Miwok vs. Miwok? Real vs. "Imposters"
This is a situation that we believe you might find rather interesting, it came to light yesterday morning when we were forwarded a situation involving an on-going and emotionally escallating child custody in central California which involved the invocation of the Indian Child Welfare Act to be involked and now challenged on the grounds of whether or not the children in question are "Automatically tribe custody" of "The Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians" or Not.
While preparing that article for publish, we realized that to properly give justice to each pertinent aspect of the situation presented us, that we break it into the two stories that in essence we have going on here today,the most heart-wrenching of them involving the current three orphaned children which we addressed in an article of it's own yesterday, and this one we're going to focus our attention to now, which is the on-going Confusion encompassing WHO of the Two bands of people were actually "The True Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians" beings both have long insisted that the other was an "Imposter" and that of coarse, it wasn't they who were falsely claiming to be Miwok.
While researching into the horrific situation that three young children are finding themselves in legally, the battle for the children has led to the WRONG conclusion now being raised as to the true DNA lineage of the Shingle Springs Band of the Miwok" Indians" of central California.
This is what is being claimed by those we will refer to as "The Casino Indians" in effort of gaining the kids via their tribal court But, is it so is the real question needing a truthful answer, and the DNA of these children have helped to confirm and validate the truth once and for all as far as an official account is concerned, at least that's the Hope of the "True" Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians" and all Miwok as well as "Indian Country" as a whole on and beyond the California tribal nations.
Those who have come to be accepted as being the "True" Shingle Springs Band of Miwok are those whom have become known locally for having established their "Red Hawk Casino" which is located just off of Highway 50 in El Dorado County, California. Red Hawk Casino, located near Placerville, California. The casino has won more than 100 awards from what we understand and they're praised for having 88,000 square feet of world-class gaming including 70 table games and about 2,200 slot machines, and too, they have an arcade for kids that is described as being pretty elaberate as well. Since these are the ones recognized as being the true Miwok Band, let's take a look at them for a quick moment, just to come to know of them a little bit more Besides for Just their Casino, shall we...
In addition to the casino, this tribe also has much pride in their "Shingle Springs Health & Wellness" center which offers medical, dental and behavioral health for the entire family and is open to the public, tribal or not! The Health & Wellness Center accepts most major insurance, Medicare and Covered CA. It is located off of Red Hawk Parkway for those of you in the area who might want to check it out sometime, whether curious or in need of their services, it sounds like a great resource option they're offering the community!
The claim on their Website where they say that there tribal members "Are the descendants of the Miwok and Southern Maidu “Nisenan” Indians who thrived in the Central Valley for thousands of years before contact with Europeans. Being devastated by violence during the Gold Rush starting in 1849 as they were, the tribe says it forced them to lose their native lands and scatter." They go onto say that "The Shingles Springs tribe regrouped around 1916" but that they didn’t gain federal recognition until the 1970s. but that since they have "Remained a federally recognized tribe since without issue on their "160-acre parcel of land" which they claim "Makes up the Shingle Springs reservation". Currently, there are approximately 500 enrolled members of this Tribe, with about 140 living on the Rancheria whereas the census records from 2010 note there only being 102 members total."
But are they the "True" Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians REMAINS the Question at hand!
Indeed, but before we get into the truth, let's first take a quick few moments to get to know what the hubbub is all about... The Miwok "Indian's".
The Miwok, which is also spelled Miwuk, Mi-Wuk, or Me-Wuk, are members of four linguistically related Native American groups indigenous to what is now Northern California, who traditionally spoke one of the Miwok languages in the Utian family. The word Miwok means "People" in their native language. The band we are looking at today is known as the "Plains and Sierra Miwok" which are from the western slope and foothills of the Sierra Nevada, the Sacramento Valley, San Joaquin Valley and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The remaining three bands of Miwok are: the "Coast Miwok" which from present day location are of Marin County and southern Sonoma County (including the Bodega Bay Miwok and Marin Miwok) which is along Beautiful Highway 1, the "Lake Miwok" which are from Clear Lake basin of Lake County, and the "Bay Miwok" from present-day location of Contra Costa County California.
