Downtown Nashville’s Cumberland Park could soon be going by a traditional, Indigenous name

As it stands, Cumberland Park — located on Nashville’s east bank of the Cumberland River — is simply named after the river.

Local groups are pushing for the park, which opened in April 2012, to be renamed in honor of the traditional name of the river. The Indigenous People’s Coalition, along with members of the Global Education Center and the Nashville Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation, put forth a proposal to the Metro Parks Board this week that would rename it “Wasioto Park.”

“Wasioto” (sometimes spelled “Warioto”) is the original Shawnee name for the Cumberland River. The Shawnee people lived in the region until the 18th century, when conflicts with the Cherokee and Chickasaw people drove them out. A century later, most Cherokee were forcibly removed via the Trail of Tears.

“When the first European visitors, the French, traversed the river in the 1670s, the Shawnees were so numerous at that time, living in villages in the Nashville area, that the French called the waterway the ‘River of the Shawnee,’” Albert Bender, an Indigenous leader and member of the IPC told the Parks Board on Tuesday. “The renaming is so fitting and appropriate in recognizing Indigenous history and presence in the Nashville area, both ancient and contemporary.”

As outlined in the Parks Board policy, renaming parks is generally discouraged. The board recommends that renaming efforts “be subject to the most critical examination so as not to diminish the original justification for the name.”

Additionally, costs associated with the renaming process are the responsibility of the requesting organization.

But, according to Bender, this possible change is an important part of a larger movement nationwide.

“Tribes and nations are clamoring and recommending name changes be given to different sites, rivers and the like that have European names,” Bender said. “It is a way of recognizing and further legitimizing the ancient history of the United States.”

The proposal suggests not only changing the name of the park, but also introducing Indigenous art, plantings, educational opportunities and performances to the space.

The Parks Board has thus far deferred the proposal to its Naming Committee. It will later be subject to a community meeting.

Correction: This story has been updated to correctly identify that it is the nonprofit foundation that supports the Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce that is in support of the name change.