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California Supports Winnemem Wintu Tribe: Senate passes Joint Resolution
The California Senate on Wednesday passed a Joint Resolution urging the federal government to restore federal recognition status to the Winnemem Wintu Tribe. The resolution, authored by Assembly Member Huffman, passed with 24 votes. The Tribe has played a big leadership role in the battle to restore the California Delta and Central Valley rivers and stop the raising of Shasta Dam.
Wednesday, August 13th
Mark Franco, Winnemem Wintu Tribe, (530) 510-0944
Debbie Davis, Environmental Justice Coalition for Water (916) 743-4406
California Supports Winnemem Wintu Tribe:
Senate passes Joint Resolution urging restoration of federal recognition status
Sacramento, CA – The Winnemem Wintu Tribe drew one step closer to righting years of historic wrongs today. The Senate passed a Joint Resolution urging the federal government to restore federal recognition status to the Winnemem Wintu Tribe. The resolution, authored by Assembly Member Huffman, passed with 24 votes.
"California has sent a clear message today: our state stands in solidarity with the Winnemem Wintu Tribe to correct a terrible injustice by the federal government," said Assemblymember Jared Huffman. "It's now time for the federal government to acknowledge its mistake and once again recognize the Tribe."
The Winnemem were mysteriously dropped from the list of federally recognized Tribes in the 1980's. For years, the Winnemem received benefits from the federal government, such as housing and educational assistance. They abruptly stopped receiving benefits, ending access to local healthcare, housing assistance, and cutting families off from scholarships they had only years before used to pursue college degrees. To this day, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has failed to provide an adequate explanation for what happened.
"This resolution is long-overdue. For years, we have struggled to maintain our traditions on our own," explained Caleen Sisk-Franco, leader of the Winnemem. "Recognition would enable us to maintain our spiritual lifeways, get our youth scholarships and healthcare. To have the State of California declare their support for us sends a message that we are no longer alone on this issue."
The Winnemem are a traditional, non-gaming Tribe from Northern California. They have been unable to get a clear answer as to why the federal government stopped recognizing the Tribe, and the resolution will aid the Tribe in rectifying the historic injustice. The Winnemem Wintu, together with and the Natural Resource Defense Council and the Environmental Justice Coalition for Water, introduced AJR 39 in 2007. The Resolution documents the state of California's long history with the Winnemem Wintu and urges the Federal government to fix an incomprehensible mistake that has drastically impacted the Tribe.
State agencies and many other organizations maintain relationships with the Tribe, but recognition can only be granted by the federal government. The Native American Heritage Commission lists the Winnemem as a California Tribe. Agencies such as the California Department of Fish and Game hold Memorandums of Understanding with the Tribe. Even federal agencies maintain a relationship with the Winnemem; the Tribe has legal agreements with the U.S. Forest Service, and their leaders receives religious protections and rights only guaranteed to Tribes under the American Indian Religious Freedom Act.
"We will be taking this resolution to Washington D.C. We hope it will be impetus for our Congressional representatives to help us," said Mark Franco, headman of the Winnemem. "Recognition impacts our very survival as a people. California is in danger of losing a part of its cultural heritage if we do not act on this now."
The resolution comes at a particularly important time for the Winnemem. The US Bureau of Reclamation is investigating the possibility of increasing the size of the Shasta Dam, which would flood the Winnemem's few remaining sacred sites and ancestral lands. Recognition would force the Bureau to negotiate directly with the Tribe throughout this process.
The vote today signaled the growing support for the Tribe and the overwhelming need to address this long-standing inequity. The resolution will now be memorialized in federal Congress as a permanent statement on the California Legislature's support for the Winnemem Wintu Tribe.
###
Mark Franco, Winnemem Wintu Tribe, (530) 510-0944
Debbie Davis, Environmental Justice Coalition for Water (916) 743-4406
California Supports Winnemem Wintu Tribe:
Senate passes Joint Resolution urging restoration of federal recognition status
Sacramento, CA – The Winnemem Wintu Tribe drew one step closer to righting years of historic wrongs today. The Senate passed a Joint Resolution urging the federal government to restore federal recognition status to the Winnemem Wintu Tribe. The resolution, authored by Assembly Member Huffman, passed with 24 votes.
