Native American tribes in Northern California are rallying against a bill in Congress that would restore land to another tribal group whose rights were terminated by the federal government decades ago.
The Ruffey Rancheria was once based in Siskiyou County on the California-Oregon border. In California, rancherias act like reservations in that they are lands designated to one or more Native American tribes. Congress dissolved the rancherias in the 1950s. It restored many of them in the 1980s following a lawsuit, except for the rancheria once headed by “Old Man Ruffey” near the town of Etna.
The Ruffey Rancheria has been a point of conflict between local tribes. This week on JPR’s talk show The Jefferson Exchange, two Karuk Tribe representatives — consultant Craig Tucker and executive director Josh Saxon — questioned the legitimacy of the rancheria and its members’ Native American lineage.
The Karuk also questioned the location of the rancheria. Its former 441-acre property is now privately owned. The bill that would restore the Ruffey Rancheria — sponsored by Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) — says only that the new rancheria will be somewhere in Siskiyou County. It doesn’t specify a location in the county, nor does it say it needs to be a congruous plot.
“So they could have 10 acres here, 10 acres there, an acre on [Interstate 5] and put a casino on it,” Tucker said. “It's this thing that's just really strange, the way it's written. It’s unprecedented.”
If the rancheria’s federal recognition is granted, its members stand to gain water, hunting, fishing and other resource rights from their land. They could also build a casino within five miles of its location and reap most of its proceeds. The Karuk Tribe own and operate a casino off the I-5 freeway in Yreka.
Ruffey Rancheria chairman Tahj Gomes wouldn’t say where its members plan to set up a rancheria, how that decision will be made, or whether it would be a contiguous plot. The bill doesn’t specify these details, either.
Rep. LaMalfa has historically positioned himself against Native American environmental initiatives. Karuk representative Craig Tucker said LaMalfa never contacted the Karuk Tribe members about the Ruffey Rancheria bill. Instead, they read about it in a newspaper. LaMalfa didn’t respond to a request for comment.
LaMalfa’s bill now heads to the House of Representatives. If it successfully makes the rounds through Congress, there’s a chance Siskiyou County will have two competing tribal casinos.
CORRECTION: The headline of this story has been changed to reflect that the Ruffey Rancheria is a tribe that was terminated by the federal government and is seeking to have its status restored. Also, the photo credit was corrcted to www.ruffeyrancheria.org.
