The Wiyot Tribe of California reclaimed the site of its most sacred ceremony on Friday.

The tribe was given title to 40 acres on Indian Island, considered the center of the universe. The land was returned by the Eureka city council.

The tribe held the World Renewal Ceremony on the island for thousands of years. But it stopped in 1860, when white settlers massacred tribal members attending the event. Nearly 200 were killed, mostly elders, women and children because the men were out collecting supplies at the time.

Chairwoman Cheryl Seidner, a descendant of the only infant that survived the attack, said the tribe hopes to reclaim the ceremony as well as the entire 270-acre island.

Get the Story:
Eureka returns to Wiyot tribe in reconciliation for 1860 massacre (AP 6/26)
A recentered universe: City hands over 40 acres of Indian Island to Wiyot (The Eureka Times-Standard 6/26)
Local tribes show their support for the Wiyot people (The Eureka Times-Standard 6/26)