Skip to main content
Loading…
This section is included in your selections.

The Yurok Tribal Council finds and declares that:

(a) It is of paramount importance to encourage the preparation of wills or other estate plans for the transfer of property upon death, to carry out the intent of the decedent, and to provide a speedy, efficient and user-friendly system for the administration of all aspects of decedent estates, including all types of real and personal property;

(b) It is important to provide the opportunity to prepare for catastrophic and end-of-life events by creating health care directives and durable powers of attorney;

(c) Preservation of the land base of the Tribe is critical to the vitality of the sovereignty, environment, and economy of the Tribe;

(d) It is important to encourage and consolidate Tribal and Tribal members’ ownership of Yurok Reservation lands;

(e) It is important to prevent the transfer of land out of Tribal ownership and control;

(f) Due to the federal allotment policy that began in the late nineteenth century and subsequent transfers of allotted lands, a significant portion of the Yurok Reservation is fractionated or owned by nonmembers;

(g) The transfer or devise of interests in Yurok Reservation trust or restricted land upon the death of any individual owner could lead to further fractionation or nonmember ownership of Yurok Reservation land; and

(h) By amending the Yurok Trust Property Probate Ordinance to cover all types of real estate and personal property, including trust and restricted land and trust personalty, the Tribe intends to foster a uniform system to facilitate the probate process in a cost-efficient manner and to maintain and enhance its self-sufficiency, self-determination, and sovereignty. [Ord. 52 § 9002, amended, 4/27/2023; Ord. 50A § 9002, amended, 6/22/2017.]