"California has sent a clear message today: our state stands in solidarity with the Winnemem Wintu Tribe to correct a terrible injustice by the federal government," said Assemblymember Jared Huffman. "It's now time for the federal government to acknowledge its mistake and once again recognize the Tribe."
The Winnemem were mysteriously dropped from the list of federally recognized Tribes in the 1980's. For years, the Winnemem received benefits from the federal government, such as housing and educational assistance. They abruptly stopped receiving benefits, ending access to local healthcare, housing assistance, and cutting families off from scholarships they had only years before used to pursue college degrees. To this day, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has failed to provide an adequate explanation for what happened.
"This resolution is long-overdue. For years, we have struggled to maintain our traditions on our own," explained Caleen Sisk-Franco, leader of the Winnemem. "Recognition would enable us to maintain our spiritual lifeways, get our youth scholarships and healthcare. To have the State of California declare their support for us sends a message that we are no longer alone on this issue."
The Winnemem are a traditional, non-gaming Tribe from Northern California. They have been unable to get a clear answer as to why the federal government stopped recognizing the Tribe, and the resolution will aid the Tribe in rectifying the historic injustice. The Winnemem Wintu, together with and the Natural Resource Defense Council and the Environmental Justice Coalition for Water, introduced AJR 39 in 2007. The Resolution documents the state of California's long history with the Winnemem Wintu and urges the Federal government to fix an incomprehensible mistake that has drastically impacted the Tribe.
State agencies and many other organizations maintain relationships with the Tribe, but recognition can only be granted by the federal government. The Native American Heritage Commission lists the Winnemem as a California Tribe. Agencies such as the California Department of Fish and Game hold Memorandums of Understanding with the Tribe. Even federal agencies maintain a relationship with the Winnemem; the Tribe has legal agreements with the U.S. Forest Service, and their leaders receives religious protections and rights only guaranteed to Tribes under the American Indian Religious Freedom Act.
"We will be taking this resolution to Washington D.C. We hope it will be impetus for our Congressional representatives to help us," said Mark Franco, headman of the Winnemem. "Recognition impacts our very survival as a people. California is in danger of losing a part of its cultural heritage if we do not act on this now."
The resolution comes at a particularly important time for the Winnemem. The US Bureau of Reclamation is investigating the possibility of increasing the size of the Shasta Dam, which would flood the Winnemem's few remaining sacred sites and ancestral lands. Recognition would force the Bureau to negotiate directly with the Tribe throughout this process.
The vote today signaled the growing support for the Tribe and the overwhelming need to address this long-standing inequity. The resolution will now be memorialized in federal Congress as a permanent statement on the California Legislature's support for the Winnemem Wintu Tribe.
###
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First of all, they were ALL "traditional non-gaming(sic) tribe(s)". That has no bearing on any future plans for gambling.
Second, if a group needs the federal government in order to maintain its culture it has a pretty frail basis for claiming a separate culture in the first place. ( Jews, for instance, through thousands of years of persecution the world over, have maintained their culture without federal recognition).
Restoring a family group, based on ancestry, to a perpetual state of welfare dependence is an affront to all that America stands for. When newly arrived impoverished immigrants soar past Indians in terms of education, standard of living, and quality of life overall it is because they have access to all the opportunities this country affords everyone-until they choose to become wards of the state which is what federal recognition does. It kills personal responsibility and replaces it with the dependence on government for every want and need. That is not America.
This group and its lobbyists can continue to waste time and money in pursuit of federal welfare, or they can stand up for themselves and renounce the special interest groups "helping" them in this endeavor. Twenty years from now if they take the latter route they will be better off, physically, mentally and economically.
Socialism has failed the world over and it will only perpetuate this family's status as impoverished. I urge these people to embrace capitalism, embrace the American tradition of local and state government (rather than federal) and thank God they live in a country where they don't need permission to practice any culture they want.
Shame on the local government for urging these people down this path to nowhere.
Second, if a group needs the federal government in order to maintain its culture it has a pretty frail basis for claiming a separate culture in the first place. ( Jews, for instance, through thousands of years of persecution the world over, have maintained their culture without federal recognition).
Restoring a family group, based on ancestry, to a perpetual state of welfare dependence is an affront to all that America stands for. When newly arrived impoverished immigrants soar past Indians in terms of education, standard of living, and quality of life overall it is because they have access to all the opportunities this country affords everyone-until they choose to become wards of the state which is what federal recognition does. It kills personal responsibility and replaces it with the dependence on government for every want and need. That is not America.
