Graton Rancheria
Encyclopedia
The Graton Rancheria was a 15.45 acres (62,524 m²) property in the coastal hills of northern California, about two miles (3 km) northwest of Sebastopol
. Its current address is 10091 Occidental Road, Sebastopol, California. The site is about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southwest of the hamlet of Graton
, population 1,815 in 2000. The area is a few miles west of Santa Rosa
, the largest of Sonoma County
's nine cities and the County seat, population 147,595 in 2000. Is was a former rancheria
for Central Coast and Central valley tribes, including the Southern Pomo, a Hokan
-speaking tribe, and Coast Miwok
.
and ranchería
s in California, which were purchased lands for area Indians. A ranchería, the Spanish term for Indian village, is a small plot of land reserved for area Native Americans, usually only large enough for residences and gardens.
Bureau of Indian Affairs
inspector John J. Terrell tried to secure coastal lands for the Coast Miwok but found the costs prohibitively expensive. He then purchased lands inland for the "homeless and landless Indians of the Marshall, Bodega, Tomales, and Sebastopol areas."
75 Native Americans tried to move onto the lands in 1920; however, they discovered only three acres of the rancheria were habitable.
Prior to 1921, the hilly and heavily timbered 15.45 acres (62,524 m²) property, consisting of 3 small tracts, was the private property of Joseph and Louisa Corda. This land was put into federal trust; however, it proved inadequate for settlement, due to an inadequate water supply and steep terrain that afforded little space for building houses. The rancheria was located far from available jobs.
, that is, unilaterially ended federal trust relationship with the Native groups in order to facilitate assimilation
into mainstream society. The Graton Ranchería was terminated by the US in 1958.
After termination, Frank Truvido retrained an acre of the former ranchería. He had to sell other land to pay taxes. After Truvido's death, his land and house went to his daughter.
Greg Sarris
, Chairman of the modern Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, speaking to Congress on May 16, 2000, said:
The Point Reyes Light
quoted Sarris, saying "Congress...dissolved federal recognition of the tribe in 1958 after deciding wrongly that all the Rancheria’s members were dead."
, formerly the Federated Coast Miwok, takes its name from the Graton Rancheria. The federally recognized tribe of Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo Indians re-established its status in 2000.
FIGR Chairman Greg Sarris testified before the House Resource Committee that "15.45 acres were purchased in Graton for our members. Seventy-five members moved on in 1920."
On April 18, 2008, the tribe was able to acquire 254 acres (1 km²) of land.
Sebastopol, California
Sebastopol is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, approximately north of San Francisco. The population was 7,379 at the 2010 census, but its businesses also serve surrounding rural portions of Sonoma County, totaling about 50,000 people...
. Its current address is 10091 Occidental Road, Sebastopol, California. The site is about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southwest of the hamlet of Graton
Graton, California
Graton is an unincorporated town and census-designated place in west Sonoma County, California, United States. The population was 1,707 at the 2010 census. Graton's ZIP code is 95444.-Geography:...
, population 1,815 in 2000. The area is a few miles west of Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
, the largest of Sonoma County
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....
's nine cities and the County seat, population 147,595 in 2000. Is was a former rancheria
Ranchería
The Spanish word ranchería, or rancherío, refers to a small, rural settlement. In the Americas the term was applied to native villages and to the workers' quarters of a ranch. English adopted the term with both these meanings, usually to designate the residential area of a rancho in the American...
for Central Coast and Central valley tribes, including the Southern Pomo, a Hokan
Hokan languages
The Hokan language family is a hypothetical grouping of a dozen small language families spoken in California, Arizona and Mexico. In nearly a century since Edward Sapir first proposed the "Hokan" hypothesis, little additional evidence has been found that these families were related to each other...
-speaking tribe, and Coast Miwok
Coast Miwok
The Coast Miwok were the second largest group of Miwok Native American people. The Coast Miwok inhabited the general area of modern Marin County and southern Sonoma County in Northern California, from the Golden Gate north to Duncans Point and eastward to Sonoma Creek...
.
