaning of the new name, Kyhv.
What were its origins and why was it chosen?
We did some digging and found out.
According to Repeak Provo, an independent local group that advocated for the name change, the term Kyhv simply means mountain. Its origins are in the Ute language, one of the most prominent tribes from Utah.
It is pronounced K-eye-vf.
So that's the story of how an ancient peak was given a new name that is actually a very old name -- and might, in fact, actually be closer to what it was first known by.
As our followers know, we like to weave the history of Mount Timpanogos and the surrounding Wasatch Mountains into our designs. To honor the name change, we created a couple of new designs. We hope you like them!
