By STEVE LAWRENCE (NOT ELSU!)Associated Press Writer
Jun 8th, 2009 | SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A small band of Indians whose ancestors settled in Northern California thousands of years ago is an official tribe again, a half century after Washington took away the group's federal recognition.
U.S. District Court Judge Jeremy Fogel on Monday announced his approval of a settlement that restores federal recognition to the Wilton Rancheria, one of 41 California tribes that lost official status as a result of federal legislation passed in 1958.
"This has been a long, drawn-out journey, but another one begins," said Mary Tarango, co-chair of the Wilton Miwok Indian Community, one of two groups of Native Americans that filed lawsuits in 2007 seeking to restore federal recognition.
The settlement acknowledges that the federal government's actions were illegal in dropping the rancheria's tribal status. It clears the way for Tarango's group and one headed by Henry Sangmaster, the Me-Wuk Indian Community of Wilton Rancheria, to form a tribal government and write a constitution.
"This is a time of joy and satisfaction for our people," Sangmaster said in a statement. "It is an incredible feeling to know that our tribe is now officially unified and federally recognized."
The nearly 40-acre rancheria, about 24 miles southeast of Sacramento, was broken up in 1959 and its land split among 13 tribal families. Tarango said about a half dozen families still live there.
She said federal recognition would allow the rancheria's approximately 600 members to qualify for federal benefits available to other tribes, including college grants and health care.
"It makes a big difference for us," Tarango said. "We are back in the position where we are a sovereign nation."
She said the Miwoks were focused on setting up their tribal government and working with the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs to confirm tribal membership, not on building a casino.
"There are quite a few recognized tribes that aren't in a gaming situation, and they've been able to do very well," she said. "There's much more we need to focus on without even thinking about being out there with the big dogs, so to speak."
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