The Mountain of Many Names

From Igmu Tanka Pahá to the Monument of More

Today, anyone gazing at the world-famous National Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota sees the stone manifestation of modern human will. The four 18-meter-high faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln tower over the landscape as a "shrine to democracy." It is the ultimate attempt to defy transience and inscribe imperial power deep into the geology of this planet. But scratch the surface of this granite, and the fleeting nature of human meaning-making and a history of ruthless overlay are revealed.

Going back in time, long before dynamite shaped the mountain, the Lakota people entered this region in the late 18th century, calling it Pahá Sápa. At that time, the striking granite rock bore a completely unpretentious, descriptive name: Igmu Tanka Pahá – Puma Mountain. This name arose from the direct, reverential observation of nature. The heavily forested, rugged mountain was the hunting ground of the American puma. For about a century, this name reflected a worldview in which humankind defined the land through its natural wildlife before it became a projection screen for complex spiritual cosmologies or national egos.

The spiritual turning point did not occur until the 1870s. Through a profound vision of the Lakota medicine man Black Elk, Puma Mountain transformed into Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe – the “Six Grandfathers.” The rocky peaks were now associated with the universal directions: west, north, east, south, the sky (Wakáŋ Táŋka, the paternal principle), and the earth (Maka or Unci Maka, Grandmother Earth). The mountain was no longer merely a habitat, but a sacred altar for prayers and vision quests. The concept of Maka here encapsulates the core of indigenous philosophy: the earth is not an object to be possessed, but a relative who nourishes and sustains.

Yet this era of spiritual harmony was surprisingly short-lived in the physical world. With the gold rush unleashed by General Custer in 1874, two irreconcilable concepts collided at this mountain. The Western principle, which views nature as an exploitable resource, invaded this sacred site. In 1884, the New York corporate lawyer Charles E. Rushmore traveled to the region to secure mining rights. What began as a casual joke with his local guide led to the mountain being renamed after him: Mount Rushmore.

This name carries within it an almost cynical, tragic poetry. "Rush-more" (literally: rush more, storm more, demand more) unintentionally encapsulates the secret mantra of the Western expansionist era. It unites the blind frenzy of the gold rush with the insatiable hunger for more dominance and exploitation. A mountain of eternal cycles was transformed by bureaucratic chance into a stony witness to the compulsion to grow.

This linguistic metamorphosis ultimately culminates in the faces immortalized there, most notably that of George Washington. Originally, the name was derived from an early medieval Anglo-Saxon settlement—"the settlement of the people of Wassa." Over the centuries, a simple piece of farmland became a title of nobility, then the name of a revolutionary leader, and finally the stone symbol of a superpower.

Thus, the circle closes at the Mountain of Many Names: An Old English word for farmland now adorns the desecrated sanctuary of the Six Grandfathers. It is a silent, powerful testament to the fact that the names we give to the world are always a reflection of our own cultural soul—and that humanity's quest to rise above untouched nature (Maka) always demands a price of uprooting.

Granite Weight and Paper Names

English Lyrics:

Before the fuse bit deep into the stone,

The puma walked where shadows were his own.

Igmu Tanka Pahá, the forest and the fold,

A mountain named by what the eyes behold.

No shrine of men, no vanity of state,

Just gravity and time and granite weight.

Then came the vision of the Six Grandfathers, Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe, the rising spirit gathers. North and South and East and West, Maka, the Grandmother, taking the prayer to breast. Not an object to be bought or sold, But a relative to nurture and to hold.

And then the name became a cynical decree, Born from a quest of legal greed. Mount Rushmore—a sudden, rushing thing, Condensing every greed the western winds can bring. More for the taker, more for the claim, A mountain shrunken by a bureaucrat's name.

(Whispered) Rush more. Rush more. Rush more. It's the mantra of the hollow heart, Tearing the sacred, quiet world apart. Washington, the farmer's name, A cipher etched in geologic shame.

An old English word for a piece of land, Now a superpower's stone-faced brand.

From Puma to Grandfathers, to a name that meant 'go', Maka stays silent beneath the stone show.

The mountain waits, while the statues erode.

Names are just shadows on the geologic road.

German Translation:

Before the fuse burned deep into the stone, The Puma went where the shadows were entirely his.

Igmu Tanka Pahá, the forest and the fold in the rock, A mountain named for what the eye beholds.

No shrine of men, no vanity of state, Only gravity and time and the weight of granite.

Then came the vision of the Six Grandfathers,

Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe, the ascending spirit gathers.

North and South and East and West,

Maka, the grandmother, closes the prayer in her breast.

Not an object to be bought or sold,

But a relative to be nurtured and cherished.

And then the name became a cynical decree,

Born from a jest of legal greed.

Mount Rushmore—a sudden, restless thing,

That condenses every greed the west wind can bring.

More for the taker, more for the claimant,

A mountain shrunk by the name of a bureaucrat.

(Whispered) Rush-more. (Rush more.)

Rush-more.

It is the hollow-hearted mantra,

That tears the sacred, silent world to pieces.

Washington, the farmer's name,

A cipher etched in geological disgrace.

An Old English word for a piece of land,

Now the stone trademark of a superpower.

From the puma to the grandfathers, to a name that always demands "more,"

Maka remains silent beneath the stony spectacle.

The mountain waits while the statues weather away.

Names are merely shadows on the path of Earth's history.