Yurok Tribe hosts screening of film focused on traditional justice

Monday, February 12, 2018  

Attendees of the National Congress of American Indians winter meeting in Washington, D.C., will get a chance to learn more about traditional forms of justice as part of an event hosted by the Yurok Tribe.

Abby Abinanti, the tribe's chief justice, is one of the subjects of Tribal Justice, a film that premiered on PBS last fall. She oversees a judicial system that reflects Yurok culture and history.

"We are village people. We have village values. And those values compel us to take care of each other, our families and our country," Abinanti, who was the first Native woman admitted to the State Bar of California, says in the film, directed by Anne Makepeace.

The tribe is hosting a screening of the film, which is open to the public, to be followed by a panel discussion. The event takes place on Tuesday afternoon, from 4-6pm in the Pan American Room of the Capital Hilton, where NCAI's meeting is being held all week.

The tribe is among the many with a delegation at the meeting. While in D.C., Yurok leaders intend to lobby federal officials and members of Congress about a wide range of issues affecting their community in northern California.

A key item on their agenda is H.R.3847, the Yurok Lands Act. The bill, which enjoys bipartisan support, restores critical lands to the tribe.

Yurok Tribe welcomes introduction of bill to add important lands to reservation (October 12, 2017)
Cronkite News: 'Tribal Justice' documentary highlights issues facing tribal courts (October 2, 2017)