Coming Home
Yesterday I witnessed first hand perhaps the most significant historical moment of my life. The City of Eureka returned to the Wiyot People Indian Island, now Dulawat.
169 years ago the tribe's World Renewal Ceremony was in process when white settlers invaded the island and murdered 150 mostly women and children. It was at a time when the State of California paid for Indian heads and scalps and was a brutal interruption in their over 1000 years of occupying the land we now live on surrounding Humboldt Bay.
As we settlers are finally beginning to appreciate and come to terms with the horror committed by our ancestors it was deeply moving to see the white city council vote unanimously and enthusiastically for the return finalizing a years long process.
Though the island is environmentally damaged and will soon be covered by rising seas it is a first time event in American history to have the cooperative return of land to its original inhabitants and hopefully the beginning of a movement both here and elsewhere.
The large room was packed with witnesses and this follows a full house of 800 viewers of the film From Wounded Knee to Standing Rock, featuring many local indigenous heroes the main one, Willard Carlson, who I sat beside during the celebration. He is a kind and gentle soul.
Singing the Coming Home song together with Cheryl in the Wiyot language at the end was profoundly moving.
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| Cheryl Seidner, former Chief, Journal photo |
As we settlers are finally beginning to appreciate and come to terms with the horror committed by our ancestors it was deeply moving to see the white city council vote unanimously and enthusiastically for the return finalizing a years long process.
Though the island is environmentally damaged and will soon be covered by rising seas it is a first time event in American history to have the cooperative return of land to its original inhabitants and hopefully the beginning of a movement both here and elsewhere.
The large room was packed with witnesses and this follows a full house of 800 viewers of the film From Wounded Knee to Standing Rock, featuring many local indigenous heroes the main one, Willard Carlson, who I sat beside during the celebration. He is a kind and gentle soul.
Singing the Coming Home song together with Cheryl in the Wiyot language at the end was profoundly moving.
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