1860 Wiyot massacre

In coordinated attacks beginning at about 6 am, white settlers murdered 80 to 250 Wiyot people, mostly women and children, with axes, knives, and guns.

[5] At the time of the attack in late February, the Wiyots were preparing for their annual World Renewal Ceremony, which was held on the island and lasted seven to ten days.

On the night of February 26, 1860, a small group of settlers crossed Humboldt Bay and attacked the village, which was defenseless because almost all the able-bodied men were away.

To avoid drawing attention from nearby Eureka residents, many of whom may not have condoned the killings, they used primarily handheld weapons: hatchets, clubs, and knives.

[1] Arcata's local newspaper, the Northern Californian, described the scene as follows: Blood stood in pools on all sides; the walls of the huts were stained and the grass colored red.

[3] Kaiquaish (also known as Josephine Beach) and her eleven-month-old son William survived because although she had set out for the island in a canoe to participate in the ceremonies, she became lost in the fog and returned home.

[7] The massacre was part of a coordinated simultaneous attack that targeted other nearby Wiyot sites, including an encampment on the Eel River.

"[8]Several prominent local citizens also wrote letters to the San Francisco papers angrily condemning the attacks and naming suspected conspirators.

[11] The local sheriff, Barrant Van Ness, stated in a newspaper editorial published in the San Francisco Bulletin a few days after the massacre that the motive was revenge for cattle rustling.

[13] The vigilantes, calling themselves the Humboldt Volunteers, Second Brigade, had been formed in early February 1860 in the inland town of Hydesville, one of the ranching communities in the Nongatl area.

In fact, the little mess at Indian Island is only a beginning if we can't get our just protection from [the] state or [federal] government that the citizens are entitled to.

[17][18] In 1998, the Wiyot Tribe began raising funds to repurchase the land in order to perform their annual World Renewal Ceremony.