A Native American tribe has officially reclaimed a part of their ancestral land in California’s scenic Big Sur coast after ceding control more than 250 years ago to Spanish colonial settlements, courtesy of a conservancy group.
The Esselen Tribe, which is one of the state’s least-known tribes, has now taken control of over 1,199 acres which is located about 5 miles inland of the ocean in what is said to be a $4.5 million deal with the state and the Western Rivers Conservancy, reports CNN. The landmark move is the first-ever restoration effort for the tribe which had reportedly lost 90 percent of its 1,000 member group due to diseases in the early 1800s.
"Nearly 350 years ago, when Spanish soldiers built a military outpost in Monterey, the Esselen tribe — who had lived in the area for 8,000 years — was decimated.
On Monday, for the first time, their descendants finally got some of the land back." https://t.co/BOrdpn8nsy
— Sammy Roth (@Sammy_Roth) July 28, 2020