Resolution backs Winnemem Wintu Tribe recognition

Wednesday, August 29, 2007  

A California Assemblyman has introduced a resolution to support federal recognition for the Winnemem Wintu Tribe.

The tribe signed a treaty with the United States in 1851 but it was never ratified. President Grover Cleveland issued allotments to tribal members in 1893. When the Shasta Dam was created, the Interior Department was required to hold a tribal cemetery in trust but the tribe says that never happened.

Along the way, the tribe was never placed on the list of federally recognized entities. So after years of believing they were legitimate, tribal members lost health, education, social and other services in the 1980s.

“We’re kind of the red-headed stepchildren,” tribal leaders Mark Franco told The Redding Record-Searchlight. “You’re kind of waiting in line while everybody else eats.”

Get the Story:
Winnemem tribe’s troubles reach congressional ears (The Redding Record-Searchlight 8/29)

Relevant Links:
Winnemum Wintu Tribe - http://www.winnememwintu.us

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