In all actuality, the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) officially recognizes 11 tribes of Miwok descent in
California. They are as follows: the Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians, the California Valley Miwok Tribe, formerly known as the Sheep Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians, the Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, formerly known as the Federated Coast Miwok, the Lone Band of Miwok Indians, of Ione, California, the Jackson Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians, the Middletown Rancheria (members of this tribe are of Pomo, Lake Miwok, and Wintun descent) and the ones we're looking specifically at today, which is the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, Shingle Springs Rancheria (Verona Tract), then there's the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians of the Tuolumne Rancheria, followed by the United Auburn Indian Community of Auburn Rancheria, and finally, the Wilton Rancheria Indian Tribe.
Additionally, so ya know, the Miwok have some Non-Federally recognized bands as well, including:
Miwok Tribe of the El Dorado Rancheria
Nashville-Eldorado Miwok Tribe
Colfax-Todds Valley Consolidated Tribe of the Colfax Rancheria
Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation
Calaveras Band of Mi-Wuk Indians
Miwok of Buena Vista Rancheria
and the River Valley Miwok Indians, formally known as Historical Families of Wilton Rancheria.
The Miwoks lived in small bands without centralized political authority - They had domesticated dogs and cultivated tobacco, but were otherwise hunter-gatherers. The Plains and Sierra Miwok were once the largest group of Native American Miwok people, but as we know, all the tribes of Turtle Island have greatly diminished over the last 500 years.
In 2008, the tribe sued Caballero in U.S. District Court for trademark infringement and unfair competition, saying Caballero is representing himself as chief of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians and doing business as a representative of the tribe. You can read more on this by checking out the following link:
In short, Caballero counter-sued the Casino tribe, saying its members are posing as Miwok while living on the 240-acre reservation. His countersuit included documents from the 1880 Census and 1910 Census, the original deed to the reservation and Bureau of Indian Affair documents to back his claims. You're welcomed as well as encouraged to read the filing for yourself, which is included in the following article:
http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article188761574.html
The case stemmed from the use of the name “Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians” and the trademark of the name. The defendants, dubbed “The Association Purportedly Doing Business as the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians,” claim that the name is theirs by ancestral right, and that the other band, the plaintiffs who run the casino, stole the federally recognized name in order to open Red Hawk Casino. The casino tribe called fraud on Caballero and insisted that the only reason he was challenging them was because he wanted a cut in the casino revinue. Caballero’s tribe has continued to insist that they were not after the casino or any funds generated from gaming, that they simply wanted the name recognition and federal benefits that come with it, saying they were stolen from Caballero’s tribe in the first place.
Caballero knew and presented back then that the "tribe" known as Shingle Springs Band of Miwok, running the casino were NOT the true Shingle Springs Band of Miwok, which was actually then confirmed by expert witness and local historian George Peabody that Cesar Caballero is the chief of the true Miwok tribe. Mr. Peabody’s research traced Caballero’s lineage to chiefs in the early 1800s, with the tribe’s federal record beginning with the 1851 Consumnes River Treaty, continuing with the 1860 El Dorado County Federal Census.In his signed statement, Peabody asserts that “The defendant’s ancestors voted on Jan. 13, 1935, under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. All drives voting in the IRA became federally recognized tribes listed on the federal register.” This, Peabody stated, makes them the true Shingle Springs Miwok Tribe.Additionally, Peabody, who has four history books sold through the county, found that what he colloquially calls “the casino tribe” did not originate from the mainland, but from Hawaii. Here is a video of part of the hearing confirming that:
What we feel the judges in this case May have overlooked, is the root point of Caballero which we feel is easily seen on the following website: https://500nations.com/casinos/caRedHawkCasino.asp as it clearly states that Red Hawk Casino is a "Tribal Organization: Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians" when truth be told they are NOT Miwok at all. The "Casino tribe" gained the legal right to establish their casino back in 2008 Because the declared themselves to the government as being Miwok "Indians", had they Not Misrepresented themselves as being Miwok Indian, they would NOT have been Legally Allowed to collect tribal benefits OR open and operate a casino, meaning ultimately that the Red Hawk Casino would and should not have been able to legally exist.
Instead, the "Casino tribe" is composed of Maidu Indians with Hawaiian ancestry who had historically lived in Sacramento and Sutter counties! Peabody, who has four history books sold through the county, found that what he colloquially calls “the casino tribe” did not originate from the mainland, but from Hawaii. He stated that they are, in fact, "The Sacramento Verona Band of Homeless Indians" that He explained then, were “made up of descendants of Sandwich Islanders (i.e., Kanakas) according to the 1916 Federal Census records of Sutter County, California.” He stated that they were welcomed to the continental United States by Maidu Indians from Sutter County, but never married into them.
