President Obama announced Sunday that Mount McKinley will be reinstated to its original Alaska Native name of Denali, which means "the high one" or "the great one."

The renaming comes a day before President Obama will travel to Alaska to spend three days addressing climate change.

It is part Obama's administration's efforts to fulfill his 2008 campaign promise of improving awkward relations between the federal government and America's Native American tribes, which make up an important constituency.

President Obama has been engaging on a higher level with Native Americans since his visit to Cannon Ball, N.D. last year and he said at the time:

"There's no denying that for some Americans, the deck's been stacked against them, sometimes for generations, and that's been true of many Native Americans. But if we're working together, we can make things better."

The name of the central Alaska mountain has caused tension for many years. The over 20,000-foot peak is a central figure in the creation story of the Koyukon Athabascans, an ancient Alaskan tribal group.

The site was renamed for President William McKinley in 1896 in a political move whichwas viewed as cultural imperialism.

Although moves were made in 1975 to reinstate the mountain's Alaska Native name, no headway was made.

A slight compromise was reached in 1980 when the national park around the peak was christened Denali National Park and Preserve.

Legislation to rename the mountain was put forward by the Republican of Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski in January, but it was blocked in a political play.

In June, a testimony before Congress given by an Interior Department official stated that the administration had "no objection" to the proposed change.

Ms. Murkowski applauded the President's decision in a video released on Sunday. In the video, she speaks in front of snow-capped peaks that soar to the clouds:

"For generations, Alaskans have known this majestic mountain as 'the great one'. I'd like to thank the president for working with us to achieve this significant change to show honor, respect and gratitude to the Athabascan people of Alaska."