Following the “shocking and revolting,” in Bret Harte’s words, massacre at the Wiyot village on the former Indian Island, now Tuluwat, in February of 1860, the few survivors were removed to, or sought refuge at, Fort Humboldt. They were subsequently relocated to the Smith River and Klamath reservations, while German immigrant Robert Gunther, then 29, […]
Indian Island
Posted inLife + Outdoors
The Tuluwat Island Massacre in its Time
Archeologists have determined that Wiyot people occupied Indian Island for at least 1,000 years — possibly much longer — including the village of Tuluwat, one of the several locations where the tribe held annual World Renewal ceremonies. During one of these ceremonies, the night of Feb. 26, 1860, Tuluwat was one of about a dozen […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Following Eureka’s Lead
When researching our Jan. 24 cover story “We’re Coming Home” about the city of Eureka returning Duluwat Island to the Wiyot Tribe 159 years after it was stolen, we came across a beautiful quote in a 1988 Humboldt Historian article about the island and the egret rookery on its western shore. “The egrets, in graceful […]
Posted inNews
Duluwat Island is Returned to the Wiyot Tribe in Historic Ceremony
With five words, it became official — Duluwat Island is being returned to the Wiyot people, for whom it is the physical and cultural center of the universe, a sacred piece of land with the power to bring balance to all else. “Unanimous yes vote. Motion carries,” said Eureka City Clerk Pam Powell, drawing a […]
Posted inNews
Eureka Schedules Ceremony for Return of Duluwat Island to the Wiyot Tribe
After 160 years — and some unforeseen delays — it looks like the city of Eureka is prepared to finally and officially return Duluwat Island to the Wiyot Tribe later this month. While details are still being worked out, the city of Eureka is planning a special council meeting to formally approve the island’s return […]
Posted inNews
Indian Island Likely to Return to Wiyot Tribe Next Month
After an unexpected delay, the unprecedented repatriation of Indian Island to the Wiyot Tribe is poised to come before the Eureka City Council for final approval next month. City Manager Greg Sparks said the return of the tribe’s sacred ancestral land — approved in principal by the council in principle Dec. 4 — was delayed […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Genocide and Fugly Chairs
Recently, Antiques Roadshow did an appraisal of a Colt Model 1851 pistol that apparently belonged to early Humboldt County settler Seth Kinman. Spoiler alert: It’s supposedly worth $50,000. During the show, the appraiser took the opportunity to wax poetic on the value of the gun because of its known tie to Kinman who is described […]
Posted inNews
Eureka Considers Moving Forward with Indian Island Transfer
The Eureka City Council is slated tonight to decide whether to move forward with transferring ownership of Indian Island back to the Wiyot Tribe. The city’s planning commission voted unanimously last month to find that the 202 acres of land the city owns on Indian Island are not required for “current or future public use” […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Making Amends on the Plaza
I grew up at the base of Fort Humboldt, in the cul-de-sac right across the street. As a child, I played over every inch of that land, including the boggy area at the bottom of the bluff. We would lay boards down into the blackberry thickets, moving forward until we were in the center of […]
Posted inNews
Arkley Emails Foreshadow Litigation over Tuluwat Island
Twenty days before he went on KINS Radio’s “Talkshop” program and touched off a public firestorm by musing aloud about the city of Eureka’s “giving away” Indian Island to the Wiyot Tribe, Robin P. Arkley II had some questions. A letter dated July 11, sent from Arkley’s company Security National to Eureka City Manager Greg […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Don’t Live in a Murder House
Last week on Facebook I came across a post from the Wiyot Tribe in which it tagged my friend Rachel Sundberg. The tribe was thanking her for helping members learn about cultural protocols, dance regalia and continuing ceremonial practices. The Wiyot children in the photos were happy and in one photo a young girl was […]
Posted inNews
Racism Behind the Redwood Curtain Part III: Sorry, Not Sorry
Although Confederate flags do appear on the occasional barn wall, truck bumper or window, Humboldt County had no real role in the Southern cause. But the War of the States did have a marked effect on the Redwood Coast, according to Humboldt State University history professor Thomas Mays. “During the war, Humboldt was like a […]