Native Traditional, Cultural, & Religious Values

The Wailaki are the original people of this land. Like most Northwestern California Native Americans, they lived in small tribes and were peaceful for the most part. Petroglyphs have been found on the top of Bell Springs Road and also over the hill past Island Mountain on the Eel River. Physical evidence found on the property, or nearby, would indicate that Heartwood was actively habituated by these people.

Native American elders visiting Heartwood have shed light on the spiritual heritage of this land. According to their memories, the Heartwood site was a power spot for the Wailaki and they contend there is still a strong spiritual component present today from these original caretakers.

These original Native American caretakers are largely responsible for the form of the current landscape. Native American land management encouraged oaks in many areas, as they were a very important food crop. Fire, in the form of controlled burning, was a management tool often applied to fend off encroaching Douglas fir and other unwanted understory species. This practice allowed Native people to stall succession by maintaining the life-giving oaks as the primary overstory species.

There are several locally recognized sacred sites on the property that shall remain unidentified.

The Native American Heritage Commission has no record of Native traditional, cultural, or religious sites within the Heartwood property.

Heartwood Outlying Areas Masterplan, April 2008
Assessment Report: 2.1.14 Cultural Heritage