On August 12, 2025, Joe Avelar slipped away peacefully in the company of his two daughters, Helena and Paula, seven months after the passing of his wife, Natalia.

A fixture in the Arcata community for over sixty years, Joe was a constant both in St. Mary’s Parish and the Portuguese community. In the seventies he and a few friends formed a committee and together they took on the task to refurbish and revitalize the dilapidated Portuguese Hall building. They volunteered countless hours of labor, they and their families did fundraising, and they helped to breathe new life into the traditional festas that, at the time, were struggling to survive.

For St. Mary’s he was an integral part of the Building Fund committee organizing the push to fundraise for a new church building. Joe and Natalia along with their friends and families, volunteered hundreds of hours helping to fundraise by putting on community dinners, bake sales, selling Portuguese donuts on the Plaza for 4th of July, and the church Bonanza. If it needed doing they figured out how to get it done, and in September of 1996 the new St. Mary’s church was completed and soon after, the entire building project had been paid in full. Every special occasion celebrated at St Mary’s was adorned with Joe’s floral arrangements and decorations. His Christmas and Easter decorations in particular were legendary for their beauty and intricacy.

Jose Maria Avelar was born on April 11,1938 in Santa Cruz das Flores, Açores. He was the second of four children, Antonio the eldest, Lucilia and Fatima following. The island of Flores is one of the most remote and westerly of the archipelago making it difficult to travel to in those days. Often the population went months without adequate supplies due to bad weather forcing supply ships away. With no electricity, heat, or modern convenience it took grit, determination, and ingenuity to survive. At the ages of five and six, Jose Maria and Antonio had their assigned chores and helped their parents work the land. Before school they had already collected eggs and walked a couple of miles to move cows between pastures. After school the work was plentiful. In those days, if you weren’t able to grow it or exchange with a neighbor, you did without it.

Desiring better opportunities for their children was a goal for many Açoriano families. When Jose Maria was 17 his father accompanied him to Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel and left him in the care of a family acquaintance where he would live for the next four years while apprenticing to become a tailor. During those years Jose Maria acclimated to big city life, excelled in his work, and found a small community of friends. It didn’t take long before a golden-haired, blue-eyed girl caught his eye and after some sleuthing and the assistance of mutual friends, a ‘chance’ meeting was planned. Jose Maria and Natalia met by ‘chance’ as they were able and learned they had many things in common and so they began dreaming of a future together. Soon they were engaged and Natalia’s family took him in as one of their own. He loved the chaos of Natalia’s large family who gathered regularly to make music, sing, and dance together.

On January 17, 1959 Jose Maria and his father made the long trip to the United States to find work and better future opportunities. At Ellis Island, Jose Maria Avelar became Joe M. Avelar. The pair traveled to California and for the next year and a half they would work in the Tulare, CA dairy farms where they had one day off each month. Life wasn’t easy, pay wasn’t great, and often their work boots doubled as their pillows but they persevered. When Joe had made enough money to purchase a wedding gown for Natalia, plane fares, and a little extra to start his married life, he and his father returned to Sao Miguel. On April 30,1961 Joe and Natalia were married and by April of 1962 both had emigrated to the United States, this time to the northern coastal city of Arcata, where other Avelar family members called home.

They put down roots and had their first child, Helena. Joe and Natalia worked hard, made many sacrifices and in 1965 were able to purchase their home where they would live out their lives. Living modestly but always making fun out of very little was how they chose to live. Short trips to nearby destinations, picnics on lazy summer Sundays, fishing and bon fires on Mad River beach, spending time with friends, and dreaming of new adventures…they made every moment count.

In the late sixties Joe and Natalia studied English and learned the US government’s fundamentals and proudly became naturalized American citizens. Joe didn’t have the opportunity of higher education but he loved learning and never stopped. Instilled in him by his mother, he had a deep love of and appreciation of world history, fine art, and music.

