The Skokie Park District board of commissioners voted unanimously last month to rename three Skokie parks, at the request of the parks’ namesake Tribal Nations, and as part of the district’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiative that was embarked upon in 2022.

"Two years ago, we began work to honor the ancestral homelands of Native American tribes," said park district Executive Director Michelle Tuft. "We currently have 11 existing Tribal Nation park names and we reached out to all of them as to whether the names accurately and respectfully represent their cultures, traditions and contributions to Skokie and the region."

Earlier this year, four of the Tribal Nations responded, asking for a name change. Accordingly, as requested by the tribes and recommended by Tuft and her staff, the board voted unanimously to make the following three park name changes:

Menominee Park –– now Mamaceqtaw Park
The park name has been changed from the European-adopted name "Menominee" to the tribal language name, “Mamaceqtaw,” meaning “the people.” Click here for the pronunciation. (mah-mah-KEE-tah)

Seneca Park –– now Onöndowa’ga Park
The park name has been changed to the tribal language name, “Onöndowa’ga." The updated park sign will also include the subheading, “People of the Great Hill.” Click here for the pronunciation. (uh-NUN-doh-WAAH-gah)

Sequoya Park –– now Sequoyah Park
The park name has been changed to the Cherokee tribal language name for their historical figure, “Sequoyah.” The pronunciation will remain the same. (seh-KOY-uh)

In addition to new signage, QR codes with tribal histories will also be located in the parks, in order to educate park visitors regarding each tribe.

The Powhatan Tribal Nation (who were originally located in Virginia) have requested re-naming Pohatan Park after one of nine tribes located in this area (and listed in the Skokie Park District land acknowledgement statement.) Staff will recommend a board vote on a new tribal name for Pohatan Park at a future meeting, only after contacting a tribe and obtaining its consent.

The three park name changes are now official, with the district’s website pages reflecting both new and old names. Park signage indicating the new names will be completed in the near future. Further Tribal Nation park name changes will be dependent on any future requests by the representatives of those nations.