Un-Dam the Klamath
© Annelia Hillman
Digital Print, 2010
Orleans, CA
43940
To commemorate Indigenous People's Day this past Monday, CSPG's Poster of the Week memorializes the land struggle around the 257-mile-long Klamath River, which crosses the U.S.-made border between California and Oregon. The Klamath River has ties to several Indigenous nations that were devastated and terrorized by the invasion of prospectors and settlers during the California Gold Rush (1848–1855).
In the 1910s, the land around the Klamath River was seized by eminent domain, and the river became the site of several hydroelectric dams, blocking salmon from their habitat and creating dangerous toxic algae blooms. The Yurok, Karuk, and Hupa tribes fought for the removal of the dams. As a result of their hard work, the largest dam removal project in U.S. history concluded this past August in the Klamath River.
— Dr. Ann Willis, California Director, American Rivers.
Also during this past summer, the State of California returned over 2,800 acres of land near the Klamath river back to the Shasta Indian nation. It is one of the largest land returns in California history.
Further south, in the Central Coast, the U.S. government officially designated the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary earlier this week. It is the first Tribal-nominated national marine sanctuary, and it will be co-stewarded with the Chumash tribal government. This move will protect ecologically and culturally significant waters and stands to benefit everyone in the area. All of these achievements are important progress, yet there are still many others fighting to get their land and water rights back.
— Indigenous Action Media, “Uprooting Colonialism: The Limitations of Indigenous People’s Day,” 2017.
These victories stand as a reminder that celebrations and acknowledgments of Indigenous peoples need to be followed through with action. A holiday is not the end goal!
CSPG’s Poster of the Week is by Annelia Hillman (Yurok), a mother, activist, artist, gatherer, weaver and teacher. She is a member of the Un-Dam the Klamath Movement, organizer for the annual Salmon Run, and works for the Yurok Tribe Environmental Department.
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