[5][6] It is named for Avi Kwa Ame, also known as Spirit Mountain, which is visible from most of the monument and is considered sacred as the site of creation by the Yuman tribes.

In February 2022 U.S. Representative Dina Titus introduced a bill that would have designated Avi Kwa Ame as a national monument.

[17][18] Interior Secretary Deb Haaland visited the area to discuss the region's significance in September,[19] before BLM director Tracy Stone-Manning hosted a town hall meeting in November.

[13] On November 30, 2022, President Biden announced to attendees of the White House Tribal Nations Summit that he was committed to protecting the area around Spirit Mountain.

[25] There was a delay of more than three months in designating the monument after President Biden said he would do so, in part due to difficulties in scheduling an event in Nevada to make the proclamation.

[6] Local reporters expected Biden to make the designation on a trip to Las Vegas on March 14,[26] but plans changed when members of Congress were unable to attend.