Toyon/ Wintu Tribe of Nor Cal Funny Money?

Someone call the IRS quick. Over a quarter of a million dollars have gone thru the Wintu Tribal Councils hands in the last five years. That' over $250,000.00 directly to Linda and Gene Malone's pockets. Wintu Tribal Members must ask yourselves,

"Do you really want the Wintu Tribe to continue to be lead by the Curls and Malone Families alone?"

(from the City of Shast Lake Website City Council Meeting Munutes @ www.ci.shasta-lake.ca.us)

Development Block Grant funds
Letter of Support - City of Shasta Lake’s Community Development Block Grant Award for
Wintu Tribe Community Center
(A-050-060)
It is the recommendation of the Assistant to the City Manager that the City Council authorize
the Mayor to send a letter of support to the City of Shasta Lake relative to the location
chosen by the Wintu Tribe of Northern California to construct a cultural/multi-purpose
community center on Bureau of Indian Affairs property utilizing $1 million in Community Block Grand Funds.

State of California Department of Housing and Community Development
Block Grant Program (CDBG) in the amount of $1,000,000 grant for the Wintu Tribe of
Northern California – Toyon Wintu Center to construct a 4,500 – 5,000 square foot
Cultural/Multi-purpose Community Center, located on the property known as Toyon Wintu Center.

the link:

Wintu Tribe Recives 1 Million Dollars, Still No Legal Elections, No Oversite of Not- For Profit Organization Headed By Only Two Families

Redding Rancheria Chair Barbara Murphy

(photo) Redding Rancheria Chair Barbara Murphy


(note- sorry we are having photo difficulties, image of rotting log in no way represents Barbara Murphy Chairperson of the Redding Rancheria.)

Governator, "Indianz Shoud payah thei'ah feaih shaih!"

Non-Gaming California Wintu Member, "Governator, why do you accept money from tribes that are civil rights violators?"

CILS Involved in Fmr. Sen. Richard Pombo and the Jack Abrhamhoff Scandal

Fmr. Congressman Richard Pombo (R)

New, it seems that CILS has history of dealing with fraudulent Congressmen like Fmr. Congressmen Richard Pombo (R- CA) of Marin. Congressmen Pombo who was implicated in the Jack Abrhamoff illegal tribal contribution scandal in Washington DC, where millions of illegal tribal gaming revenue contributions were exposed after being bilked from tribes by the Federal government in return for cushy investment, development and lucrative gaming deals. Like the increase in gaming revenue sharing, there bye limiting tribal sovereignty, legislation that was supported by the pro-federal over site of Redding Rancheria, masked under Prop 1A, in 2000.

Later in 2004 Pombo was critical in unison with CILS in contributing California Indian Gaming Revenue Illegally taken from California distribution funds meant for dis-advantaged non-gaming California Indians to Washington DC and onto the floor on congress, where that year was passed the sweeping reformist bill, "The American Indian Probate Reform Act", which has proved to further complicate decade old litigations like Cobel, and done little to settle trust assets from small tribes like the Wintu. CILS herald this legislation as,

"Protecting our precious land has been among the highest priorities of CILS since our founding by California Indians nearly forty years ago"

CILS claims this as positive federal action in the name of California Indians as part of CILS pro-active work with tribes in this state. All while federal land sales of former Wintu Allotments Continue to this day.

From CILS's own website on 5/8/08, CILS tells of past dealings with the implicated US senator Richard Pombo (R) from the north bay area. The link here:

CILS Article on Sen. Richard Pombo

Who Are California Indian Legal Services?

Who are CILS? What do they do? They helped California Indians back in the 1980's in the Tillie Hardwick days, they helped a little with fishing rights in the 1970's, they were created by motivated California Indians like David Risling?

Where is CILS now? What are they doing for Tribes today? Are they helping your tribe? Or are they just gobbling up monetary resources that would be better left to administered by your tribal government for the direct benefit of your tribal members?
Tribal ANA Grants to the Toyon Wintu in 2006 totalled over $155,000, over a quarter of a million dollars, while Toyon is still closed and the Curl-Malone Board is still in control of the Tribal Council. No doubt some of the money was used by the Curl-Malone Board to convert the late tribal elder Lala Curl's private home into the new Wintu Tribal Offices on Oasis Road in North Redding.

