Will
Proud Member of the Yurok Tribe
Will is a proud card-carrying Native American of Yurok, a
northern California tribe and
is a client of Alta California Regional Center. He has
visited the reservation and enjoys interacting with his
community. His tribe is known for being experts at fishing and
were the first people to build canoes for both fresh and
salt water. They also are creative basket weavers, some of
which were featured in an exhibit at the Steinhart Aquarium
in San Francisco.
At 10 years old, Will learned about his Native American heritage
from his father who
taught him that it is inappropriate for him to play games like
“Cowboys and Indians”
because its insensitive. Afterwards, his parents always
encouraged him to be a part of
his heritage and fully participate.
Recently, Will attended the Salmon Festival where he was able to
meet his relatives,
participate in fishing, playing sports and games, and engaging in
activities like basket
weaving while enjoying the singing and dancing. He established a
goal to learn his
native language to deepen his connection with his people.
As Will immerses himself, he has taken on important cultural
customs. He recognizes
the importance of conservation and sees trees as life giving and
sacred. His people
never overfish or overharvest to respect nature and their
spiritual beliefs. He is proud of his ancestry and
Indigenous People’s Day means for him that no one can judge
him
based on his heritage.