By CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews
YACHATS — A bedrock local event returns New Year’s Day when the 15th annual Yachats Peace Hike commemorates both the suffering of coastal indigenous people and the resilience of their descendants.
Starting at the pavilion behind the Yachats Commons and leading to the Amanda gathering area along the Amanda Trail, the hike highlights the memory of Amanda De-Cuys. In 1864, the blind member of the Coos tribe was wrenched from her daughter and forced by government soldiers to walk barefoot to a prison camp in what is now Yachats.
Begun by Lauralee Svendsgaard in 2011, the New Year’s Day Peace Hike is hosted by the Yachats Trails Committee. Ceremonies and trail walks are scheduled at both the pavilion and the Amanda gathering area, weather permitting. In case of bad weather, activities will center around the Commons only.
Sprigs of cedar, a sacred tree for many tribes of the Pacific Northwest, will be provided for anyone wanting to help “honor the past and bring the community together,” according to a news release. The sprigs are for placement at ceremonial fires at the pavilion and Amanda gathering area.
Participants will also receive Peace Hike buttons, designed this year by artist Morgan Gaines, a member of the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians.
Events begin at 9:30 a.m. New Year’s Day at the Commons. For the full schedule, go to this website.
Because the Amanda Trail itself is rigorous, maps of alternative trails for easier hikes and walks will be available, along with guidance and information from members of the Yachats Trails Committee.
“The hike has been a collaboration, and it’s really grown. We had about 200 people taking part last year, and some 150 walked to the Amanda statue,” said Joanne Kittel, one of the trails committee leaders.
Kittel also cautioned that during ceremonies involving tribal members at the Amanda gathering area “no photos, video or audio recordings are allowed, out of respect.”
She also stressed that participants walking the route to the Amanda area, which is 2.2 miles south of the Commons, for the first time should check with Trails Committee members for advice.
This year, the hike includes sponsors and volunteers from a number of groups: tribal members, the city of Yachats, Oregon Coast Visitors Association, the Yachats Ladies Club, View the Future, the Yachats and Waldport chambers of commerce, the trails committee and Oregon State Parks.
Water, energy bars and cookies donated by the Yachats Ladies Club will be available at both the Commons and the Amanda gathering area.
“For so many years, the community didn’t know about the horrific treatment suffered by tribal members under government-sponsored genocidal policies during the 19th century,” said Kittel.
She urged people seeking more information to watch a video titled “The Amanda Story” available through this YouTube link. There is also a detailed Amanda’s Trail curriculum developed by the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians available online here.
Wishing participants a beautiful hike. This is our first year since moving to Yachats that we will not be able to participate. We will have a whole in our button collection but we will be there in spirit.