The Wintu Tribe, and other non-federally recognised tribes waiting on the secretaries list for recognition in particular, end-up doing the work of funneling hundreds of thousands of federal and private dollars from Federal and private grantor's, thru tribal grant solicitations, directly to CILS.

It is alleged that things like tribal training, legal consultations, and administrative assistance are offered to tribes seeking recognition, but of course when they play the grant game, and register as tribal not for profit 501.3 (c) tax exempt organizations. Not exactly emanations of traditional tribal governments, more like forced appendages to failed federal statutes that have left dozens of entire tribes with out acknowledgement in the State of California, while dozens of other tribes, that actually represent the minority of California Indians, have grown to multi-billion dollar corporations. And some, like in the case of Redding Rancheria in Shasta County and the City of Redding, tribes have been established in denial of the tribe in which territory they reside. With no legal assistance from CILS.

Issues like the recent dis-enrollments; the now, long going "missing special distribution fund" monies meant for non-gaming tribes like the Wintu that have been "lost" in Sacramento; sale of federal lands held in trust for Wintu members, illegal tribal elections, violations of tribal ordinances, fabrication of tribal documents, and en'masse' tribal petitions seeking legal relief have been ignored by CILS and to date do NOTHING to assist California Indians engulfed in violations of Civil Rights be being stripped of their right to Inclusion in Community, and Denial of Identity.

The Wintu Had a Rez?

The Ash Creek Reservation was Established in 1851 when the Chiefs of the Wintu Tribes signed the Treaty of Cottonwood Creek with Indian Agent O.M. Wozencraft.

The Treaty of Cottonwood Creek ceded over 2.3 million acres (2.304 or 60 mi sq.) of Wintu lands in Northern California. Lands rich in gold and other minerals, vast timber reserves, plentiful water sources, and large tracts of fertile agricultural land. In 1851 Northern California the Wintu far out-numbered the European-American immigrants. Still the thousands of miners swarming the landscape proved to the Wintu to be disruptive to native food resources and native sustenance patters, and this section of the State at the time was refereed to as Indian Territory on Maps. Non-Indians vehemently wanted the land for their own and stopped at nothing to remove the Wintu from the landscape. Numerous massacres of Wintu, Yana, and Pit River peoples amongst others were a regular occourance for decades, thievery of women and children for sale into legalized indentureship was commonplace, and the decades long starvation perpetuated upon the Wintu people by miners literally stripping the hillsides bare in search for gold, left no deer or acorns on the hill sides, nor any salmon or trout in the rivers or streams, many Wintu succoumbed to starvation in the first twenty years of contact with Euro-Americans. Finally when the Federal Treaty signers came in 1851 to the Rancho San Buenaventura summoning all the Leaders of the Wintu, the tribe was in a most destitute situation.The Treaty of Cottonwood Creek established the 1.4 million acre (1.459 or 38 sq mi.)Ash Creek Reservation that served as little more that a stopping ground for the Wintu and other tribes being taken there. It had been almost twenty (20) years since the malaria epidemics of 1831 swept thru the valley taking one in three lives, brought here by Hudson Bay Trappers from British Columbia, and two decades of Spanish Land Granting of which P.B. Reading's San Buenaventura was the Northernmost. Little did the Wintu leaders know when signing that later that year back in Washington D.C. Federal Legislators had no intention of honoring this or the other Seventeen Lost Treaties of California. The Treaties signed that year with the Tribes of California ceded the entire state and in one move the government deprived the Indians of land legally and almost over night where being forced onto hastily set up military reservations. Places like Hoopa Valley Reservation (1856), Tule River Reservation (1854), Round Valley Reservation (1854), Ft. Bidwell Reservation (1858), all survived the non-ratification by becoming Military Refugee Camps where thousands of Indians from many tribes were brought as Indians were killed or herded from the landscape. Others like Upper Klamath Reservation , Mendocino Reservation, Ash Creek Reservation, Tejon Reservation were abandoned during the 1850's and opened for non-Indian settlement.

