Redwoods Visit: Learning Indigenous Resilience & Sacred Activism
Commentary by Sarah Henn Hayward | FāVS News
I was lucky enough recently to visit the Redwoods National Park in Klamath, California. My kids, ages 5 and 7, were on spring break, and their little legs dictated most of our activities for the week. I love to travel and hike and have enjoyed undertaking 16-mile long day hikes. The longest hike we planned for this trip was 1.5 miles.
With no long distances to cover or great goals to achieve, we were free to ramble. The kids explored, played with sticks, sniffed the trillium flowers, observed banana slugs and generally scampered around the forest. My husband and I had ample time to spin around in 360˚ loops of awe. Trees towered overhead. The canopy and forest floor so thick, they hushed all ambient noise except for a few nearby birds. Occasionally we trekked by a creek and the babbling water added to our peaceful soundtrack.
The Atmosphere Was Almost Spiritual
Being in the presence of the 2,000-year-old gentle giants grounded me with a sense of interconnectedness. I was aware that the trees were networked together, communicating and sharing resources through complex, underground networks of mycelium. Here and there, the mycelium popped up to say hello in the form of glistening mushrooms.
The massive canopy was home to its own interconnected community. Needles caught in branch clusters as they fall, decompose and support ferns, small plants and even huckleberry bushes hundreds of feet off the ground. Entirely new trees — spruce and Douglas fir — grow off thick redwood branches, far from the forest floor. These epiphytic plants are supported completely by the redwood canopy, fed by the rich organic soil of decomposing needles and water blowing in from the coastal mist.
Walking along the paths littered with needles and ferns, we were on sacred ground. With the mist and the occasional sunbeam vying for space between branches, and the sweet smell of cedar in the air, the atmosphere was spiritual.
Some of Its History
One of our favorite hikes through the Stout Grove in Jedidiah Smith State Park had narrowly avoided the sharp claws of the logging industry. In an ironic twist of goodwill, it became the first dedicated grove in the state park, given by Clara Stout in memory of her husband, prominent lumber baron Frank D. Stout.
Frank Stout was one of the 10 wealthiest men of Chicago at the turn of the 20th century. He made his fortune through logging and finance as the CEO of a lumber company, as director of a Trust company and as president of a railway, inheriting a large amount of money from his father as well. He used his wealth to build an exclusive, elegant cabin on an island on a lake in Wisconsin, using timber from the Black Forest of Germany, cedars from Idaho and the redwoods of California. He greedily paroled the waters around his island and intentionally capsized any curious boaters who got too close.
The Yurok People and Their Resilience
The Yurok people believe the redwood trees to be sacred, living beings that guard the forest and its inhabitants. They use the timber judiciously, mainly collecting fallen trees for their canoes and homes, careful not to overharvest or strain the natural resources.
But their sacred spaces were stolen. With the Gold Rush of the mid-1800s underway, European settlers moved in and violently clashed with the native Yurok. Upwards of 75% of the Yurok people died from massacre and disease brought by European colonizers. The Yurok negotiated a treaty with the U.S. Government that was immediately rejected, a message that failed to be delivered to the now unrecognized tribe.
Consistent with treatment across the U.S., Yurok children were taken away to boarding schools where they were “educated” and abused, forbidden from speaking their language or honoring their customs and beliefs. While the children were being taken from their families, industry moved into the forest. Logging camps and salmon canneries went unregulated, contaminating the Klamath River, depleting the salmon population and destroying indigenous villages and sacred sites.
Sacred Activism
Despite all of that, the surviving Yurok are strong and have been fighting non-stop for justice. They are now the largest recognized tribe in California at over 6,000 members. Just this year, they regained some 125 acres of land in the Redwoods to create their own historical park. The tribe will be managing the land and waterways, restoring their former beauty and health, with assistance from the National and California State Parks departments.
Political activism to right the wrongs of history while protecting and preserving sacred ground. It’s all connected.
As relaxing as my trip to the Redwoods was, I found myself motivated to fight for justice. No sector of our lives has been untouched by colonization, capitalism, abuse or corruption. From the environment, to education, to healthcare, to safety in our communities, there is work to be done.
I can’t do it all, but I can do something. We can learn from Indigenous role models, folks who have been fighting uphill battles and staying committed to their good causes for hundreds of years. Their persistence can inspire us to contribute whatever skills, passions, gifts and voices we can muster.
We can make this world better for all of us.
The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.
