This article by John Ahni Schertow was published in Cultural Survival on May 21, 2019.
This month, the Yurok Tribal Council voted unanimously in favor of a resolution establishing the rights of the Klamath River.
According to the Yurok Tribe, the resolution “establishes the Rights of the Klamath River to exist, flourish, and naturally evolve; to have a clean and healthy environment free from pollutants; to have a stable climate free from human-caused climate change impacts; and to be free from contamination by genetically engineered organisms.”
“This resolution provides another powerful tool to protect our river, which has sustained the Yurok people since time began,” said Joseph L. James, the Chairman of the Yurok Tribe. “We have always and will always do everything in our power to preserve and enhance the Klamath for all future generations.”
“We are sending a strong message that we now have an additional legal mechanism to shield the Klamath against those who might harm our most sacred resource,” added Toby Vanlandingham, the Weitchpec District Representative on the Yurok Tribal Council. “It is and always will be our responsibility to defend this river by any means necessary.”
The Yurok Tribe says that the Klamath River has supported “uncountable generations of Yurok people”, explaining that the river is central to the Tribe’s ceremonial practices, food security and other important facets of the Yurok lifeway.
To read the rest of this article at its original source please click HERE.