The Treaties were hidden by Congress in 1852 and were not re-located until 1905.

Cultural Resourses- Who really Looses When Wintu Sites are Developed and the Environment is Damaged?

(photo)- Dana to Downtown- Highway 44 Bridge at Redding. Who really looses when Wintu Village sites are looted or destroyed by development activity itself? As the first people of Shasta County, and the immediate Redding area, the Wintu today continue hardly noticed in the environment or in the community. When the Wintu Reservation at Toyon in Shasta Lake City was closed all hope was dashed of any future where the local non-Indian community at large would acknowledge past wrongs and we would take our place in the community with equal rights, and equal representation. We all loose our collective heritage as American and Californians when our Wintu past is lost and destroyed to make way for urban development in Redding.

It stands to the Shasta County and City of Redding municipal structures gain as they are currently geared towards the growth of the area and economical development, where former Sacramento River riverene and lower chaparral forest land habitats are destroyed for urbanization. If the tribe is not recognised by the federal government our ability to represent the sites and/or the environment is hindered. And it is only in the County and Cities interest to contunue to oppose our recognition or advancement in this area, the municipalities have become accustomed to fast tracking development and skirting some development requirments, like involving tribal representatives when disturbing Wintu habitation locations. In the past the wintu tribal council members have been poor at responding to the urgent needs of Wintu site destruction by develoment. Fmr. Chairman of the Wintu Tribe Gary Rickard is an Employee if Shasta County, the agency that sought the closure of Toyon. And to this day in concert with BIA and Interior do nothing for the futures of the Wintu People surviving today. This is a type of fast tracked quick development activity that has been occurring at an increasing rate in the Redding area which all too often brings the destruction of Wintu sites that are are protected by federal and California state law.

If these Wintu Village sites are protected by laws then don't the Wintu have the right to protect them? You may ask. Yes sites listed on the National Register and Lying on either federal land or private land where there has been developed an MOU concerning the future management to the site INCLUDING the tribal government of the Wintu Tribe and its various lineal descendants representing now five separate bodies of Wintu. (see article below) But the representation is sporadic. State law also protect the cultural management of former Wintu places with the Redding Rancheria, with gaming revenue in tow, has begun to attempt to dominate the tribal resourse response field in the Redding area despite the Rancheria lacking being a pre-historic tribe and despite their being a tribe created by the Federal Government in 1922. They are composed of mostly Pit River Indians from well to the east of Redding.

Normally the state of California and its "Heritage Commission Panel" decides inter tribal disputes as to identify tribal territories, when in conflict, but also response from the Heritage Commission to real Wintu issues, on site, is nil to sporadic as well.

When Cal Trans and US Fish and Wildlife Serv. tried to remove a Bald Eagle from a nesting site on the Sacramento River at Redding so the city could work on re-fitting of a bridge spanning the river, it echoed the removal of Wintu Indians from this same vicinity in the 1850 and 1860's. White people haven't learned much as to accepting their dark past of genocide, nor the current need of the Wintu people to not only community, but recognition to religious and spiritual freedom that is connected with these sites and always has been. For it is our past.

The Cypress Bridge construction currently taking place during the Peak of the Sacramento River Chinook's Winter Run, the most endangered run for its extremely low runs, is also co-inciding with the lowest total run numbers the California Department of Fish and game have recorded in thirty (30) years. During the construction up to 48 inch piles are driven by giant crane rams out into the stream bed of the river directly into dozens of redds, the actual spawning areas along the river where the Chinook lay their eggs.

The Environmental Impact Report (EIR) mitigated the loss of this habitat by calling for "future restoration elsewhere on the river. The problem with this solution, like so many other "quick development" recommendation" from local environmental mitigation firms like Enplan, Far Western and the Genesis Society, is, the river turbidity, temperature and aggregate size all co-incide at the Highway 44 Bridge construction site, and at the Cypress Bridge Construction site and these conditions are unique to the locations and cannot be re-created elsewhere. Losses in spawning habitat that an already endangered winter run chinook population cannot sustain.

