Yurok rights on the Klamath River

By David Smith

June 8 2008 ,

As a descendant of the Yurok People, who have lived on the Klamath River for better than 10,000 years (so anthropologists say), I oppose — as do many others — any giving away of our sovereign rights to the river. The Klamath River , the Yurok People and the salmon are one. Our ancestors recognized this and protected the river and salmon with their lives.

When gold miners filled the river with mud in their quest of the precious metal, our ancestors fought to stop them. This brought the wrath of the U.S. Army and the California militia upon them. Their homes were burned, their women were raped and their children were sold into slavery (Indenturing Act of California). Yet our ancestors persevered.

It has come out that this council may agree not to oppose anything the government, farmers, miners and energy companies want concerning the water. In other words, we are giving up our sovereign rights to our river. The council has abandoned our ancestors for a promise of 30 pieces of silver. The people who run the federal government agencies have no loyalty to anything and would give our water rights to anyone who has the right amount of cash.

Approximately seven years ago, the council wanted to give the south side of the reservation to Simpson Timber Co. (now Green Diamond). Several Yurok people opposed this action at our annual meeting. House Bill 3638 was secretly negotiated, in Congress, and our council said it was a done deal. This bill died in committee after we opposed it.

As one of the original 500 Jesse Short plaintiffs, I have paid close attention to what is happening on our reservation. The federal government opposed this lawsuit from the very beginning, along with the Hupa people. All we wanted was what the government negotiated with our ancestors in 1853: the sovereign rights over our lands and the Klamath River . The land was part of the issue, but the river was the real issue. We must never give up any say to what happens to the water in the Klamath River . Whatever this council negotiates with the government should be or will be voted on by the entire Yurok people, who will accept or reject giving up our rights to our ancestors’ river.

No matter where we live, we, as Yurok people, should always protect and defend our ancestor rights to the land and Klamath River .

David Smith lives in Olympia , Wash.

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Source:  http://www.eurekareporter.com/article/080608-yurok-

rights-on-the-klamath-river