California Tribes receive beach and ancestral village site back from transportation authority
On the Northern California coast, where the tall trees meet the sea, ancestors of the Coast Yuki people lie buried in an old village site above the bluffs in the U.S. state. Yet despite its cultural significance, the land has been owned by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) until very recently. A deed recorded […]
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has returned 55 hectares of coastline, once owned by the agency, to the Coast Yuki, Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Round Valley Indian Tribes, and Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians. The transfer, recorded on July 6, marks the first time land held by Caltrans has been returned to Indigenous ownership, according to Kai Poma, a nonprofit founded by representatives of the three tribes.
The land, previously used as a beach known as Blues Beach, held significant cultural value to the tribes and is now referred to as K’etim, a name derived from traditional stories of the Coast Yuki and Pomo lineages. The site, located just south of the small community of Westport, California, is believed to be the location of an ancient village site called K’etim, where Seaweed Woman met and fell in love with Coyote, an origin story that explains the creation of the coastline.
Brief written by urgent.news from Mongabay's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