In 1972 they made their first trip back home to the Açores and mainland Portugal and would return four additional times. They loved to travel to Oakland to visit with family, visiting the missions, Disneyland, San Diego, Reno, Lake Tahoe, and throughout Oregon. They traveled into Canada, Mexico, western Europe, took several cruises, and throughout the years made many trips to the east coast to visit with family. In 1975 they were blessed with their second daughter, Annapaula. This completed their family and they were able to build a lasting place in their community.

Joe worked in the lumber mills until the late seventies when the timber industry all but faded away from Humboldt County. He often worked doubles, and sometimes triples, on an empty stomach all to bring home a little extra money so he and Natalia could realize their dreams. In the early eighties, after the local mills closed, he went to work for Arcata High School as a custodian and remained there for 20 years. After he retired from AHS he went to work for Holly Yashi Jewelry where he worked into his eighties.

Joe was a force of nature and there wasn’t anything he put his mind to that he didn’t accomplish. Over the years he assisted friends in planning and executing many beautiful wedding receptions. He had a unique eye for beauty and elegance. Joe loved to create with his hands no matter if the job was construction or the fine detailed embroidery work he and Natalia did to create many church vestments and banners for St Mary’s as well as queens’ capes, angels’ wings, and saints’ vestments for the Portuguese Hall.

Christmastime in the Avelar household was like no other. From the early years and with little money he fashioned the decor himself and later on enlisting help from his eldest daughter.. Hours were spent around the kitchen table listening to music and creating ornaments and garlands. Outside, he erected a lifesize Nativity scene year after year. After a major remodeling of the house, he modified his Nativity and moved it inside. Honoring the Portuguese tradition of building a ‘presepio’ to celebrate Christmas, Joe created a Nativity and detailed village scenes that took up the majority of the living room. Year after year the presepio grew and he made improvements. Friends and neighbors would gather and bring their children to visit, enjoy Natalia’s baked goods, and gaze upon the village happenings, lights, and music. Nothing brought Joe more happiness than to see the expressions of wonder and joy on their faces.

In 2010 and 2012, Joe and Natalia’s granddaughters, Ava and Sophia, arrived. They were the jewels in their family crown and they were so grateful to help raise them and spend time with them. Simple fun like trips to the pumpkin patch, nail painting, learning about SnapChat filters, and attending school functions were precious to Joe and Natalia.

In the summer of 2019 Joe and Natalia treated the family to a trip to Disneyland. They insisted on traveling by car so they could take the time to gaze upon the California they had traveled so often and had left them with so many good memories.

Later that summer Natalia would suffer a stroke leaving her in a wheelchair and drastically changing their rhythm of life. They were on the go at all times and things came to a halt. They acclimated as they always did and learned to live a more quiet life spent reminiscing about their lives together, dreams realized, all their adventures, and all the fun they had with their dearest friends. They looked at old photos and recounted their successes and bumps along the way. All in all they were satisfied and often said they could have never dreamed of having achieved so much and that the two young dreamers who had traveled from two tiny islands in the Atlantic to a faraway country with little more than the clothes on their back, and little money in their pockets, had done pretty well.

Natalia passed away in January 2025 and Joe never regained his spark for life after that. He spent five years taking care of Natalia’s every need. His loyalty and selflessness were evident in the beautiful care he gave her, and we are forever grateful for that. His last months were spent quietly missing her, going on drives, and enjoying the occasional Fresh Freeze strawberry milkshake.

Many thanks to the 2025 Portuguese Holy Ghost committee who encouraged Joe to participate in this year’s centennial celebration in any way he was able. One last time he decorated his beloved church, sang in the choir, and visited with people he hadn’t seen in many years. He was filled with a joy and pride during that week that he had been missing for a while. We will always remember that final gift to our family.

Many thanks also to his close friends who never forgot him and reached out regularly to check on him and offer encouragement.

Joe was preceded in death by his wife of 64 years Natalia, his parents, Jose and Maria Avelar, and his elder brother, Antonio. He leaves behind his daughters, Helena Avelar and Annapaula Walton (husband Jeff), and granddaughters Ava and Sophia Walton; sisters Lucilia Pimentel (husband John), Fatima Avelar, and sister-in-law, Irene Avelar and numerous other family members.

