Native American tribe finally reclaims sacred land from California after 159 years

The Wiyot Tribe’s Historic Reclamation of Tuluwat Island

The Wiyot Tribe’s sacred homeland was stolen in blood.

On February 26, 1860, white settlers killed up to 250 Wiyot people on Tuluwat Island during their World Renewal Ceremony. Most victims were women, kids, and elders.

For over a century after, the tribe lost everything. But in 1992, two tribal elders lit a spark with yearly vigils that grew into a movement.

Through bake sales and concerts, the Wiyot raised enough cash to buy back a small piece in 2000. Then, in a historic first, Eureka gave back 202 acres in 2019 with no strings attached.

Today, Tuluwat stands as a powerful symbol of healing you can glimpse from Eureka’s historic waterfront.

Axes and Clubs Struck During Sacred Ceremony

Angry white settlers attacked the Wiyot Tribe on February 26, 1860, killing between 80 and 250 people on Tuluwat Island in Humboldt Bay.

The attack happened during the tribe’s World Renewal Ceremony, mostly targeting women, children, and elders while the men were away getting supplies. The killers came at dawn with axes, knives, and clubs.

Robert Gunther, who bought the island just three days earlier, watched the massacre happen. The brutal attack stopped a sacred ceremony that had brought the Wiyot people together for countless years.

Sacred Land Turned Into Toxic Shipyard

After the killings, Gunther took the island for his dairy cattle business. The sacred ground where Wiyot people had prayed became cow pasture.

Over the next hundred years, the island changed owners and uses. Later owners built a shipyard that leaked chemicals and metals into the soil.

Old boats, machine parts, and industrial trash piled up across the land. The once-clean ceremonial site got so dirty that plants barely grew and animals stayed away.

The spiritual home of the Wiyot people sat damaged and forgotten.

Officials Ignored First Return Request

Wiyot tribal members asked for their island back in the 1970s. They talked to local government officials about their deep spiritual connection to Tuluwat Island.

The officials brushed them off. City leaders showed no interest in giving back what they saw as valuable property.

The tribe’s cultural claims meant nothing as business interests came first. This rejection forced the Wiyot to find other ways to get their sacred land back.

Candlelight Vigils Sparked Community Support

Tribal elders Cheryl Seidner and Leona Wilkinson started yearly candlelight vigils in 1992. They gathered on nearby Woodley Island, looking across the water toward their lost homeland.

The peaceful events remembered those killed in the 1860 massacre and kept the tribe’s tie to the island alive. The small tribal gathering grew each year.

Hundreds of people from the wider community joined in, standing with Wiyot members. These vigils built awareness and created a movement that united Native and non-Native people.

Community Fundraisers Filled Donation Jars

The Wiyot Tribe started a grassroots campaign to buy back pieces of their homeland. They organized art shows with Native artists and held concerts where local musicians played for free.

Community dinners brought people together over traditional foods, with donation jars passed around tables. Tribal members sold t-shirts, crafts, and baked goods at local events.

The fundraising spread through Humboldt County as more people learned about the Wiyot’s tie to Tuluwat Island. Money came in small amounts from hundreds of supporters who believed in the cause.

First Land Purchase Marked Major Milestone

After years of fundraising, the Wiyot Tribe collected over $106,000 and bought 1. 5 acres of Tuluwat Island in 2000.

The purchase gave them their first foothold on the sacred land since the 1860 massacre. Tribal members celebrated with prayers and songs on the small plot that now legally belonged to them again.

Though just a small part of the island, this piece marked a breakthrough after decades away from their spiritual center. The tribe put up a sign showing Wiyot ownership, visible to anyone passing by on Humboldt Bay.

Volunteers Hauled Away Tons of Toxic Waste

The Wiyot Tribe started cleaning their newly bought land right away. Volunteers came with gloves, boots, and drive to fix the sacred site.

Together they removed 70 tons of scrap metal rusted into the soil. They dug up and hauled away 26 tons of dirt filled with oil and chemicals.

Tribal members and community helpers worked weekends and holidays to clear dangerous materials left by the shipyard.

The physical cleanup became a spiritual act as each piece of trash removed helped heal the land so important to Wiyot culture.

City Returned Land With Strings Attached

Eureka officials voted to give back 40 acres of the island to the Wiyot Tribe in 2004. The decision came after growing public pressure and recognition of past wrongs.

But the deed came with limits on how the tribe could use their own sacred land. The city kept certain rights that upset tribal members who wanted full control.

Still, the transfer gave the Wiyot more of the island than they had owned in generations. The tribe kept restoring the land while planning their next steps toward complete return.

New Council Members Championed Full Return

Natalie Arroyo and Kim Bergel won seats on the Eureka City Council in 2014 after promising voters they would help the Wiyot Tribe.

Both women had built ties with tribal members and understood why Tuluwat Island mattered to Wiyot culture. They worked from inside city government to change minds and rules.

Their efforts paid off in December 2018 when the council voted to declare the remaining island property surplus, clearing the way for its return.

The political shift showed how community attitudes had changed through years of learning and relationship-building.

Eureka Made History With Unconditional Land Transfer

Mayor Susan Seaman and Tribal Chairman Ted Hernandez signed papers giving 202 acres of Tuluwat Island to the tribe on October 21, 2019.

The historic deed had no restrictions, giving the Wiyot Tribe complete control of their sacred land.

Eureka became the first city in the United States to freely return land to a Native tribe without court orders or federal laws. The signing ceremony got national attention as a model for fixing historical wrongs.

Tribal members cried as they watched their long-held dream come true through peaceful work rather than legal fights.

Ancient Ceremony Resumed After 154-Year Pause

The Wiyot Tribe completed their first full World Renewal Ceremony on Tuluwat Island in 2014, finishing what their ancestors had started 154 years earlier.

The eight-day spiritual ceremony, which the 1860 massacre had violently interrupted, brought healing to tribal members across generations.

Elders who had only heard stories of the ceremony from their grandparents now watched young tribal members dance and sing on their rightful homeland.

The sacred rituals that maintain balance in the world resumed in their proper place, fulfilling the dreams of Wiyot people who had never given up hope of returning to their island.

Visiting Old Town Eureka, California

Visit the Da Gou Rou Louwi’ Cultural Center at 417 2nd Street Suite 101 in Old Town Eureka to learn about the Wiyot Tribe’s historic land reclamation victory.

The center is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11:30am to 6pm with free admission. You can take guided walking tours to the Eureka Boardwalk where you’ll see Tuluwat Island across the water.

Call 707-798-1949 for tour information or to learn about the annual February candlelight vigil commemorating the 1860 massacre.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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