Vincent Armenta

The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians is criticizing an official in Santa Barbara County, California, who questioned the nature of tribal sovereignty.

At a public meeting on Tuesday, supervisor Peter Adam called for a re-examination of the "reservation system" in the U.S. “I think it’s inadvisable to have sovereign inholdings in the middle of our nation,” he said, according to video from the meeting.

The comments came as the county discussed its 2015 legislative platform. The document includes a section on land use -- the Chumash Tribe's land-into-trust application has been a major source of controversy in the community.

“This type of ignorant comment shows what our tribe is up against when we try to work with the County of Santa Barbara, and it shows why these officials refuse to recognize our tribe as a government,” Chumash Chairman Vincent Armenta said in response. “I’m very disappointed not only in Supervisor Adam’s remarks, but by the silence of the majority of this board when these outrageous statements were made.”

Supervisor Salud Carbajal was the only official who spoke out against the comments made by Adam. "To re-examine the existence of reservations and sovereign governments in our nation … is appalling to me," he said, The Santa Maria Sun reported.

Native Americans make up just 1.3 percent of the county population and the Chumash are the only federally-recognized tribe in the county. Yet officials spend a significant amount of time and resources on tribal issues.

Get the Story:
Chumash Tribe Blasts Santa Barbara Supervisor on Sovereignty Comments (KEYT 1/15)
Santa Barbara County supervisors pass a legislative platform, bicker over its nuances (The Santa Maria Sun 1/13)

Related Stories:
Chumash Tribe welcomes approval of land-into-trust application (1/8)
Editorial: County and critics must stop fighting Chumash Tribe (11/20)
Judge dismisses lawsuit against chairman of Chumash Tribe (11/13)
County to dispute Chumash Tribe's land-into-trust application (11/6)
Chumash Tribe praises BIA movement on land-into-trust bid (10/22)
IBIA dismisses challenge to Chumash Tribe land-into-trust bid (06/09)
Column: Chumash Tribe land-into-trust bill stirs up opposition (05/12)
Rep. Capps opposes Chumash Tribe's land-into-trust measure (03/14)
Opinion: Chumash Tribe too wealthy to follow land-into-trust (02/03)
IBIA dismisses challenges to Chumash Tribe land consolidation (11/05)
Opinion: Far-away lawmaker introduces bill for Chumash Tribe (10/31)
Bill introduced to place 1,400 acres in trust for Chumash Tribe (10/29)
Vincent Armenta: Chumash Tribe strives to be good neighbor (10/24)