History
Due to the influx of non-Native settlers in California beginning in the mid-19th century, many California Indians were displaced from their traditional homelands. Several California tribes signed treaties with the United States in 1851 which promised lands to the tribes; however these treaties were never ratified and many California tribes were left completely landless. In 1901, the United States Congress passed several laws, known as the Homeless Indian Acts. These paved the way for the establishment of Indian coloniesIndian colony
An Indian Colony is a Native American settlement associated with an urban area. Although some of them become official Indian reservations, they differ from most reservations in that they are located where Native Americans could find employment in mainstream American economy...
and ranchería
Ranchería
The Spanish word ranchería, or rancherío, refers to a small, rural settlement. In the Americas the term was applied to native villages and to the workers' quarters of a ranch. English adopted the term with both these meanings, usually to designate the residential area of a rancho in the American...
s in California, which were purchased lands for area Indians. A ranchería, the Spanish term for Indian village, is a small plot of land reserved for area Native Americans, usually only large enough for residences and gardens.
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the US Department of the Interior. It is responsible for the administration and management of of land held in trust by the United States for Native Americans in the United States, Native American...
inspector John J. Terrell tried to secure coastal lands for the Coast Miwok but found the costs prohibitively expensive. He then purchased lands inland for the "homeless and landless Indians of the Marshall, Bodega, Tomales, and Sebastopol areas."
75 Native Americans tried to move onto the lands in 1920; however, they discovered only three acres of the rancheria were habitable.
Prior to 1921, the hilly and heavily timbered 15.45 acres (62,524 m²) property, consisting of 3 small tracts, was the private property of Joseph and Louisa Corda. This land was put into federal trust; however, it proved inadequate for settlement, due to an inadequate water supply and steep terrain that afforded little space for building houses. The rancheria was located far from available jobs.
Termination
By 1954, the Eisenhower administration identified forty-four California Indian tribes or rancherias for terminationIndian termination policy
Indian termination was the policy of the United States from the mid-1940s to the mid-1960s. The belief was that Native Americans would be better off if assimilated as individuals into mainstream American society. To that end, Congress proposed to end the special relationship between tribes and the...
, that is, unilaterially ended federal trust relationship with the Native groups in order to facilitate assimilation
Americanization (of Native Americans)
The Americanization of Native Americans was an assimilation effort by the United States to transform Native American culture to European-American culture between the years of 1790–1920. George Washington and Henry Knox were first to propose, in an American context, the cultural transformation of...
into mainstream society. The Graton Ranchería was terminated by the US in 1958.
After termination, Frank Truvido retrained an acre of the former ranchería. He had to sell other land to pay taxes. After Truvido's death, his land and house went to his daughter.
Greg Sarris
Greg Sarris
Gregory Michael Sarris is a college professor, author, screenwriter, and a member and current Chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. He was chosen in 2005 to fill the Endowed Chair in Native American Studies at Sonoma State University...
, Chairman of the modern Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, speaking to Congress on May 16, 2000, said:
- "In 1958 when they came by and did a census at the height of the harvest season, when no one was around, they found three families and with the Rancheria Termination Act, offered those three families or three designees, the right to buy the land, and, in essence, terminate the rancheria as trust land.... (and) without the vote or the consensus of the rest of the members."
The Point Reyes Light
The Point Reyes Light
The Point Reyes Light is a weekly newspaper published since 1948 in western Marin County, California. The Light gained national attention in 1979 due to its reporting on a cult, Synanon, and the Pulitzer Prize awarded to the paper for this coverage...
quoted Sarris, saying "Congress...dissolved federal recognition of the tribe in 1958 after deciding wrongly that all the Rancheria’s members were dead."
The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria
The Federated Indians of Graton RancheriaFederated Indians of Graton Rancheria
The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, formerly known as the Federated Coast Miwok, is a federally recognized American Indian tribe of Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo Indians. The tribe was officially restored to federal recognition by the U.S. government pursuant to the Graton Rancheria...
, formerly the Federated Coast Miwok, takes its name from the Graton Rancheria. The federally recognized tribe of Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo Indians re-established its status in 2000.
FIGR Chairman Greg Sarris testified before the House Resource Committee that "15.45 acres were purchased in Graton for our members. Seventy-five members moved on in 1920."
On April 18, 2008, the tribe was able to acquire 254 acres (1 km²) of land.
External links
See also
- Federal landsFederal landsFederal lands are lands in the United States for which ownership is claimed by the U.S. federal government.-Primary federal land holders:*Bureau of Land Management*United States Forest Service*United States Fish and Wildlife Service*National Park Service...
- RancheríaRancheríaThe Spanish word ranchería, or rancherío, refers to a small, rural settlement. In the Americas the term was applied to native villages and to the workers' quarters of a ranch. English adopted the term with both these meanings, usually to designate the residential area of a rancho in the American...