The Intertribal Sinkyone Wilderness Ten Tribes Reclaiming, Stewarding, and Restoring Ancestral Lands

STEWARDSHIP

The InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Ten Tribes Reclaiming, Stewarding, and Restoring Ancestral Lands

BY HAWK ROSALES

he 4,000-acre (1,619 ha) InterTribal Sinkyone eons throughout this land. The success of their cultural man- Wilderness is located along the “Lost Coast” of agement was informed by close observations of the seasons Tnorthern California, an area that holds great cul- and other natural phenomena; the understanding that one tural and spiritual significance for the indigenous Tribal must never take more than one needed; a unique set of orig- Peoples of this region. inal instructions that had been given spiritually to the people; Located 200 miles (323 km) and a vast body of unsurpassed wisdom and knowledge north of San Francisco, this gained by thousands of years of living daily with respect upon portion of the Sinkyone land Mother Earth. is the longest stretch of permanently protected coastal wilderness in the lower 48 states of the United States. It is the westernmost part of Hawk Rosales. the vast Sinkyone Indian Aboriginal Territory that includes the Wild and Scenic Eel River, the stunning and mountainous Lost Coast, and the vestiges of a 3,000-year- old temperate rain forest.

History of Designation For thousands of years, the indigenous people of this land employed a complex and sophisticated system of cultural stewardship that significantly influenced the biological diver- sity and abundance of the Sinkyone temperate rainforest. The land management methods employed by the Sinkyone and other neighboring Tribes of California’s North Coast included rotational burning of understory plants to ensure the health and productivity of important species; selective thinning and harvesting of seaweeds, basket-making materials, medicines, and a host of other plants; breaching of berms at river mouths to enable salmon migration (see figure 1); the transplanting of Figure 1—InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness, Wolf Creek salmonid jump desirable plant species; and countless other practices that were pools. Photo by Joe Scriven; © InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council. conducted hand-in-hand with prayers and ceremonies for

8 International Journal of Wilderness APRIL 2010 • VOLUME 16, NUMBER 1 The Sinkyone people established and inhabited permanent villages and seasonal encampments throughout their territory. Although autonomous, the many Sinkyone groups inhabiting these villages and encampments shared distinctive cultural and social characteristics that distinguished them from neighboring Indian peoples. These shared characteristics included an Athabaskan language unique to the Sinkyone, a common system of spiritual beliefs and practices, distinctive styles for their art forms and architec- ture, and commonly understood territorial boundaries within which members of the Sinkyone bands social- Figure 2—Looking south from Needle Rock to Bear Harbor. Photo by © Hawk Rosales. ized, gathered and hunted food sources, and conducted trade. They utilized the eventually became enrolled members spiritual beliefs of Native peoples of prairies and meadows, the river valleys, at several Tribes located throughout the redwood region when she explained the redwood forests, and the coastal the region. the importance of this great tree: areas throughout the year to gather In the face of this profound suf- The redwood trees are sacred. traditional foods (see figure 2). This fering and loss, the descendants of the They are a special gift and reminder varied land was the place in which they original Sinkyone people retained their from the Great Creator to the lived and practiced their traditional ancient connections to Sinkyone and, human beings. The Great Creator ways for untold generations. throughout the generations, have con- made everything, including trees of In the mid-1850s, however, the tinued to travel seasonally to their all kinds, but he wanted to leave a Sinkyone people were suddenly and ancestral lands to harvest traditional special gift for his children. So he violently confronted with invading food and medicine plants and to offer took a little medicine from each tree, multitudes of Euro-American settlers their prayers. he said a prayer and sang a powerful who considered themselves entitled to song, and then he mixed it all with indigenous peoples’ lands and resources. Redwood Ecosystem the blood of our people. Then he Within 15 years, most of the Sinkyone With the genocide of the Sinkyone created this special redwood tree people were annihilated through a com- people came the ecocide of the ancient from this medicine. He left it on bination of massacres, slavery, forced forests of Kahs-tcho (redwood tree), Earth as a demonstration of his love relocations, starvation, land theft, intro- considered by local Tribes as especially for his children. The redwood trees duced diseases, rape, impoverishment, sacred. The people used various parts have a lot of power: they are the and other atrocities. The state and fed- of the redwood in the manufacture of tallest, live the longest, and are the eral governments paid white citizens for their houses, clothing, baskets, fish most beautiful trees in the world. the scalps of Sinkyone men, women, traps, canoes, and a host of other Destroy these trees and you destroy and children, and many Indian toddlers items. Carved parts of the canoe cor- the Creator’s love. And if you destroy and young people were sold as slaves to responded to various parts of the that which the Creator loves so wealthy families throughout California. human body, such as the heart and much, you will eventually destroy The U.S. Army removed Sinkyone sur- lungs. The Sinkyone people consid- mankind. (National Park Service vivors to concentration camps, called ered their canoes to be alive, and they 1994, unpaginated) reservations, which were established often spoke to them. A traditional throughout the region. In the ensuing religious leader of the Chilula people, Commercial harvest of the old years, Sinkyone people married other whose territory is located to the north- growth redwoods of the region began as peoples of local Tribal affiliations and east of the Sinkyone, expressed the early as the 1850s, but large portions of