This group and its lobbyists can continue to waste time and money in pursuit of federal welfare, or they can stand up for themselves and renounce the special interest groups "helping" them in this endeavor. Twenty years from now if they take the latter route they will be better off, physically, mentally and economically.
Socialism has failed the world over and it will only perpetuate this family's status as impoverished. I urge these people to embrace capitalism, embrace the American tradition of local and state government (rather than federal) and thank God they live in a country where they don't need permission to practice any culture they want.
Shame on the local government for urging these people down this path to nowhere.
Winnemem Wintu Tribe deserves much more support for their leadership in environmental restoration.
Capitalism as it is in America is bogus. It depends on the ruthless exploitation of people and resources worldwide for the egotistical consumerism of the few. Americans waste the largest proportion of the world's energy. Over a million died in Iraq because ego-exploiting car and oil companies wanted to sell giant energy wasting cars, SUVs, pickup trucks, vans, etc.. General Motors, Ford, Toyota, Shell, Exxon, BP, etc.) This is criminally exploitative and wasteful engineering on a massive scale. Now SUVs sales and resale values are dropping. I and many others have stopped trusting the auto industry over eight years ago and have shed those expenses and hassles from my life. Puppets of the ego-manipulation industry, free yourselves.
http://EcoCityBuilders.org ... http://CarFree.com ... http://FreePublicTransit.org
Gangster Capitalism: millions of foreclosures, collapsing banks, government bailouts for Bear Stearns, banks, and many more Wall Street and financial industry criminals.
http://LifeAfterTheOilCrash.net
http://LifeAfterTheOilCrash.net/BreakingNews.html
The Real Deal on Tapeworm Economics: http://www.solari.com/realdeal.htm
The ways of the pre-industrial earth-based cultures are much more sustainable. It's industrial capitalism that has created the biggest crisis we face in human history, and it effects humans and virtually all species: Global Warming, catastrophic climate change, rising of the oceans, dying of the forests, collapse of the food supply, overpopulation, gross over-consumption, etc.
Michael Moore points out that Medicare and Medicaid are both 'socialist' programs, and are largely successful and necessary. http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/
A government by and for the people... and for the health of the earth and all species, which is the fundamental basis of our health and sustenance.
Capitalism as it is in America is bogus. It depends on the ruthless exploitation of people and resources worldwide for the egotistical consumerism of the few. Americans waste the largest proportion of the world's energy. Over a million died in Iraq because ego-exploiting car and oil companies wanted to sell giant energy wasting cars, SUVs, pickup trucks, vans, etc.. General Motors, Ford, Toyota, Shell, Exxon, BP, etc.) This is criminally exploitative and wasteful engineering on a massive scale. Now SUVs sales and resale values are dropping. I and many others have stopped trusting the auto industry over eight years ago and have shed those expenses and hassles from my life. Puppets of the ego-manipulation industry, free yourselves.
http://EcoCityBuilders.org ... http://CarFree.com ... http://FreePublicTransit.org
Gangster Capitalism: millions of foreclosures, collapsing banks, government bailouts for Bear Stearns, banks, and many more Wall Street and financial industry criminals.
http://LifeAfterTheOilCrash.net
http://LifeAfterTheOilCrash.net/BreakingNews.html
The Real Deal on Tapeworm Economics: http://www.solari.com/realdeal.htm
The ways of the pre-industrial earth-based cultures are much more sustainable. It's industrial capitalism that has created the biggest crisis we face in human history, and it effects humans and virtually all species: Global Warming, catastrophic climate change, rising of the oceans, dying of the forests, collapse of the food supply, overpopulation, gross over-consumption, etc.
Michael Moore points out that Medicare and Medicaid are both 'socialist' programs, and are largely successful and necessary. http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/
A government by and for the people... and for the health of the earth and all species, which is the fundamental basis of our health and sustenance.
Dear Betty Perkowski:
With all due respect, you live in a bubble! Before you post such a rant, why don’t you learn what federal recognition means? You and I, the beneficiaries of discrimination, must learn to listen to those who were not born into an undeserved place of privilege.
-Konrad
With all due respect, you live in a bubble! Before you post such a rant, why don’t you learn what federal recognition means? You and I, the beneficiaries of discrimination, must learn to listen to those who were not born into an undeserved place of privilege.
-Konrad
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