Funeral will be held Saturday, October 18, 2025 at 11 a.m., St Mary’s Catholic Church. All are invited to attend. Private interment to follow.

I am a driver who tries to drive as little as possible. I have many motivations for reducing the miles I drive, including reducing my impact on the climate, reducing my risk of hurting or killing someone in a crash, getting more exercise, and getting to know my community better. Plus, to be honest, I just don’t like driving. I find it stressful and unpleasant.

I am lucky enough to live within walking or biking distance of most of my daily destinations, and near bus stops for the regional and Arcata transit systems. So most of the time, I really don’t drive very much. Most weeks for me are a week without driving.

But in spite of all that, I still have a driver’s license, the physical and financial ability to drive, and access to a vehicle (if my wife doesn’t need it more). When I want to do something that would be impossible or very inconvenient without a car, I drive. That’s a very different experience from someone who can’t drive at all. And it’s the reason I take my participation in the official Week Without Driving seriously.

At least 36,000 people in Humboldt County don’t have a driver’s license. That includes kids, of course, but also many seniors, people with disabilities, people who can’t afford a car, immigrants and others who face legal challenges, and a variety of other community members. There are also lots of people who do have a driver’s license but don’t drive, but we don’t know exactly how many.

For people who do currently drive, it can be hard to relate to the experience of being a nondriver. But if we live long enough, we will all become nondrivers eventually. Even if we do not end up with a disability that prevents us from driving, research suggests that older men live an average of 7 years after they stop driving, and women an average of 11 years. Many people likely would — and should — stop driving earlier if there were other good options for getting around. So even if the experiences of current nondrivers don’t move you, there are good reasons to care about this issue for your own sake.

Today is the final day of the Week Without Driving. Throughout the week, local participants have reflected on their experiences in posts here on the Lost Coast Outpost, on social media, and in messages shared with CRTP. Many have identified challenges during the week, some of which have resulted in them choosing to drive. Here are some of the more common challenges, and some thoughts on what we might learn from them:

1. Job demands. Probably the most common challenge faced by Week Without Driving participants is that their jobs require them to drive. These demands come in a variety of forms, from long commutes to workplaces that aren’t served by transit, to the need to transport large or heavy items, to expectations that employees get from one place to another so quickly that non-driving options are impossible. Facing these challenges during the Week Without Driving is an opportunity to reflect on what kinds of jobs nondrivers may be effectively excluded from — and whether that exclusion is really necessary. Many nondrivers want and need employment, but their options can be very limited. Can workplace cultures and norms be changed to allow participation by nondrivers?
2. Time. Even outside of work, most of us lead busy lives, and we expect to pack a lot into every day. At the same time, we have developed low-density communities, with homes, jobs, and services spread far apart. This seems normal when you drive everywhere. But participants in the Week Without Driving are often confronted with the fact that those long distances translate into long travel times when driving is not an option. To better serve nondrivers, and reduce the overwhelming amount of time it can take to complete daily tasks, we will have to rethink the way we design our communities to address time pressures for people who aren’t driving.
3. Grocery shopping. Many participants have found it hard to get their groceries home from the store without a car. But of course, nondrivers have to eat too! How do they get their groceries? How could we make it easier for nondrivers — and everyone else — to have convenient access to affordable, healthy food?
4. Weather. In typical Humboldt fashion, the Week Without Driving started out with a big rainstorm this year. Participants in the Week Without Driving often reflect on how difficult or unpleasant it can be to walk or bike to work or to the bus stop in the rain. On the other hand, many participants reflect on how much easier it was than they expected — usually because they have good rain gear! Nondrivers, of course, don’t have the option to drive, which often means either getting wet or staying home when the storms roll in. Some have figured out tricks for staying relatively dry and comfortable in our rainy winters. But there’s a lot more we could do as a community — from better bus shelters to weather-protected bike parking — to make life a little more pleasant for nondrivers year-round.