APRIL 2010 • VOLUME 16, NUMBER 1 International Journal of Wilderness 9 Four separate conservation easements protect such as California State Parks, Redwood National Park, Save the Redwoods the land’s cultural and ecological values League, and others have helped pre- in perpetuity. serve scattered residual stands of ancient redwoods, thus ensuring at least some legacy for future genera- the ancient forest remained intact until from societal racism and unjust govern- tions of humans. the late 1940s when an “improved” mental policies. In order to survive, style of bulldozer dramatically changed many Tribal members were forced to Environmental Movement logging methods and the rate of extrac- work for the timber companies, felling tion. With the advent of this new the ancient and sacred redwood trees During the 1960s and 1970s another equipment, steep slopes that had been that had sheltered and provided for kind of settler began arriving in the previously inaccessible were now open their prosperity for countless genera- North Coast. People who had become to unrestrained clear-cut harvesting. tions. During the 100-year heyday of disillusioned by the consumerism, The ensuing pillage destroyed most of North Coast timber operations, many aggression, and hypocrisy of American the original redwood ecosystem and in white society viewed the juxtaposi- society sought refuge and peace in set in motion a severe decline in the tion of timber industry profits and remote locations within the forests of health and productivity of native sal- Native impoverishment through the the North Coast. They soon were con- monid fisheries. lens of the Manifest Destiny doctrine fronted by horrific clear-cut logging Beginning in the mid-1800s, a that supported this dreadful disparity. operations within their viewsheds and long succession of commercial timber Today, we refer to it as genocide and watersheds as the timber companies interests held title to a vast acreage of environmental racism. expanded into previously unentered redwood forestland within the Sinkyone Because redwoods regenerate both areas of old growth. The new settlers territory and neighboring aboriginal by seed and stump sprout, and grow quickly organized by inspecting and Tribal lands. These interests grew rapidly, many areas of the North Coast documenting damage, researching envi- wealthy from their exploitation of the redwood rain forest have been sub- ronmental laws, and protesting at sacred redwood trees, while the Tribal jected to clear-cutting three or more locations where old trees were being cut communities who had occupied these times. Less than 4% of the region’s or were scheduled for cutting. They lands for millennia suffered economic original old growth redwoods are still chained themselves to redwoods, block- impoverishment as well as oppression standing. Fortunately, organizations aded logging sites, were arrested, and reached out to other potential North Coast allies. Efforts were made to contact local Tribal representatives and an important dialogue began between the leaders of the indigenous community and the environmental movement. Soon, Tribal members were joining nonnative activists and protesters at various sites on Sinkyone land threatened by logging. A lawsuit was brought by the Environmental Protection Information Center, the International Indian Treaty Council, and other plaintiffs against landowner Georgia-Pacific Corporation (G-P), California Department of Forestry, and the State Board of Forestry. The lawsuit alleged serious violations of the California Environmental Quality Figure 3—Looking north from the Sinkyone Wilderness State Park into the King Range National Act (CEQA). A key element of the law- Conservation Area. Photo by © Hawk Rosales. suit was the timber company’s blatant