These bridge constructions are reminiscent of Gifford Construction's; the contractor hired to build the Sundial Bridge, that released an unknown amount of toxic sediment into the Sacramento River in 2004, just upstream from the Hwy 44- Turtle Bay section of the Sacramento River at Redding. Also during the Chinook Winter Run and unfortunately also directly adjacent to Sulphur Creek, which erased the last few years restoration activities meant to restore the vitality of this critical spawning and rearing habitat on Sulphur Cr. for multiple runs of Chinook and the last run of Fall Steel Head of the Sacramento River.

Along the river and else where non-native species and encroachment of noxious weeds into the environment have literally chocked out miles of former viable salmon spawning habitat along local creeks or habitat has been entirely destroyed by development and/or water diversions. The Wintu have always known these invasive species where not from here as they are not among the wide array of plants we used (and some still use) in daily lives.

Local Fisheries Biologists, State Legislators, Commercial Fishermen, Non-Indian Salmon Fishing Guides are all crying around about "the salmon didn't spawn in the Sacramento river in 2007". Well look at the numbers folks, they were on a steady recovery until 2002. What changed in their environments that year? And where's our Indian Dollars from all the casino's going if the state doesn't give some to salmon fishery research and restoration immediately Wild Salmon on the Sacramento River might soon become a thing of the past. And this should come as a warning, because its coming from this areas first people. Strip Development in the Sacramento Valley and along the I-5 Coridor has decreased the Chinook salmon fishery of the Sacramento River and it is time to for developers and the state acknowledge the current development strategies are not viable for a sustainable environment in the long term and are not cohesive to the states recent strides to remain green in the 21'st century. Locally action needs to be taken to reduce wastes into the stream systems around the increasing urban environments, including actions by politicians on industry to limit pollutants entering the river system by area companies. More stringent development laws have to be enacted surrounding to slow or stop development in these sensitive areas on and directly adjacent to the Sacramento river because as they are lost to urban development they will not be saved as open spaces.

Why have open spaces? Yes for the environmental gains. Also to sustain the local Wintu Native Peoples connectivity to these environments which is hand in hand with the native sustainable management. Which amount to local agencies simply allowing for tribal usage of lands which today are mismanaged by local municipalities. Having Wintu people practicing our culture and religion in the area adds to the vitality of the over all community and its time we are allowed to, perhaps even encouraged to utilise, after so long being officially kept off, what truly is our own lands.

Who were the Yana? Who are the Yana today?

Photo- Ishi last of what was made out to be by non-indians as the "last of his people". The story sold a lot of books in the early 1900's. His people were the Southern Yana or Yahi, more specifically the Deer and Mill Creek Yahi. Euro-American settlers commited repeated genocidal; acts upon these people during the 1850's and '60's. Their population was reduced by massacres perpetuated by Euro-american settlers from a few thousand people to extinction in two short decades. The Yana were not alone in anhilation, local tribes like the Chimariko, the Okwanuchu, the Nongathl, and the Lassik carry stories today where whole peoples during the Northern California Gold Rush in 1849 were killed or removed to make way for euro-american emigrants to "settle" our Indian Lands.

Today anthropologists, a century later, churn thru their scientific documents to try and accurately interpret the data recorded by earlyer ethnographersand some recent ambiguity has been arising surrounding Ishi and the Yana. What are the implications for the Wintu? Are there any? Sometimes institutional research methods or even the research data itself it is at odds with tribal views. And unfortuantely sometimes it is at odds with widely accepted published data.

Even so we can be wary as native Americans, even Wintu ourselves at the institutions ability to accurately verify history by the written record, or the settlers side of this story alone, and many others in the immediate northern Sacramento valley region. Ambiguity has been surfacing since the 1990's by anthropologists in California that are looking at the recorded data from Ishi over again, thing like linguistic morphological studies on the Yana- Wintu, Yana- Pit River have been done that seem to point to more of a link between the two tribal spheres than previously considered.

