The injustices inflicted upon Native American people are well-known, but now, after 250 years, the ownership of the Big Sur ancestral lands has been returned to its tribe.
This comes after the land was taken from the Tribe of Monterey County (ETMC) around 250 years ago by Spanish explorers, their history states.
The area piqued the interest of a conservation group, the Western Rivers Conservancy (WRC), because of its giant redwoods that make the area the ideal habitat for the California condor, which is one of the world's largest flying birds.
The WRC subsequetly helped the ETMC to escrow on a $4.5 million deal with the group to purchase almost 1,200 acres in the area.
Watch a news report about the heartwarming story below:
[[youtubewidget||https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DblmMx5ot8g]]
Tom Little Bear Nason, Tribal Chairman of the ETMC, said in a statement in October: "It is with great honor that our tribe has been called by our Ancestors to become stewards of these sacred indigenous lands once again."
"These lands are home to many ancient villages of our people, and directly across the Little Sur River sits Pico Blanco or 'Pitchi', which is the most sacred spot on the coast for the Esselen People and the center of our origin story."
Pictured below is a Big Sur sunset.
[[imagecaption|| Credit: PA Images]]
Sue Doroff, the president of WRC, told CNN on Wednesday that the land - known as the Adler Ranch - came to the organization's attention in 2015 when it was discovered that the owners had been trying to sell it for a number of years.
"The old-growth redwoods on this property are genetically adaptive to the warmer dry climate of Big Sur," Doroff said. "These trees will be important for the future effort to assist in redwood survival."
The WRC said the Little Sur River makes its way along the side fo the property and has a tributary jutting onto the land, which is an important spawning ground for the South-Central California Coast Steelhead, which is also in dire need of conservation.
The Endangered Species Act lists the condor as endangered and the steelhead as threatened.
[[facebookwidget||https://www.facebook.com/esselentribeofmontereycounty/photos/a.112779706933662/112780130266953/]]
Doroff reports that both parties have agreed to continue conservation efforts and to not develop the land.
"We are proud of our involvement here and conserving this landscape," Doroff said. "We are honored to be a part of rebuilding the Esselen Tribe."
The ETMC is also planning to build a village for the use of other indigenous tribes and host educational events to treat people about the Native American culture.
"We are going to conserve it and pass it on to our children and grandchildren and beyond," Nason told The Mercury News. "Getting this land back gives privacy to do our ceremonies. It gives us space and the ability to continue our culture without further interruption."