For me, even though I regularly go weeks without driving, my participation in the official Week Without Driving over the last few years has highlighted another challenge. In a car-dependent community, driving can be not only a way to transport yourself, but a way to maintain social ties and support your community. This week, because I wasn’t driving, I couldn’t drive my wife to the airport (she could have taken the bus, but the schedule did not work well with her flights), and I couldn’t attend a community event that was difficult to reach without a car. I felt like I was failing in my responsibilities to other people. That made me reflect on the unsettling fact that we have built physical landscapes and cultural expectations that seem to make driving a prerequisite for being a full member of society.

In addition to the many challenges of getting around our communities without driving, Week Without Driving participants have also reflected on the benefits they enjoyed during the week. These include:

1. Mental and physical health. Many Week Without Driving participants have commented on how much better they felt, both mentally and physically, when they got out of their cars and spent more time walking or biking.
2. Time. All the extra time spent commuting or running errands without a car can feel like “wasted time” in our busy society. But many participants found that it provided them with valuable opportunities to exercise, reflect on the day, appreciate the scenery, or just relax (assuming they had a safe place to walk or bike!).
3. Fun and freedom. If you’ve been stuck behind the wheel your whole adult life, you might forget how much fun life outside a car can be! Many Week Without Driving participants, especially those who spent more time biking, reflected on a newfound sense of freedom. Several said that they felt like a kid again!
4. Community connections. Many participants noticed that buses and sidewalks are great places to meet new people and run into old friends. When you drive from one place to another, building and maintaining relationships usually takes conscious planning. Other modes of transportation can allow spontaneous, unplanned connections.

Getting a sense of the experiences of nondrivers can be truly eye-opening for Week Without Driving participants. That’s the main point of the event. But taken together, the challenges and benefits experienced by participants also highlight the fact that improvements that would benefit nondrivers — like more investment in public transportation, better sidewalks and crosswalks, safer bike lanes and trails — would benefit everyone else, too. Let’s stop seeing the world through our windshields and take a broader view.

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Colin Fiske is the executive director of the Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities.

The national Week Without Driving runs from September 29 through October 5, 2025. It is an opportunity for participating public officials and other community members to get first-hand insights into the way many seniors, kids, people with disabilities, low-income people, and other non-drivers navigate our communities. Each day during the week, the Lost Coast Outpost is publishing reflections from local participants. For more information, visit this link.

John Wiebe has passed on to the next part of his journey. He has joined his dear wife Carol to dance in the sunlight, starlight and rain.

He was raised by Mennonite parents in missionary India. John had a deep faith, striving to live by the teachings of Jesus, in Matthew chapter 5. This “third culture kid” often struggled to reconcile the values of three or four different cultures, particularly the contrasting values of compassion and generosity with the materialism of this wealthy nation. He and Carol gave their services and resources to their communities across the continents over all their years together.

John spent much of his life teaching environmental stewardship. He lived and taught the values of frugality and care for the earth. The students he taught in India, Saudi Arabia, Uganda and the United States remember the lessons he taught them to this day. The later part of his life was dedicated to preserving old growth forests in Humboldt County. Many people have appreciated his letters to the editors over the years, exhorting all of us to be more watchful about how we leave our footprints on this fragile planet.

John embodied a love of life and immense creativity. His sculptures are known in the local artist community as well as in two Mennonite universities. He also dabbled in cartooning, adding to his witty tongue-in-cheek letters. Whimsy – there was always a bit of whimsy too.

John is survived by his younger siblings, David, Paul and Marilyn and their families and by his children, their spouses and progeny: Wendell and Laura, Roland and Carrie, (Rebecca) and Michael, Evelyn and Wallace.

Shortly before he died he said, “I love life! I love you all. Just to take a breath is incredible. We are so lucky to be here. You have to enjoy the small precious things in life.”

