Indigenous tribe reacquires 900 acres in California

Nice News - An Indigenous tribe in California has reacquired 900 acres of its land nearly two centuries after it was forced off due to settlements and the establishment of Yosemite National Park. The Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation was transferred the land — situated between a part of the park and the Sierra Forest — by conservation org Pacific Forest Trust.

“Having this significant piece of our ancestral Yosemite land back will bring our community together to celebrate tradition and provide a healing place for our children and grandchildren,” Tribal Council Chair Sandra Chapman said in a press release. “It will be a sanctuary for our people.”

Encompassing the Henness Ridge, a major migration corridor for deer and other animals, the acreage is a key site for the tribe, which cared for the forests and its wildlife for generations. The deal will enable the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation to use traditional practices to reignite biodiversity in the area.

“We will be able to harvest and cultivate our traditional foods, fibers, and medicines and steward the land using traditional ecological knowledge,” said Tribal Secretary Tara Fouch-Moore, “strengthening our relationships with plants and wildlife, and benefiting everyone by restoring a more resilient and abundant landscape.”