The Humboldt marten is about the size of a 4-month-old human baby and adorable, with small, round ears, a fluffy tail and a button nose. Don’t let these looks fool you. This member of the weasel family is a voracious predator that fights hard for a spot in the animal kingdom, taking down large rodents […]
Yurok
Posted inNews
NCJ Preview: Condor Comeback, Grand Jury Report and Wild Morels
This week we’re looking at how the Yurok Tribe’s efforts to bring the California condor back to the skies above Humboldt is a cultural, ecological victory with a long road ahead. Mushroom enthusiasts will be happy to hear about this week’s recipe for stuffed and steamed morels, for a foraged dim sum dish. We’ll touch […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
The Mystery of the Wiyot and Yurok Languages
Take a look at the accompanying map, which shows the extent of the so-called “Algic” superfamily of Indigenous languages. (Algic from Allegheny + Atlantic.) Most of these belong to the Algonquian family of about 30 languages, all descended from the Proto-Algonquian that was spoken about 3,000 years ago and whose speakers are now found from […]
Posted inNews
NCJ Preview: Salmon, Chili Dogs and Fiscal Drama
This week’s cover story looks at the impact of the salmon population on Native communities, culturally, economically and in terms of survival. We also have a story on the Civil Grand Jury investigation of the Auditor-Controller’s Office and what the recent Board of Trustees’ letter of no-confidence means. We’re also looking back on Fortuna’s iconic […]
Posted inNews
Restoring the Name of Sue-meg State Park
Since time immemorial, the Yurok people have called the coastal area north of Trinidad — located in the heart of their ancestral lands — Sue-meg. Now, some 170 years after the name was usurped, the 1-square-mile property with meadows, forest lands and long beaches stretched out below soaring cliffs will officially be known as Sue-meg […]
Posted inLifelines
Velva Elaine Angell: 1929-2021
Our beloved Mother and “Auntie” Velva Angell passed from this earth on Aug. 14, 2021 at the age of 92. She was proud of her Native American heritage as she was Wiyot, Yurok and Wintun Indian. Velva was born in Eureka, California on April 5, 1929 to her parents, Elizabeth Logan Cooper and Henry Clay […]
Posted inNews
‘Given These Songs’
Brian Tripp, the storied Karuk poet, artist and ceremonial singer, is in hospice, receiving care provided for people who doctors think are in last months of life with an incurable disease. In many cases, hospice care is cause for abject sadness from the patient and their family. For Brian, it was reason to invite some […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Restoring Sumêg Village
A hike at Patrick’s Point State Park north of Trinidad always appeals to me, given park access to Agate Beach, Ceremonial Rock, Wedding Rock’s ocean viewpoint and the excellent Rim Trail. But if you go now, you can see work being done at Sumêg Village by a crew of Yurok Tribe members using traditional methods […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Sharing the Frybread Love
Watching frybread go from a fist of pale dough pulled from a bucket to its final form, cumulus in shape and caramel in color, is like watching up-close magic. In a straw hat with a kitchen towel hanging from her shoulder, Lisa Sundberg pats, then pulls the dough with practiced hands, turning it to stretch […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Jene McCovey Memorial Included in Zero to Fierce Festival
Longtime activist and Yurok elder Jene McCovey died in February, leaving behind an impressive legacy of environmental, Indigenous, disability and women’s activism and accomplishments. A memorial for her will be held Sunday, March 14 from 3 to 4 p.m. online as part of the Zero to Fierce Festival. There, you can join others in remembering […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Takeout from the Trading Post
If you’re looking for a bowl of khao poon noodles, pad thai or even basic Chinese beef and broccoli, Hoopa might not be the first place you look. But Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to around 7 p.m., it’s not unusual to see a line of cars, some from Willow Creek and Orleans, pulling […]
Posted inNews
Fight of the River People
It was a Friday in late August when four jet boats made their way up the Klamath River under a cloudless blue sky. The boats carried three tribal chairs. From the Karuk Tribe, there was Russell “Buster” Attebery, who’d found pride as a boy catching salmon from the river and bringing them home to his […]