Wanat and Cuchillo, a tale of two peaks

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      Well, the cat's out of the bag. My proposal to name two peaks in the Yucaipa ridge west of Galena Peak has hit the internet. A post on the San Gorgonio Wilderness Association discussion forum introduced them. I spent a long time considering the names before submitting to the USGS for review. I wanted at least one of them to be in the language of the indigenous people of these mountains, the Serrano Indians. The name wanat means mountain lion (puma, cougar) in Serrano, a spoken language—at least according to the last native Serrano speaker, Dorothy Ramon.

      The choice of wanat for the Serrano word was not a given, since a formidable linguist in the language points to another, quite different spelling (and phonetic rendering). This scholar, Kenneth C. Hill, published the definitive Hopi/English dictionary, and has a Serrano/English dictionary in preparation. He was kind enough to assist me in my research, and helped with the phonetic aspects. In the end I selected the word considered most accurate by the local authorities and, as mentioned, the most recent usage. Besides, it was the choice more easily understood and spoken [most accurately] by non-native speakers. In other words, it's less likely to be mispronounced to such a degree as to have no real connection to the Serrano language.

      The other peak naming was for the smaller peak, east of Wanat (both of these are east of Little San Gorgonio). All who have ventured along this portion of the Yucaipa Ridge know that its knife-like characteristics deserve the name cuchillo. This word is Spanish for knife, of course, and recognizes that Spanish was the second language spoken in the region. I believe both names are fitting, and hope that the various governing bodies that will review them will approve them. They are two peaks that [in my mind] deserve to be named.