Yurok

The Karuk people upriver call us the Yoruk, the downriver people; we call ourselves Oohl, that is, persons. For seven thousand years, we have lived along the Klamath River from the mouth of the Trinity to the Pacific Ocean. We have fished, we have hunted, we have carved wood and woven baskets, and have built homes with planks split from fallen redwoods. Salmon, sturgeon, eel, and candlefish are offered to us from our waters and are vital to people’s health and spirit. Deer and elk, acorns, berries, and teas are offered to us from our hills and are vital to people’s health and spirit. Seaweed, mussels, and whale are offered to us from our coasts and are vital to people’s health and spirit.