Word is that Red Hawk Casino celebrated the grand opening of their Red Hawk Casino last December with native dances – and Hawaiian songs, and to date includes a Tiki Room and waitresses wearing grass skirts like the Polynesians in Hawaii. He said he also has learned the tribe takes annual retreats to Hawaii and their cultural events are called luaus, which for those of you who haven't had the opportunity to attend one, more likely than not have heard of one if not seen clips of one on tv at some point... if not, you can always google or youtube search it, lol.
Paula Yost, an attorney who represented Shingle Springs "Casino Tribe" against Then proclaimed Now CONFIRMED Chief Cezar Cabrello of the True Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians that back before the current case unfolding now regarding the three orphaned children had said in court papers the Shingle Springs "Casino" tribe "Is recognized by the U.S. as a sovereign Indian tribe" which Caballero Never disputed but instead had said they were the ones NOT of the Miwok Nation, nor of he and his tribe. Chief Cabarillo's position was clear and simple, the casino tribe should never have been federally recognized and thus have no claim to the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians name.
William Miles Wirtz, a retired attorney for both the United States Department of Interior and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, arrived at the conclusion that the band of Indians that occupied the Shingle Springs Rancheria, Verona Tract, should not have been federally recognized as a tribe; only the Rancheria itself should have been recognized as being Indian land as of 2004. Here is a link to testimony given about the true history of their tribe according to record: http://docs.house.gov/meetings/II/II24/20130723/101217/HHRG-113-II24-Wstate-FonsecaN-20130723.pdf
Ms. Yost also had said Caballero’s countersuit claiming tribe members were the "Imposter" and Insisted publicly that his claim otherwise was "Ludicrous because it would mean the Shingle Springs tribe “somehow hoodwinked the federal government” into placing it on a list of recognized Indian entities."
So, who are the "Casino Tribe" since they're Not of the Miwok?
Well, an article written by Sarah Darlington in the April 19, 1890 issue of the Mountain Democrat. The article, “Sketches of Hawaiian life: A contrast,” compares how Hawaiians in the area — pointing out they were, indeed, in the area — were doing far better socially and financially than local Indians, a plight that is playing out again more than 120 years later.
When gathering information about the individuals that the land was being bought for, Indian Service Agent John J. Terrell found that some individuals were of Hawaiian descent. The Chief Clerk of the Indian Service — the department that would later become the BIA — asked Terrell to “show why you have included in the census submitted with your letter of January 4, 1916, some Hawaiians. These are not Indians, and the fund for the purchase of California lands could not properly be expended on them unless by reason of affiliation or adoption into the band they have become a part of.” Terrell responded saying he had been under the assumption that there had been intermarriage and affiliation.
Well, in 1916, while conducting a census of Indian people, an agent of the Department of the Interior discovered Indians living along the Sacramento River. The federal government called these native peoples the “Sacramento-Verona Band of Homeless Indians” and set about acquiring land for them. That land is known as the Shingle Springs Rancheria, just off present-day U.S. Highway 50."
In 1918, the clerk wrote Terrell about the land again, which is said to have said “the purchase should be made for the ‘landless Indians of California’ and not for ‘Hawaiian Indians’ who may have intermarried with the California Indians.” The clerk then said acceptance of the Hawaiians into the tribe that was being formed would be on a case-by-case basis.
In 1919 when Congress gave our elders land in the Greenstone area which later became known as the Shingle Springs Miwok Indian Reservation, the BIA invited the Verona Band Of Maidu and Hawian Indians to join us since they were a homeless band of indians from out of town. The land was deeded to the United States on March 1, 1920, pursuant to the Homeless Indians Act of June 21, 1906 and April 30, 1908. The deed stated that the land was "for the use and occupancy of the Sacramento Verona-Band of Homeless Indians."
They didn’t even vote in the 1934 IRA, which made them a non-recognized tribe.The Veronas were nowhere near El Dorado County, so how are they getting away with identity theft and fraud? This is a question that the Historical Shingle Springs Miwoks have been insisting on an answer to, and not getting one. They insist that because they never gave the Veronas permission to join their tribe, how is it that can they use use their name but literally completely overtake it and their cultural heritage and get away with it?