John Clement Wiebe, August 17, 1930, to September 23, 2025.

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For decades pesticide-intensive farming of Easter lily bulbs on the Smith River Plain has contaminated groundwater and surface waters of the Smith River estuary, threatening the health of wildlife and humans along one of California’s healthiest, most ecologically pristine rivers.

Now the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board is considering new regulations to address this persistent pollution.

Greg King, Executive Director of the Siskiyou Land Conservancy, joins the program to discuss an important upcoming townhall meeting — October 8th at 6 p.m. at the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors Chambers or participate remotely online — and what it would take to effectively regulation pesticide pollution.

Every morning I get to ride my electric bike through basically a National Wildlife Refuge on my way to work. I see wildlife, wave to friends, and take beautiful photos. All without any risk of being hit by a car or spending any money on gas! It is easily the best part of my day and if it’s available for you as an option I encourage you to join me.

Last year, when I took the “Week Without Driving” pledge, I was riding my bike either on the shoulder of the 101 or on Old Arcata road. The trip was dangerous and involved putting my faith in a lot of folks to not speed dangerously as they passed me. You might have seen me in my highlighter-yellow jacket and helmet, trying my best to be visible to you. Even when cars are following the speed limit on these roads, the noise that they made as they passed me was deafening. I was so focused on not getting run over that I failed to appreciate the beautiful scenery. Not exactly a pleasant experience.

Now, with the new trail, I am tremendously safer. With that safety, I’ve been able to appreciate the scenery far more. The trail is gorgeous. If you haven’t had a chance to visit yet I recommend you go as soon as possible. I often find myself pulling over to take a photo of the sunrise or sunset over Humboldt Bay. As the seasons change the wildlife I see on the trail is changing as well. I regularly see seals, cranes, and once even a peregrine falcon. Instead of a stressful ride where I’m worried about getting hit by a car, I’m beginning and ending my day with a bike ride along essentially a wildlife refuge.

There’s a social aspect to commuting by bike on the trail as well. Almost every day I pass my fellow commuters, heading the opposite direction by bike. We smile and wave, something that I don’t recall ever being able to do on the 101. It’s not just people riding their bikes either. I regularly see folks out walking their dog, fishing, or pushing a stroller. The Cal Poly Humboldt cross country team is using the path to train as well. They’ve all become fixtures of my commute and I guess I have become part of theirs as well. It’s a far nicer way to start and end my work day.

Besides the mental benefits there are physical benefits as well. I mentioned I use an electric bike. Well I decided to buy an electric bike as opposed to a traditional one because I was pretty out of shape. I hadn’t really ridden a bike since I was a kid and I knew if I jumped back in all the way I’d likely injure myself or be too exhausted to commit to the commute. My electric bike acted as the perfect handicap for me. Instead of peddling from a dead stop I can use the throttle to make it easier to get started. On hills I can turn up the electric assist. I’m still peddling and it is still a workout but I can set the difficulty level, as it were, depending on how I’m feeling that day.

This has led to a noticeable improvement in my strength and cardio. When I first started biking I would drain the bike’s battery about 40% each way and get back to my house with 20% left in the tank. Now, because I’m peddling harder and using the electric assist less, I get back with 60%. My goal is to eventually bike the whole way without any electric assist at all, something that I couldn’t have imagined myself doing just a few years ago. Other perks include never having to search for parking and not paying for gas (the electricity my bike consumes is negligible). My bike tops out at 20 mph so it takes me a bit longer to get to work but that time is both infinitely more enjoyable and counts as exercise.

I’ve purchased a rain poncho and wear that over my outfit when it is raining. It’s a bit less pleasant but still fine. I’ll never forget what my coach said when I was a kid and I complained about having to practice in the rain: “What, are you made of salt?” And even if I don’t stick to riding my bike on particularly rainy days, and I end up carpooling with coworkers or taking the bus, I’ve still got the best commute in Humboldt every other day of the year. And I’m not trying to gatekeep it. I actively want to see more folks using this incredible new amenity. I look forward to seeing you on the trail. Be sure to wave hello.

