Next spring, the Yurok Tribe will begin its Redwood Canoe Adventure Tour and it will utilize six hand-crafted redwood canoes made using traditional tribal tools and techniques.
It’s a part of a larger vision for economic development on the Klamath River and something the tribe put several years of work into in the hope it will become a chief tourism attraction.
Visitors will be able to take two-hour tours on the Klamath to learn about tribal customs, the flora and fauna found on the river and the cultural lifestyle of the tribe. According to the tribe, it’s an opportunity you won’t find anywhere else in the world due to the unique relationship between the Yurok people and the Klamath River.
“I’m proud to be a tribal citizen and there is a sense of well-being when you are in a Yurok tribal canoe and on the Klamath River,” said tribal chairman Joe L. James on Monday. “It’s a proud day for the Yurok people and it’s just one of the economic development projects we are doing. We have used the redwood canoe since time immemorial as our vehicle on the river. In modern times, we have jet boats but with the redwood canoe we have a chance to share our culture with people across the world.”
In addition to honoring traditional and cultural roots, the canoe tours will mean new jobs and it will allow tribal members who have an entrepreneurial bent a chance to develop their ideas alongside the tribe.
“You’ll be able to purchase tickets at the visitors center, that will be the hub from where all this happens, and there you will also get an introduction to the tribe and the river,” James said. “As part of the tour, you’ll get an introduction into what the redwood canoe means to us, how it was built and the way of life on the Klamath River. I’m hoping in a year we will be able to employ up to 20 people and that means work for our tribe and it will put people to work. It will also help tribal entrepreneurs if they want to sell photos or T-shirts or clothing. We are hoping for an economic domino effect and bring this effect to Yurok country and the greater area.”
The focus of the Redwood Canoe Adventure Tour is on eco-friendly business ideas, in this case, tourism, and the unique aspects of Yurok tribal life. The tribe reached out to LACO Associates and worked with a senior planner Bob Ulibarri, who was has worked closely with the tribe in the past.
Ulibarri said the focus on traditional tribal practices fits very nicely with the growing eco-tourism industry and he expects the canoe tours to do very well.
“I thought it was an excellent opportunity, it’s very unique at a time when people are exploring traditional processes,” Ulibarri said. “Basically, the eco-tourism trade has really grown worldwide and here is a chance to learn a new pathway and still have an adventure. I thought it was an excellent opportunity. It’s so unique. What you have is the relationship between the canoe, which is considered a living thing with a heart, lungs, kidneys and nose. Joe James told me you don’t have a bad day if you’re in a redwood canoe on the Klamath River. It’s the only business of its kind in the world. You can’t get more unique than that.”
Ulibarri said the canoe experience will differ vastly from other tourism attractions such as the jet boats. Being in a canoe is as close to the water as one can get without getting in — combined with the flora and fauna onshore and the information provided by a Yurok tour guide, it really offers a glimpse of tribal life.
“You have to understand the Klamath is a highway and it’s listed as such on the federal highway inventory,” Ulibarri said. “The river has always been a center of commerce, trade and travel and it goes back thousands of years. A lot of Redwood State and National Parks are trail-oriented but this is a waterway excursion unlike any other.”
For James, the entire project is personal. He cites his uncle Dewey George and his grandfather Jimmy James as his inspiration. George, he said, was a Yurok boat master who carved the tribal canoes.
“I come from a long background of tribal culture and as part of the tour, you’ll get an introduction into what the redwood canoe means to us, how it’s built and the way of life on the Klamath,” James said. “The canoe has a spirit, it’s a living thing and we’re getting ready to travel to conferences and reach out to international markets to market this development. … I’m glad to be a part of it and this is a proud day and I’m glad we as the Yurok people have the chance to provide this opportunity for people outside of the tribe.”
Dan Squier can be reached at 707-441-0528.
