City in California Returns Island Back to Native Americans – After 150 Years

The Californian city of Eureka in the United States is handing back a historic island to the indigenous Wiyot group, more than 150 years after the land was unjustly taken from the Native American tribe.

In a nation where most native lands are legally held in trust by the federal government, Eureka sets a nationally unique example in this voluntary transfer of the 280-acre Duluwat Island, encouraging other cities to consider transferring land back to their indigenous former owners as well.

“We look forward to other such land transfers from cities to tribal nations and hope this serves as a practical path forward to resolve similar issues elsewhere,” says a National Congress of American Indians spokesman.