It was a warm day in early October. The trees in the valley were starting to turn gold and brown. A light breeze was in motion, and I was watching a centuries-old tradition of making the world a better place through performing the right songs, in the right place, with the proper regalia, the right movements, and the proper spiritual intent.

I was watching a performance of the Hupa Jump Dance, which is performed in a ten-day sequence every two years. I was merely an observer, but the rhythms, the music, the atmosphere and the sense of drama created an unforgettable experience, and a sense of honor at being able to witness such important work in progress. I came away feeling glad that a people cares enough about the earth and the natural world to dedicate its most sacred cultural traditions toward making the earth a better place for future generations. At that moment, this truly seemed the center of the world.

This article is an “outsider’s” impression of traditional music and dance in the life of Humboldt County’s Native American population—the Hupa, Yurok, and Karuk tribes. An “insider” would certainly offer different perspectives and I would encourage readers to make contact with some of our native people themselves to develop as complete an understanding as possible and perhaps even adopt some of the useful beliefs that are so integral to America’s indigenous peoples.

For centuries, the Hupas, Yuroks (meaning down river from Weitchpec), and Karuks (up river), have shared many of the same cultural traditions. Among these are rituals that include the Brush Dance, the Jump Dance, and the world renewal ceremony, the White Deerskin Dance. Each dance is performed for a different purpose and uses different ceremonies, but all dances are performed to heal, maintain or increase contact with the spiritual world.

The Brush Dance

Brush Dances might occur a number of times during the summer and fall months and are usually sponsored by a family. The dances always take place in a specially constructed pit symbolizing a house in which the roof planks have been laid out to the side as seating for observers. The dance was originally intended as a healing ceremony for a sick child, but in modern times it has an added social function, bringing together many families from the three tribes. The dance is really a series of dances beginning on a Thursday, starting at dark and continuing to around midnight. Friday is a rest day followed by the all- night dance starting on Saturday at dark through sunrise on Sunday. The ending of the Brush Dance, coinciding with the sun rising over the mountain, is sometimes described as songs, and best singers are all part of the culmination. All the local tribal communities have Brush Dance pits that are used during the season. They can be seen at Sumeg Village in Patricks Point State Park, and the ancient village site of Takimildin in Hostler fields, a short distance north of the shopping center in the Hoopa Valley.

At one Brush Dance, I watched as representatives from all three tribal groups participated in the dance. Each group had established a small camp some distance from the pit, where they assembled the proper Brush Dance regalia and prepared for their turn to dance. The men, boys and unmarried girls, perhaps 20 or 25 in number, would then file into the pit area and position themselves around the perimeter. In the center of the pit, there was a small fire attended by a young girl and the medicine woman with the sick child facing east. The songs were started by a lead singer with the rest of the men joining in, singing backup, such as: oba, oba, oba. The songs are quite short, usually only a minute or two, but each is repeated three times, with embellishments each time. During the singing, all the an almost magical experience because the best regalia, best members dance by bouncing on their heels, accentuating the offbeat. Often, as the songs progress, one or two of the men (or boys) might add to the drama and excitement when they “jump center,” using more active steps and letting out some rhythmic yelps. The set of songs may last only about twenty minutes, after which the dancers retire back to their campsite. Following an interlude of approximately twenty minutes, one of the other tribal groups will then file into the pit for a set of its own songs.

Songs are not “composed” as such through individual creativity, but are conceived as being given by the spirit world. They might even be thought of as having always existed since the beginning of the world. Songs are believed to contain spiritual power, meaning that the spirit world can be influenced if it is a good song well performed. When “outsiders” hear a song performance, they might detect a “sobbing” or crying quality. This usually indicates the singer’s strong spiritual intent.

