From California State Parks:

On January 21, 2022, representatives from the Wiyot Tribe and community along with North Coast Redwoods District staff installed a new land acknowledgement sign at Fort Humboldt State Historic Park. This sign, along with about 30 others, are being designed in collaboration with Tribal partners, and installed in parks across the north coast.

The sign reads “Fort Humboldt State Historic Park is located on the land of the Wiyot people. The name for this place is Jouwuchguri’m”. The sign’s borders are a Wiyot basketry design symbolizing friendship.

The name “Jouwuchguri’m” is a Wiyot name which means “to draw ones legs up to their body.” This name reflects the inhumane conditions inflicted upon Indigenous people who were held against their will near Fort Humboldt in the early 1860s. This a more contemporary name by comparison to many other Wiyot placenames, due to it’s direct connection to experiences at the Fort. An original name for this area is still being explored via archival research.

District Superintendent, Victor Bjelajac states “By having these signs placed in a California State Park, we feel this will help contribute to a movement throughout the 280 state parks in California to further elevate, honor and celebrate the Indigenous voices and stories that are rooted in the ancestral lands that our parks now protect.”