SAN FRANCISCO — White deerskins, condor feathers and headdresses made of bright red woodpecker scalps are among more than 200 sacred artifacts that are once again in the possession of a northern California American Indian tribe.
The Yurok Tribe celebrated the items’ return last week, among the largest repatriation of American Indian sacred objects ever, from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian.
“It’s part of the fabric of who we are and why we are,” said Javier Kinney, who helped truck the artifacts back from Suitland-Silver Hill, Md. “It’s a little bit of mixed emotion — sadness that they were gone for so long but joy and excitement that they’re back. It’s like family coming back home.”
The tribe has 5,500 members and lives on 55,000 acres along the Klamath River. Its leaders say the artifacts date back hundreds and maybe even thousands of years. They will continue to be used in ceremonies intended to heal the world.