Brush Dance songs are divided into “heavy” songs, the most deeply spiritual ones, and “light” songs, which may also contain humor. The text of the songs are usually a combination of vocables and actual words from the language. An important fact regarding the music of the Hupa, Karuk and Yurok is that virtually all of the songs are considered the property of an individual ora family. There is no such thing as a common repertoire of songs in the public domain. For one person to sing another person’s song without permission can be a serious offense. However, songs can be traded like any type of personal property.

White Deerskin Dance

The White Deerskin Dance is a ten-day ceremony requiring many days of spiritual and material preparation, including the resolution of any bad feelings among tribal members. Each day, a portion of the dance is performed at a different location on the Trinity River, starting upriver at the south end of the reservation. A mid-week evening is chosen for the Boat Dance segment with men standing in floating, carved-log canoes, singing the appropriate songs. The boats approach the shore ten times before finally landing. After coming ashore, the singers do the Mock Dance, indulgitig in some humorous antics, balancing the seriousness of the other portions. This event usually attracts a large audience. The final dance is held on Bald Mountain, at a traditional site under a canopy of oak trees. The analogy of being in church is an apt one with this mode of honoring the natural world. Food is part of the ceremony, with tribal members inviting guests to join them at the camp table.

The specific White Deerskin Dance segment is performed by about a dozen men, some of whom hold poles covered with decorated white deer skins. At various times during the songs, two of the other men, carrying large flint pieces and blowing soft whistles, will cross in front of the men who hold the poles. A set of songs takes about thirty minutes, after which the men retire to their camp and another team comes in to dance. This dance is one of the most sacred of the world renewal ceremonies. The purpose of the dance is to make sure there will be plenty of salmon, acorns, and other resources that sustain life, and to prevent sickness and natural disasters. Contemporary tribal members are well aware of the precarious state of the natural world as it becomes more and more populated by peoples with different value systems. In modern times, the White Deer Skin Dance is organized and presented every two years.

Gambling Songs

The spirits are also believed to provide luck in native gambling activities. If a man has good songs and sings them with sincerity, he can become wealthy and fortunate in his life. Gambling songs are the only songs accompanied by a drum and sometimes a rattle. These are the only instruments used by the Hupa, Yurok and Karuk peoples. In earlier times the Yurok people used an elderberry flute for courting and recreational purposes, but this has since been discontinued. The gambling card games consist of two teams, each of which has a principal player with a back-up singer and drum player. The cards are a collection of 40-50 small thin sticks, one of which has a black mark. These sticks are divided randomly into two bundles, one for each hand. The gamblers try to guess which hand contains the stick with the black mark after the songs, drumming, and hand gestures are completed. The stakes can be quite high.

These songs and dances have been an integral part of Hupa, Yurok and Karuk lives since before recorded history. In the earlier part of this century, the cultural practices were discouraged and even prohibited by the new governing entities that established the reservation policies. Many of the elders with vital knowledge became reluctant to continue the traditions until the 1950s when controls were relaxed. Then a period of renewed interest in the dances began and the important function the dances serve in the lives of the people was recognized. In 1994, the Karuks performed the first Kaurk Jump Dance in 100 years.

There is currently a strong belief among the elders that participating in the dances, and gaining a good understanding of the traditional value systems might serve to counteract the negative influences of modern times. The elders note that their younger members need identity, stability and a sense of belonging to a community. The number of elders who know the formulas and the proper way of doing the ceremonies is shrinking. The elders hope the young people will see the need to learn from the elders and participate in the ceremonies, so that the traditions and beliefs will survive into the future. Some of these traditions and beliefs, such as living in a proper balance with the natural world, having a sense of family and community, recognizing the need for character and spiritual development, becoming aware of the unity of life, and understanding the value of sharing material possessions, could be useful to any of us. Maintaining the tradition of songs and dances that “fix the earth” by reinforcing these values seems very important indeed.

