Press release from the Pulikla Tribe of Yurok People:

The Tribe formerly known as Resighini Rancheria has a new name. On May 8th Tribal Citizens voted to amend the Tribe’s Constitution and change the name of the Tribe to the Pulikla Tribe of Yurok People. This official change occurred through a Secretarial Election conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs with collaboration from the Tribe. The Tribe has been working to change the name since 2019 and the new name signifies the deep connection the Tribe has to ancestral lands, the Klamath river, cultural traditions, and identity.

Pulikla translates to “down river people,” which is the traditional name of people that reside or descend from the villages along the lower Klamath River.

“A name has a spiritual connotation to it. That’s why it’s important that we pick our own name,” said Chairperson Fawn C. Murphy. “Our new name reflects a generational change and a reclamation of who we are as Yurok people. ‘Resighini’ was a name given to us by the Federal Government and did not reflect who we are. We picked a name that has meaning to us, connection to culture, and connection to place. It is a beautiful thing, and it makes me happy to hear people say our new name. We are, and always have been, Yurok people. Now our name reflects that.”

The Pulikla entered into an unratified Treaty in 1851 with the federal government and are part of the original Klamath River Reservation of 1855. In 1938, land was purchased on the lower Klamath River by the federal government from Augustus Ressighini. The intent of the land purchase was to provide a place for Tribal people residing along the Klamath River and on the coast in Del Norte and Humboldt Counties. Several Yurok families moved to this land to take up residence, and in 1939 the Resighini Rancheria was formally proclaimed an Indian Reservation. Tribal Citizens of the Pulikla Tribe of Yurok People have been living on the land ever since.

“Pulikla is a traditional name of where our people come from. With this name change, we will no longer be seen by others as people that came here from somewhere else. We are from the Klamath River and have always been on the Klamath River. This name personifies that connection since time immemorial and the pride and responsibility we feel as Yurok people,” said Council Member Spa-ghe Dowd.

The official name change will be published in the Federal Register in January of 2025. In the meantime, the Tribe will work internally to make necessary adjustments, and with Local, State and Federal agencies and other partners to ensure a smooth transition.

About the Pulikla Tribe of Yurok People.

Tribal Citizens of the Pulikla Tribe of Yurok People have remained on the lands and waters where our ancestors have survived since noohl hee-kon (the beginning). The Tribe is governed by a Tribal Council made up of five elected Tribal Citizens. The Tribe’s reservation is located just upstream from the mouth of the Klamath river and its ancestral area extends along the Pacific Ocean coastline from the northern boundary of Damnation Creek, south to Little River; from the mouth of the Klamath River, upstream to Slate Creek; and extends west to include the Pacific Ocean.