Andres Gonzalez- Duluwat Island on Humboldt Bay
Duluwat Island, otherwise known as Indian island, is a land off the coast of Humboldt Bay. This land is home to the Wiyot people who have inhabited the land for over thousands of years. This land is mighty fruitful, it supplied the Wiyot people with various plants that had many different purposes that ranged from food to medicines. Also, this land had an array of redwood forests that provided more natural supplies, but also allowed for wildlife to grow fat and reproduce as well. Needless to say, the Wiyot people cherished this precious land because of its generosity as well as the fact that they knew how to tend to the land so that it could continue to be kind. On February 26, 1860 this all changed for the worse. A group of European Immigrants traveled to Eureka in search of gold. On the morning of February 26, they traveled to the Island and massacred over 300 Wiyot women, children and men. As the years went on, they continued to dig into the Wiyot Clamshell mounds which held important historical artifacts that were near and dear to the Wiyot people. The European immigrants also built a ship repair yard that damaged the land due to the toxicity. All of this caused erosion in the ground and made it nearly impossible for plants to grow.
The sources that I am using provide historical knowledge of Humboldt Bay and the Wiyot people as well as information on the damage left behind by the European immigrants. Along with the information, the sources include photographs and images of the Island. These sources are clearly bias towards the Wiyot people, but this is no issue. For the Wiyot people are the oppressed and deserve for their story to be told in their favor. While many of the sources are published, peer-reviewed articles, there are a few that are from the Wiyot website. Also, I was able to find an interview between a Tribal Chair Leader and a journalist. This interview gives a first-hand perspective on the damage that the Wiyot people had incurred. The images in these sources tell the story themselves. The European immigrants, driven by their greed, nearly destroyed the precious land on Humboldt Bay. These sources limit a key point to my research, no source gives a clear timeline for how long the Wiyot have inhabited the land. However, there are many that state that the Wiyot people have inhabited the land for over thousands of years. The sources that I was able to find are very useful in finding the true history and importance of the land to the Wiyot people.
The Wiyot people cherished this precious land because it held thousands of years of history. Also because of its fruitful nature that provided the means for a healthy life. The European immigrants caused terror to the Wiyot people as well as the land of Humboldt Bay. On February 26, 1860 they struck the Wiyot people with a horrendous tragedy. A group of white men came to the island while the Wiyot people were celebrating their World Renewal Ceremony and murdered over 250 women, children and men.[1] One of the tribal chair members stated “It wasn’t about what had happened there but what would happen there.” This shows how much they cherished the land, she did not completely disregard the massacre, but she was more worried about the land itself. Not only did the European immigrants murder hundreds of innocent people, but they also left behind disease that nearly wiped out the entire tribe.[2] The murdering did not cease, many of the immigrants moved towards the Southern end of the bay and continued their killing.[3] According to this article by the American Indian Magazine, the Wiyot people had no issue being neighbors to the white people, but the white people claimed that cattle had been stolen from them, which is why they attacked. Of course, this was merely an excuse to take over the Wiyot land and reservation.
The damage began the moment the European immigrants stepped foot on the land. They viciously murdered hundreds of Wiyot people that not only took great care of the land but held the knowledge on how to tend to the land so that it remains fruitful. The immigrants began to dig into the Wiyot clamshell mound which was also called a “midden.” According the Wiyot website this clamshell mound measured over 1,000 years old and contained remnants of meals, tools, ceremonies and burial sites.[4] Their digging caused the ground to erode. The erosion tremendously damaged the soil and ceased all green to grow. They looted over 500 burial sites and destroyed villages that were washed away. A man from the North Coast Journal was lucky enough to interview Cheryl Seidner, who is a tribal chair of the Table Bluff Wiyot Reservation. They speak on the damages left behind by the immigrants. Beginning with the erosion, which had the greatest impact. But also, the ship repair yard that left behind rust that is extremely toxic to the area. However, according to Cheryl Seidner, the toxicity was not as bad as they thought.[5] No matter how egregiously the Wiyot people and their land were treated, they were still optimistic on their path to recovery. Seidner stated that the damages were not as bad as she thought. Which is a beautiful remark. This shows the extreme amounts of hope that Wiyot people have.
In 2019, the Eureka City Council had officially returned the land to the Wiyot people and they immediately began their restoration process. According to an article by the North Coast Journal, the island went through over a century of abuse, beginning with the digging of the clamshell mounds, draining of the saltmarshes for the cattle to graze and a dry-dock boat repair shop that ran for 120 years.[6] Each of these left behind an insane amount of toxicity and erosion. The Wiyot people have created a fundraiser to pay for the damages. Their restoration process included erosion control that would stop the erosion from continuing into the clamshell mounds. The toxic waste left behind by the ship repair yard has been hand cleaned by Wiyot people and volunteers. Along with the soil being cared to, the Wiyot people are also pulling out weeds and vegetation that are not supposed to be there.[7] The Wiyot people have also put together a site fund that has raised over 300,000 dollars to repair the ceremonial dance house on the island. The massacres, according to the Wiyot archive, ended centuries of ceremonial dancing and celebration.[8] Along with the damage to the land, the immigrants damaged thousands of years of heritage and legacy that is difficult to restore but nevertheless, it is doable.
This image is from the North Coast Journal, this shows the ship repair yard and the horrible mess left behind. Humboldt Bay had an abundant amount of salmon swimming through, but after the ship repair yard had been built, the number of salmon swimming through grew slimmer. The rust was the most lethal part as it spread the toxicity across the area. The next image displays the actions that the Wiyot people as well as volunteers underwent to clean up the rusty metal from the harbor. The process was no doubt tedious, but it was surprisingly not as terrible as they had first thought.
The next image provides a visual on the map layout of the Wiyot land. The dance house is the largest building due to its importance. It was a very organized land and in a very great spot. The shell mound is located behind the reservation and stretches for approximately six acres. The salt marsh is where the cattle would graze and grow fat.
The massacres took place is several areas, specifically twelve different locations. Many occurred on the coast of the island where the settlers had first dropped anchor. Later on many settlers continued inland and massacred on their way in. There are four locations inland where the massacres occurred.
In conclusion, the Wiyot people underwent a massive cultural and historical challenge.
Beginning with the European immigrants and their savagery, the Wiyot people faced a challenge that they knew they had to overcome one day. When the finally received their land back they immediately moved back and began fixing the problems left behind by the immigrants. This long process of aiding the erosion will no doubt get done. Luckily, the toxicity left behind by the ship repair yard was not as bad as previously predicted. But the Wiyot people are still facing challenges, their dance house where they performed historical ceremonial dances was taken down. Along with the restoration fund, they opened a fundraised to build the dance house. This is the first year since the massacre that they will celebrate another historic ceremonial dance. The significance of this event is that greed’s rule is temporary, justice will prevail. No matter how bad the damages were, the Wiyot people kept a positive outlook because that land was nearly family to them.
[1] https://www.northcoastjournal.com/NewsBlog/archives/2019/10/21/duluwat-island-is-returned-to-the-wiyot-tribe-in-historic-ceremony
[2] https://activenorcal.com/wiyot-tribe-reclaims-sacred-indian-island-in-humboldt-bay/
[3] https://www.americanindianmagazine.org/story/wiyot
[4] http://wiyot.us/186/Tuluwat-Project
[5] https://www.northcoastjournal.com/070104/cover0701.html
[6] https://www.northcoastjournal.com/humboldt/were-coming-home/Content?oid=12849841
[7] https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/wiyot-won-back-sacred-island
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