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Author’s Note: Those who are interested in reading more about the music traditions of Humboldt County’s Native American population may find the following references useful:

• Arnold, Mary Ellicott and Mabel Reed, In The Land of the Grasshopper Song, University of Nebraska Press, 1980, Lincoln.
• Bennett, Ruth, “Ya:na: ‘a ‘awh — Four Hupa Songs from Alice Pratt in the Hupa Language of California,” Center for Indian Community Development, Humboldt State University, 1995, Arcata, CA 95521.
• Keeling, Richard, Cry for Luck — Sacred Song and Speech among the Yurok, Hupa and Karuk Indians of Northwestern California, University of California Press, 1994, Berkeley.
• Keeling, Richard, Women in North American Indian Music; Six Essays, Society for Ethnomusicology, Inc., 1989, Indiana University, Bloomington.
• Kroeber, A.L., Handbook of the Indian of California, Dover Publications, Inc. 1976, New York.
• Nelson, Byron, Jr., Our Home Forever — The Hupa Indians of Northern California, Howe Brothers, 1988, Salt Lake City.
• Thompson, Lucy, To the American Indian — Reminiscences of a Yurok Woman, Heyday Books, 1991, Berkeley.
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The story above was originally printed in the Spring 1996 issue of the Humboldt Historian, a journal of the Humboldt County Historical Society. It is reprinted here with permission. The Humboldt County Historical Society is a nonprofit organization devoted to archiving, preserving and sharing Humboldt County’s rich history. You can become a member and receive a year’s worth of new issues of The Humboldt Historian at this link.

Robert Dean McConkey, a long-time resident of Eureka, passed away peacefully on September 11, 2025 after four days at Hospice of Humboldt in Eureka, with his dog Spencer and friends by his side.

Bobby was born September 4, 1944 in Mountain Home, Idaho to Llewellyn “Red” McConkey, Father, and Marion Imhoff McConkey, Mother. Bobby is survived by his sister and brother-in-law Sharon & Gene Hammock of The Villages, Florida, his sister and brother-in-law JoAnn & Dan Howard of New Smyrna Beach, Floria, his sister-in-law Evonne McConkey of Arcata, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Bobby was preceded in death by his father and mother of Mountain Home, Idaho, his three brothers DeWayne McConkey of Long Beach, Gary McConkey of Bayside and Costa Rica, and David McConkey of Arcata, and his sister Carol Wasierski of Lacey, Wash.

Bobby graduated from Mountain Home High School in 1963. He served 3 years in the U.S. Army, and was stationed in South Korea as an Army Clerk during the Vietnam war. He spent most of the 1970s exploring the United States from Long Beach, Lake Tahoe, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Anchorage, Alaska. where he honed his skill as a bartender.

Settling in Eureka in the 1980s, Bobby went to work at the Café Waterfront as a bartender, cementing a 40+-year employee/friendship with its owner Diane Barmore and her family, along with the many employees and patrons who were family to him. Bobby made a good life for himself as a bachelor, taking care of his cozy home and lovely, landscaped yard. He lived in that home with his two dogs, who were his buddies, named Camper and Spencer. For over 40 years, he rode a bicycle as his mode of transportation and enjoyment. Bobby was always up for a challenging game of pool, a round of golf, or exploring nature trails with friends.

His sisters, Sharon and JoAnn, want to give their heartfelt thanks to the special friends who gave him wonderful care during his last few weeks at home: Don Herriott, Joyce Manion, Colleen Murrish, Diane Barmore, Eric Murrell, Joanne Parkhurst, Dena Delaney and Joe Petricca.

Bobby’s ashes will be placed in a cremation niche alongside his brothers Gary Lee McConkey and Dewayne H. McConkey at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Cypress, California.

A celebration of life service to celebrate Robert Dean McConkey’s life will be held on Sunday, October 12, 2025 at 1:00pm – 4:00pm at The Eureka Elk’s Lodge at 445 Herrick Ave., Eureka. Family, friends, and all whose lives were touched by Bob are warmly invited to gather, share memories, and honor his legacy. Contributions to help cover the cost of the service may be sent to: In Memory of Bob McConkey, c/o Rain & Zepp, 517 Third Street, Suite 30, Eureka, CA 95501.

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