Barbara Boxer: “I am delighted today to introduce legislation to restore federal recognition to the Graton Rancheria, which is composed…”

“I am delighted today to introduce legislation to restore federal recognition to the Graton Rancheria, which is composed of Coastal Miwok and Southern Pomo tribal members. This bill is identical to legislation that has been introduced in the House of Representatives by Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey. It is my great pleasure to carry this legislation in the Senate and to correct an injustice committed against these original inhabitants of the region some 34 years ago. The Coastal Miwok and Southern Pomo Indians flourished in Marin and southern Sonoma counties for many hundreds of years. At the time of European settlement, there were as many as 5,000 of these tribal members. By the end of the 19th Century, however, disease and enforced labor had killed off most of them. And the federal government formally terminated the tribe's identity in 1966 under the California Rancheria Act, after concluding, incorrectly, that virtually all of the members were deceased. The descendants of 12 Graton Rancheria survivors now number over 300, and they refer to themselves as the ``Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria''--after the town in southern Sonoma County where an acre-sized piece of their original reservation is still owned by a Miwok descendant. This legislation not only restores dignity and a sense of identity to the Graton Rancheria, it will restore all federal rights and privileges to the tribal members including health, education, and housing services.”