The Hoh Reservation
Beautiful sunset isn't it? To borrow a phrase from a favorite televiion character: Picture it!! Coast of Washington, 2006.
A small group of Native Americans are forced from their land once again but with no place to go this time.
Their land is not being taken from them by the white man. Their land is being taken from them by mother nature.
What started out as a dream that I had of many trips into the Hoh Rainforest has turned into something much more.
A book project that I am co-authoring has opened my eyes to the plight of the Hoh Indian Tribe who live on the coast of Washington State. They are a small tribe of less than 125 men, women and children. These people are slowly loosing their homes to the changing course of the Hoh River. The reservation lies on the bank of the river and is landlocked between the river itself and the Olympic National Park.
So many Native Americans tribes were forced from their land onto the reservations and the Hoh are not different. During our research we discovered that highway workers on Highway 101 have attempted to alter the Hoh Rivers path. This combined with the floooding of the river is eating away at the reservations land destroying homes and buildings in its path. Soon the tribe will have to abandon the land that where they live with no place to go.
Its our hope that the book will bring more attention to the plight of the Hoh Indians with hopes that they can get the help they need.
Photographs seen in the above were provided to us by the Ruben Hernandez and Ervin Ashue with special thanks to Mary Leitka of the Hoh Indian Tribe.
---- Richard Rattie and Jeanne Sisson