Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake
Encyclopedia
The Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake is a federally recognized tribe of Pomo
Indians in Lake County
, California
. The tribe's reservation, the Upper Lake Rancheria, is 119 acre (0.48157634 km²) large and located near the town of Upper Lake
in northwestern California
.
. The Habematolel Pomo, were some of the estimated 350 Northern Pomo. The Habematolel Pomo belong to the Northern and Eastern Pomo language
groups, both of which are considered today to be extinct.
Known for their extensive trade networks, the Habematolel Pomo traded magnesite
and obsidian
with the Coast Miwok
s for a variety of shells. Pomo are known for their woven baskets and elaborate feather headdresses.
The Bloody Island Massacre
or Bonopoti occurred in 1850, on "Old Island", at the north end of Clear Lake. The 1st Dragoons US Cavalry slaughtered almost 200 Pomos, mostly women and children of the Clear Lake Pomo and neighboring tribes.
In 1856, the Lake County Pomo were rounded up by the US military and forced to relocate onto the Nome
Cult Indian Farm in Round Valley in northern Mendocino County
. This later became the Round Valley Indian Reservation.
Faced with the onslaught on non-Indian settlers in their homelands, four Pomo groups, the Danoxa, Kaiyo-Matuku, Xowalek, and Yobotui, pooled their resources and purchased 90 acres (364,217.4 m²) of land in 1878 at Xabematolel. This community was called Habematolel in Upper Lake. In 1907, the US federal government created the Upper Lake Rancheria for the tribe on adjacent land. The reservation grew to be 564 acres (2.3 km²).
As part of its Termination and Relocation Policy in the interest of assimilating Natives into mainstream society, the US government passed the California Rancheria Act of 1953. This law enabled the US to terminate relationships with the Habematolel Pomo and break up the lands of the Upper Lake Rancheria into individual allotments.
The tribe responded with a lawsuit, Upper Lake Pomo Association v. James Watt, in 1975 saying that termination was an illegal policy. In 1980 the Bureau of Indian Affairs
oversaw an election of a tribal council, who began drafting a new tribal constitution and bylaws. In 1983 the tribe won its federal court case and tribal recognition was restored in 1998, when a new council was elected. The current constitution was ratified in 2004.
The Habematolel Pomo are governed by an elected, seven-member tribal council. As of early 2009, they are:
Pomo people
The Pomo people are an indigenous peoples of California. The historic Pomo territory in northern California was large, bordered by the Pacific Coast to the west, extending inland to Clear Lake, and mainly between Cleone and Duncans Point...
Indians in Lake County
Lake County, California
Lake County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of California, north of the San Francisco Bay Area. It takes its name from Clear Lake, the dominant geographic feature in the county and the largest natural lake wholly within California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The tribe's reservation, the Upper Lake Rancheria, is 119 acre (0.48157634 km²) large and located near the town of Upper Lake
Upper Lake, California
Upper Lake is a census-designated place in Lake County, California, United States. Upper Lake is located north of Lakeport, at an elevation of 1345 feet . The population was 1,052 at the 2010 census, up from 989 at the 2000 census...
in northwestern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
History
The Habematolel Pomo are indigenous to California's Clear Lake Basin. Artifacts made by early Native Americans in the Clear Lake Basin have been carbon-dated to 8,000 years ago, although tribal occupation probably extends back further in time. By 6,000 years ago the entire lake was used by tribes evenly settled around the lake shore. By 1800, Pomo population in California was an estimated to be 10,000-18,000 people, belonging to 70 different Pomo tribes and speaking seven different Pomo languagesPomoan languages
Pomoan is a family of endangered languages spoken in northern California by the Pomo people on the Pacific Coast. According to the 2000 census, there are 255 speakers of the languages...
. The Habematolel Pomo, were some of the estimated 350 Northern Pomo. The Habematolel Pomo belong to the Northern and Eastern Pomo language
Eastern Pomo language
Eastern Pomo is a moribund Pomoan language, spoken around Clear Lake in Lake County, California by one of the several Pomo peoples. It is not mutually intelligible with the other Pomoan languages...
groups, both of which are considered today to be extinct.
Known for their extensive trade networks, the Habematolel Pomo traded magnesite
Magnesite
Magnesite is magnesium carbonate, MgCO3. Iron substitutes for magnesium with a complete solution series with siderite, FeCO3. Calcium, manganese, cobalt, and nickel may also occur in small amounts...
and obsidian
Obsidian
Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock.It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth...
with the 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...
s for a variety of shells. Pomo are known for their woven baskets and elaborate feather headdresses.
The Bloody Island Massacre
Bloody Island Massacre
The Bloody Island Massacre occurred on an island called in the Pomo language, Bo-no-po-ti or Badon-napo-ti , at the north end of Clear Lake, Lake County, California on May 15, 1850. It was a place where the Pomo had traditionally gathered for ceremonies...
or Bonopoti occurred in 1850, on "Old Island", at the north end of Clear Lake. The 1st Dragoons US Cavalry slaughtered almost 200 Pomos, mostly women and children of the Clear Lake Pomo and neighboring tribes.
In 1856, the Lake County Pomo were rounded up by the US military and forced to relocate onto the Nome
Cult Indian Farm in Round Valley in northern Mendocino County
Mendocino County, California
Mendocino County is a county located on the north coast of the U.S. state of California, north of the greater San Francisco Bay Area and west of the Central Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 87,841, up from 86,265 at the 2000 census...
. This later became the Round Valley Indian Reservation.
Faced with the onslaught on non-Indian settlers in their homelands, four Pomo groups, the Danoxa, Kaiyo-Matuku, Xowalek, and Yobotui, pooled their resources and purchased 90 acres (364,217.4 m²) of land in 1878 at Xabematolel. This community was called Habematolel in Upper Lake. In 1907, the US federal government created the Upper Lake Rancheria for the tribe on adjacent land. The reservation grew to be 564 acres (2.3 km²).
As part of its Termination and Relocation Policy in the interest of assimilating Natives into mainstream society, the US government passed the California Rancheria Act of 1953. This law enabled the US to terminate relationships with the Habematolel Pomo and break up the lands of the Upper Lake Rancheria into individual allotments.
The tribe responded with a lawsuit, Upper Lake Pomo Association v. James Watt, in 1975 saying that termination was an illegal policy. In 1980 the 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...
oversaw an election of a tribal council, who began drafting a new tribal constitution and bylaws. In 1983 the tribe won its federal court case and tribal recognition was restored in 1998, when a new council was elected. The current constitution was ratified in 2004.
Today
The tribe is federally recognized and has 191 enrolled members. The Habematolel Pomo operate their own housing, environmental, and educational programs, including computer classes and GED preparation. The tribe has been able to purchase land on its traditional territory, near the historical tribe village of Maiyi.The Habematolel Pomo are governed by an elected, seven-member tribal council. As of early 2009, they are:
- Sherry Treppa Bridges, Chairperson
- Teresa Meek, Vice-Chairperson
- Angelina Arroyo, Secretary
- Charlene Muñoz, Treasurer
- Randal Brown, Member-at-Large
- Sam Icay, Member-At-Large
- Carmella Icay-Johnson, Member-at-Large.