10 International Journal of Wilderness APRIL 2010 • VOLUME 16, NUMBER 1 violation of state requirements to protect documented cultural resources, which the company was caught in the act of destroying. The case also highlighted the fact that state forest regulatory and pol- icy-making agencies were turning a blind eye to the timber company’ violations. The case, known as Environmental Protection Information Center, Inc. (EPIC) v. Johnson, was won by the plaintiffs in July 1985 when the State Appellate Court ruled that G-P and the state had violated four important elements of CEQA in that they had failed to: (a) adequately consult with Native Americans; (b) protect Native American cultural resources; (c) provide adequate Figure 4—Bear Harbor and the mouth of Wolf Creek. Photo by © Hawk Rosales. public notice regarding the timber harvest plan; and (d) consider cumulative Tribes originally formed the ISWC. ISWC worked hard to raise funds for impacts. As a result of this ruling, the Over the ensuing years, the number of purchase of the 4,000 acres (1,619 ha), State Board of Forestry revamped timber member Tribes has grown from seven to and the support necessary to convince harvest rules for the entire state of ten, all of which are sovereign nations the state and TPL that the land should California. recognized by the U.S. federal govern- be transferred back to Indian hands. ment. Member Tribes have joined the As part of this effort the ISWC devel- InterTribal Sinkyone ISWC through certified tribal resolu- oped educational tools and initiatives; Wilderness Council tions that identify the delegate (and built a multifaceted fundraising pro- The lawsuit opened the door for the alternate) who represent their Tribe on gram; designed and implemented eventual return of nearly 4,000 acres the ISWC board of directors. Continued fisheries restoration projects, forestry (1,619 ha) of aboriginal Sinkyone land consensus on common cultural goals, inventories, and cultural-educational to local tribal control and stewardship. and the dynamic of contributing to and programs on the 4,000 acres (1,619 In 1986, a Native peoples’ cultural land benefiting from this intertribal effort, ha) and the adjacent Sinkyone State conservation organization, known as the are important factors that have enabled Park; collaborated with universities; InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness the Tribes to achieve their original pur- developed an intertribal restoration Council (ISWC), was formed in pose in founding the ISWC. workforce; created a documentary film response to G-P’s planned divestiture of (J. Rosales 1994) that screened at the 7,100 acres (2,875 ha) of its coastal InterTribal Sinkyone Sundance Film Festival and 10 other Sinkyone holdings. The council was Wilderness film festivals; and garnered an interna- founded by and for the benefit of local Two weeks after the ISWC received its tional support that ultimately enabled Tribes retaining cultural and ancestral nonprofit status, Trust for Public Land the ISWC to acquire the land. ties to the Sinkyone region. It was estab- (TPL) acquired the 4,000 acres (1,619 The ISWC purchased the 4,000 lished with the specific purpose of ha) with the intent of eventually trans- acres (1,619 ha) in August 1997, thereby acquiring and permanently protecting ferring it to a local conservation-oriented legally returning local Indian peoples’ 4,000 acres (1,619 ha) of G-P land from organization. After receiving a loan for presence to the land and protecting it in further commercial harvesting, and rees- the purchase from the California State perpetuity from future threats of devel- tablishing and revitalizing traditional Coastal Conservancy, TPL placed the opment, industrial extraction, and cultural uses for local tribal members. conservancy under contract to develop fragmentation. The ISWC holds title to The ISWC is unique in that it is a a disposition plan for the property. the InterTribal Sinkyone land and is cultural land trust established by, and During the 10 years following solely responsible for its management. for the benefit of, so many Tribes. Seven TPL’s acquisition of the land, the The ISWC’s primary focus is to protect

