Ione leader disputes NIGC on status of rancheria

Friday, July 15, 2005  

The leader of a faction of a California tribe is accusing the National Indian Gaming Commission of allowing another tribe to open a casino on its land.

Nicolas Villa Jr., who claims to be the hereditary chief of the Ione Band of Miwok Indians, challenged the NIGC's recent letter in favor of the Buena Vista Band of Me-Wuk Indians. The agency, on June 30, issued a memo [Link] that said the Buena Vista Band can engage in gaming on its rancheria.

But Villa said the land actually belongs to the Ione Band. He said the Buena Vista Band has no "historical, cultural, or political ties" to the land and that the Buena Vista Band is an illegitimate tribe in a letter to NIGC Chairman Phil Hogen.

Villa is not recognized as the official leader of the Ione Band, which is federally recognized. He is fighting the chairman of the tribe over a potential casino, which he says the traditional Iones do not want. Villa has blasted other tribes for seeking off-reservation casinos.