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SINKYONE VICTORY: A DREAM COMES CLOSER


by Dave Raymond

FORT BRAGGQCalifornia Indians are one step closer to realizing the
dream of an Indian-controlled wilderness park in the Sinkyone area
of northern Mendocino County. On March 20, the Board of Directors
of the California State Coastal Conservancy unanimously approved
the sale of the RSinkyone Upland ParcelS to the InterTribal
Sinkyone Wilderness Council. The Council has struggled for almost
a decade to acquire this 3,800-acre area of redwoods and coastal
forest for the creation of AmericaUs first intertribal park.

This historic decision was made before a crowd of 200 supporters
packing the Fort Bragg town hall, including a group of Indian high
school students from Ukiah. It recognizes the Sinkyone Council, in
return for payment of a $100,000 option, as the sole purchaser of
the land. The Council still must raise another $1.3 million for
final purchase within three years. However, the decision staves
off the threat that a group fronting for the timber industry would
try to purchase the land in order to cut down second-growth
forests.

RWe are really happy about the decision,S said Hawk Rosales,
coordinator of the Sinkyone Council. RWe still find it hard to
believe, after struggling for 10 years, how close we are now to
re-establishing Indian land stewardship, and sovereignty, in the
Sinkyone.S

The InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council is a consortium of 10
federally-recognized tribes that have historic ties to the former
Sinkyone-area tribes. The Sinkyone were massacred by white
settlers in the late 19th century, and there were almost no
survivors. After these massacres, timber companies moved in,
eventually cutting more than 98 percent of the old-growth
redwoods. The Council includes some Sinkyone descendants, as well
as representatives of other tribes who traditionally utilized the
area.

Over the next few months the Coastal Conservancy staff will
research the feasibility of raising the $1.3 million. If they
conclude that the Sinkyone Council will be unable to do so, the
Conservancy will consider lowering the price. The Conservancy
Board made this decision after one board member unsuccessfully
proposed that the land be sold to the Sinkyone Council for one
dollar.

The Council is also negotiating a conservation agreement that will
govern their management of the land. It will ensure that the area
will be used for environmental and cultural restoration, and for
public access and education for both Indians and non-Indians.

The effort to buy and preserve the Sinkyone began in the early
1980s when California Indians and their environmentalist
supporters sued the California Dept. of Forestry. They charged
that logging had destroyed many Indian cultural, spiritual, and
food gathering sites. In 1985 the lawsuit was successful and the
state Coastal Conservancy bought 7,100 acres from Georgia-
Pacific, the company that had clearcut much of the land. The
coastal half of this area was added to a state park, with the
inland portion slated to be sold to a non-profit group. This
RUpland ParcelS is the area that is the subject of the recent
Coastal Conservancy decision.

The Sinkyone Council has worked for 10 years to heal the Sinkyone.
They have restored salmon streams, planted trees, and removed old
logging roads. But they have also worked to heal the wounds felt
by California Indians, from the massacres of the last century, and
the racism and lack of land that affect them to this day. Many
inter-tribal ceremonies and gatherings have been held at the
Sinkyone. Elders and others have continued to gather traditional
food and medicine in the area.

RWe need to walk the trails where our ancestors walked,S said
Carmen Christy (Yokayo Pomo). RThe land misses her people. The
land misses our presence.S RTo have the Sinkyone InterTribal
Park,S added Lyman Jewett (Wailaki), Rwould be like going home.S

The Coastal ConservancyUs decision, while it overcomes one major
obstacle toward purchase of the land, doesnUt take the pressure
off the Sinkyone Council. According to Rosales, RThe hurdles to
establishing the Intertribal Park are not primarily political
anymore, theyUre financial.S The Council just received a $25,000
matching grant toward purchase of the land. They need to raise an
equal amount from other supporters in order to get this money. The
Council also needs support for its ongoing cultural and
environmental restoration work. Contributions should be sent to:
InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council, 190 Ford Road #333,
Ukiah, CA 95482.

The Bay Area Friends of Sinkyone is a support group that raises
money and awareness about the InterTribal Park. They plan to hold
the 3rd Annual Sinkyone Bike-a-Thon, a five-day fundraising ride
from San Francisco to Sinkyone, May 27-31. A public gathering at
Sinkyone in late June will celebrate the recent victory. For info:
Bay Area Friends of Sinkyone, (510) 486-8939, or the InterTribal
Sinkyone Wilderness Council, (707) 485-8744.

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