Cho’ chpa’roy-om’ kue chpaak ‘we-no’o-mue-no-mon-ee “Listen to the old ones” Cho’ laa-yo-lue-so’ kue huuek-soh “Teach the children”
‘Aa-wok Dale Walter Webster, born on June 24, 1961 in Crescent City, California, passed away on July 1, 2024 in a single vehicle accident on Redwood Highway. Dale was a Yurok Elder who lived his entire life on the Yurok Reservation. Well-known and respected in the Yurok community, Dale was elected as the Requa District Representative for the first Yurok Tribal Council. He dedicated his life to the perpetuation of the Yurok culture, including meticulously studying their history, collecting stories, and devoting the entirety of his free time to creating regalia including tools, weapons, napped stone, and basketry, often re-creating traditional practices that had been lost with the arrival of white colonizers. He was an avid hunter, fisherman, artist, reader, and storyteller.
With permission from his employer, the U.S. National Park Service, Dale’s family wanted to share the following quote in which he describes his connection to the land and Yurok peoples: “Our Yurok homeland is right in the middle of Redwood National Park … I have learned so much from all the experts that help manage this resource like fire, fish, plants, and bugs just to name a few. I have used this information in lots of settings. I have taught lots of people, including many school classrooms full of children, what our world looked like before non-Yuroks showed up here. That was something I wished I could have learned in school but there was no one that knew any of it. My Yurok great-grandparents knew but they would not tell because they said it was bad to be Indian and there would be no one left to talk to about this stuff. Now I'm the old person and I want to tell everyone about our world; how it was a garden of Eden, fountain of youth, and paradise all rolled into one. This gives people something to shoot for. To know what it was like so we can fix it and bring our world back into balance and run it in a diverse manner.” Dale Webster, November 2021 for Redwood National and State Park Services.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Maragaret McCovey Webster, and is survived by his two sons Walter Lee Webster (Malia) and Wyatt Harry Webster, daughter Emma Kidwell of Idaho , father Jerry Webster (Sandy), siblings Carol Nova (Steve) and family, Lloyd Webster (Sherry) and family, and Roy Webster (Nancy) and family.
Last Ride will be held on Saturday, August 3rd 2024, leaving the mouth of the Klamath River at 10:00am.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, August 4th 2024 at the Yurok Community Center in Klamath from 1:00-4:00 pm. All are welcome; snacks and refreshments will be provided.
If you have photos and/or stories to share (or questions), please reach out to Walter at thewebsterohana@gmail.com.