"They kept telling us that we were not recognized. These imposters are running up bills in our name and making our tribe look really bad. We are the Shingle Springs Miwok Tribe of El Dorado County and we have our own documentations and records that go back to the late 1700s when California wasn’t even a state" LOUIE L. SMITH II of the True Shingle Springs Band of Miwok about the Casino tribe told local media.
In 1970, the Tribe formally organized under their Articles of Association and set up home sites on the Rancheria. Minutes from the June 2, 1975, meeting show the membership beginning to call itself "members of the Shingle Springs Rancheria. In 1976, the Tribe’s Articles of Association were approved by the Secretary of the Interior the people who descended from the Sacramento-Verona Band later identified themselves as the Shingle Springs Band. The name of the document is "Articles of Association of the Shingle Springs Band El Dorado County, California." It identifies membership as persons listed on the 1916 Census of Indians "at and near Verona and those persons' descendants
Since the adoption of the "Casino Tribe’s" Articles of Association in 1976, "the ultimate authority of the Tribe rests with its general membership. An elected Tribal Council governs the Tribe and a Tribal Chairperson carries out the day-to-day operations. The Tribal Council is responsible for all government functions (legislative, judicial and executive) while the Chairperson has general authority when the Council is not in session" according to their website. In 2009, the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians established a Tribal Court to uphold the Tribe’s codes and ordinances and enforce state court orders.
In March 1978, the BIA made a list titled “Traditional Indian Organizations (Recognition Without Formal Federal Approval of Organizational Structure).” A similar list was created the next year. Both included the Shingle Springs Rancheria, but neither list had a “group of persons,” Wirtz said. “It is not until July 8, 1981, well after the effective date of the Acknowledgement Regulations, that the BIA identified the Shingle Springs Band, in addition to, the Rancheria as the relevant ‘tribal entity.’” From 1981 onward, the lists included the “Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, Shingle Springs Rancheria (Verona Tract), California.”
Now, with the otherwise completely Unrelated legal situation going on with the children of the Red Hawk Casino bloodline FURTHER Proving by DNA testing that they are in fact “Sacramento-Verona Band of Homeless Indians”
perhaps this will finally bring some Justice for Cesar Cabrello and the True tribe of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians and this mess of unecessary confusion and misrepresentation of name and tribe can finally honorably be resolved once and for all, with at Least the Changing of their legal name to no longer have their casino nor tribal members reflect as being of a tribal nation they are not so that those who are can finally be accepted with the honor they've been entitled but overlooked by "Indian Country" because of the confusion as to who was misrepresenting thus far.
According to their own account, the BIA state that about thirty years before they built the casino,that they recognize only one tribe related to Shingle Springs California and list it as, “Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, Shingle Springs Rancheria (Verona Tract), California" even-though genetically speaking we Know it's the wrong ones. If you stop and think about it, it's really not all that different from the historical track record of this government, to grossly distort facts into out-right lies and then stick to them, even hundreds of years after the fact and the masses knowing they're wrong and intentionally lying about it.
"Cesar Caballero my nephew is fighting for what is rightfully our identity which is Miwok. The Blackwell/Craig name has been around El Dorado for many moons. This injustice should not be allowed, and our identity should not have been stollen. Red Hawk Casino should let us in and quit the non sense"~Doris Blackwell Carbajal (January 14, 2009).
As you will see on the 500 nations.com website and elsewhere across the world wide web, what reflects as being the REAL Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians is in fact the Non-Miwok "Casino Indians". When one looks for a way to contact the actual legitimate tribe, what you find for the Miwok Bands Physical Address is: 5281 Honpie Rd. Placerville, CA 95667, the Non-Miwok people who are running the casino. The Mailing Address you find for the Band is: P.O. Box 1340 Shingle Springs, CA 95682 which again is the Casino Indians and not the true Miwok Band, and the contact phone numbers that you find, which are (530) 676-6281 and Fax number: (530) 676-6280 are you guessed it, the "Imposters" whom are running the casino, not to the actual Biological tribe itself, else you would be getting into contact with Cesar Caballero!
As always, we Thank You for your continued interest, contributions and support, and we Hope you stay tuned ans we have helped enlighten as well as educate you a bit about the truth within the clouds of confusion regarding the Miwok tribes of California. Blessings to you all!