APRIL 2010 • VOLUME 16, NUMBER 1 International Journal of Wilderness 11 the healing and stewardship of the land. walked and lived here in a sacred manner. It has forged important alliances with Memories of the people’s traditional environmental and conservation orga- songs, prayers, dances, and ceremonies nizations and has been recognized for are forever embedded in the Earth (see its unique partnership with the North figure 5). As these ways are brought back Coast Redwoods District of California to Sinkyone, the healing of the land and State Parks (see figure 3), a collabora- the people is being realized. tion that enables the ISWC to conduct Hard work and determination are restoration projects, stewardship work, key ingredients to developing and nur- and cultural activities on the 7,250-acre turing a successful intertribal land trust. (2,935 ha) Sinkyone Wilderness State In sharing the story of our experience in Park (California State Parks 2009), with reestablishing Tribal control over ances- which the ISWC shares a common tral Sinkyone land, our ISWC hopes to 12-mile (19.4 km) boundary. encourage other indigenous communi-

Figure 5—Dancer, Sinkyone Cultural Gathering event, The ISWC’s land includes the ties around the world to undertake August 2008. Photo by © Hawk Rosales. upper reaches of seven coastal water- similar efforts so that they also can sheds, the lower half of which are all regain the stewardship and manage- and revitalize this critical part of located on the adjacent Sinkyone ment of culturally important areas of Sinkyone through the reintroduction of Wilderness State Park (see figure 4). An their ancestral homelands. tribal members’ cultural-ecological stew- important collaborative effort between ardship and traditional land uses. Four the ISWC and California State Parks References separate conservation easements protect has been the rehabilitation of large por- California State Parks. 2009. Retrieved October 2009, from www.parks.ca. the land’s cultural and ecological values tions of several of these watersheds. gov/?page_id=24590 (click on Natural in perpetuity. The ISWC is believed to This recently completed multiyear Resource Partners, click on InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council). be the first tribal entity in the United project entailed the removal of aban- Environmental Protection Information Center, States to have entered into a conserva- doned logging roads, landings, and Inc. (EPIC) v. Johnson. 1985. 170 Cal. tion easement with private land trusts. stream crossings in order to stabilize App. 3d 604, 612 (Cal. App. 1st D. 1985). The ISWC’s tenacity demonstrates slopes that had been severely altered by National Park Service. 1994. Redwood that adhering to tribal mandates and past logging activities. Tribal members National Park pamphlet. Statement by Chilula Tribal elder and spiritual leader the determination to reclaim ancestral worked as cultural monitors and heavy Minnie Reeves at the Hoopa Indian lands can eventually pay off. Ten years’ equipment operators during the project, Reservation, 1981. Redwood National worth of on-the-ground experience which utilized bulldozers and excava- Park, CA: National Park Service. Rosales, Jonathan L. 1994. The Run to Save gained from wilderness land manage- tors to reform roaded hillsides and Sinkyone. Directed by Jonathan L. ment and restoration, as well as reconstruct the original gradients of Rosales, coproduced by Hawk Rosales, and executive produced by the InterTribal important cultural, educational, and stream channels. This project has dra- Sinkyone Wilderness Council. recreational project work, was all matically reduced sediment in streams, gained prior to the ISWC’s purchase of and improved stream water quality and HAWK ROSALES is executive director of the the Sinkyone property. This proactive habitat of native fish species. InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council approach helped strategically position (www.treesfoundation.org/affiliates/specific-22) and has worked with the ISWC the ISWC to acquire and conserve this Reestablishing Traditional since 1990. Hawk is responsible for devel- important area of ancestral land. Relationships oping and managing the ISWC’s multifaceted Since its acquisition of the 4,000 Although the people and the land have program of cultural land conservation, which acres (1,619 ha), the ISWC has con- suffered tremendous losses from geno- has created jobs for tribal members working tinued its focus on salmonid fisheries cide and ecocide, both the Tribes and the on Sinkyone land in various areas of eco- restoration, watershed rehabilitation, ecosystem are resilient and can recover. logical restoration and cultural stewardship; email: [email protected]. Contact: planning for backcountry hiking trails Both have been here for countless gen- InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council, P.O. and campsites, protection of cultural erations and are able to adapt and to Box 1523, Ukiah, CA 95482, USA; phone: (707) resources, cultural-educational out- heal. The Indian people believe that the 468-9500; email: intertribalsinkyone@ reach, and involving tribal members in Earth recalls how the ancestors once sbcglobal.net.

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