Introduction
The Potawot Health Village is a branch of the United Indian Health Services whose services combine western medicine and traditional Native American methods of promoting wellness.[1] The designers who worked on the grounds knew that nature is valued and considered sacred within the Native American community and sought to create a space which honored tradition and would help their community to stay healthy, both physically and emotionally. One aspect of this idea was recreating the original habitats and biomes that once dominated the area, before people of European decent settled on the land.
History
The Northern California coast and the area around Humboldt Bay has been the home of the Wiyot people for thousands of years.[2][3] The land around them, traditionally a place of great forests, seasonal wetlands, and heavy salmon runs, profoundly influenced their lives. However, as white men came to settle the land, they were pushed off their native grounds, which were reshaped to be more suitable for the more “modern” farming and development methods. On the Potawot land specifically, forests were cut down, native grasses were replaced by more aggressive ones, and the seasonal wetlands were destroyed to make the land more conducive towards farming.
In 1996, the United Indian Health Services began working with the City of Arcata and the Planning Commission to get their newly purchased land, which was zoned as “Agricultural Exclusive” to be approved for a Planned Development Permit and a General Plan & Zoning Map Amendment. A year later, after keeping their positive message and working hard, their plans for the Health Village at Potawot were finally approved.[4]
As they researched the land, they found that within the vicinity of the site were four historical Wiyot village locations as well as a burial ground for the victims of the 1850 Indian Island Massacre. However, the land has been changed so much over the years that it is now impossible to find the original locations.
Forest Restoration Efforts
The Potawot grounds are known as the Ku’wah-dah-wilth Restoration Area[5], which means “comes back to life” in the Wiyot language. It is meant to reinforce the idea of the lands revitalization and the renewal of the natural resources that once existed there. The work has included planting native species of trees and creating a space that is comfortable for the clients of the United Indian Health Services and which also helps the healing of the body and spirit.