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Nearly 160 years after a vicious massacre on Tulawat (or “Indian Island”) all but destroyed the Wiyot people, the city of Eureka is finally on the verge of restoring the land its original owners.
The Eureka City Council has called a special meeting to be convened at the Adorni Center at 10 a.m. one week from today — Monday, Oct. 21 — the sole point of which will be to authorize the transfer of the remaining 200 acres of city-owned land on Tulawat to the Wiyot Tribe. A signing ceremony is expected to immediately follow. (See agenda here.)
The city previously transferred approximately 40 acres of land north of the Samoa Bridge to the tribe back in 2004. There are still a few privately owned homes on the island.
Tuluwat is often described as the center of the Wiyot universe, and was home to two villages. It was the location of the annual Wiyot “World Renewal Ceremony” — an all-tribal spiritual gathering that was taking place on the island at the time of the 1860 massacre.
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PREVIOUSLY
- (UPDATE) Eureka to Consider Giving the Rest of Indian Island Back to Wiyot Tribe
- (AUDIO) Rob Arkley Wants to Buy Indian Island to Keep Eureka From Returning it to ‘The Natives’
- Arkleys Clarify Indian Island Intentions, Say They Want to Buy It to ‘Preserve It for the Entire Community’
- Yurok Group Issues Statement Responding to Arkleys’ Indian Island Comments
- Local Native American Group Pens Scathing Letter to Rob Arkley
- ‘I STAND WITH WIYOT’: Big Protest in Downtown Eureka Against Rob Arkley’s Plans to Buy Indian Island
- GIVING IT BACK: Eureka Will Start the Process of Giving Tuluwat Back to the Wiyot Early Next Month
- (VIDEO) Eureka City Council Takes Major Step Toward Giving Indian Island Back to the Wiyot Tribe