This along with applied Obsidian Hydration Analysis studies and arrow point typology assessments have have together pointed to more similarities between at least Ishi's band of Deer Creek Yahi at the fringes of the lower valley, and the full-on riverene culture of the river dwelling Wintu that occupied the villages down to the mouth of Deer Creek. (see handbook Yana Map, Ishi Sketch, wintu names ref, memponna, memsol, chidel, dausol, kenponna, ect.). The obvious question to a Wintu or Yana Indian today is could part of Ishi's lineage be from one of the Wintun Villages lower down along Deer or Mill Creek? Or could Ishi simply have been imitating the larger and finer construction of larger arrowheads the Riverene Wintun, of whom's villages he is recorded to have visited, as a boy and young man, for communal food and ceremonial reasons. Or is it a Case of poor scientific research, as usual in denial of the mountainous oral history that exists as evidence for Ishi's heritage. They found him now they re-found his heritage?

The SFSU website lists Archaeologist Gretchen Kell's published data questioning Ishi's cultural heritage from the early phase culture type thought to be reminiscent of typical Yana.

UC Berkeley Webpage on Ishi Culture Obscurity

Even fiftythings.com lists Ishi's story under the Wintu Tribe. It took UC Berkeley until 1996 to figure out that not only had the Yana survived (there bye nullifying the whiteman-ish gratification of him being the last of a race and being "found" in the wilderness by Kroeber. All while some dozen plus can been found at the Redding Rancheria and many Yana are Achomawi, Atsegewi, and Madesi band of Pit River and well as the few at the Redding Rancheria.

Ishi's remains were repatriated to the tribe from the Italian Cemetery in SF where Kroeber Buried him, to the Pit River and Redding Rancheira Tribes, the Wintu not included in Ishi's repat. We do not benefit from federal repatriation as our status is listed as non-recognised, but on the Secretary of the Interiors List for Actve Consideration.

To the rising tide of Federalized Indians from Redding Rancheria dominating the cultural resource field with gaming revenue and political influence locally and federally the the larger body of non-recognised Wintu Indians has been denied health, welfare, cultural protection, education self-governance and self-determination while area tribes like the Redding Rancheria have been allowed to grow into multi-million dollar corporations.

(L to R) Sam Batwi ("Yuki Sam" Central Yana), A.L. Kroeber, Ishi (Yahi) in 1911

Introducing Terrifying Tracy Edwards

Hi my name is Terrifying Tracy Edwards. I am the mastermind behind the Redding Rancheria Disenrollments where 57 members of the Foreman Family were kicked out of the Tribe so I could get richer and my partner in crime Barbara Murphy could have her tummy tucked. I don't know shit about being Indian as I was never raised around my community or on the Rancheria. And as aresult don't care about all the Wintu people we defraud every day by the LIE that is Win River Casino.
At Redding Rancheria you don't HAVE to be an Inidian, we have enough money and power and influence you just have to FEEL Indian cuz when it comes to ripping of the Wintu it ain't hard to do, we just picked up where the white man left of and no-one has ever said anything about it.
I got to go to school with federal dollars and collect millions after getting my law degree to use to violate my members rights and establishing my phillanious tribal court to remove all that oppose me from the tribe, it wasn't long after I moved home that I figured out I don't even like indians, but I sure like my casino check. Screw the indian community.

Am I even Indian? You decide.

Wintu Housing Fact or Fiction?

Wintu Housing at Toyon Fact or Fiction?

The Wintu Tribes housing situation as of 2008 is bleak. In 1987 the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Shasta County Officials sought the forceful closeure and removal of Wintu Tribal Members from their former hoes at Toyon/ Wintu Center, a recognised reservation for the Wintu Tribe that was opertaed from 1971, as a result of the occupation of unused federal facility by Tribal Members, until 1987. Since then the Wintu Tribe has had no where to call home, and no efforts by the BIA have been made to aquire land for the homeless Wintu Members and elders. Up to 3/4 of the 350 member tribe are in need of housing, including elders and families. The largest loss thought comes when it is considered the Wintu for 21 years have had no-where to congregate.

Again, an example can be made from the Pit River Tribe's success's, recognised under the Reagan (R) administration in 1984 the Pit River Tribe has gone on to work with teh BIA and the Department of the Interior to construct homes and the required infrastructure and severeal communities in Pit River Ancestral Territory, including up at XL, Alturas Ranceria, Biebier, many new homes in Burney, and Big Bend/ Montgomery Cr./ Roaring Cr. Things like bridges, roads, grading, water lines and power even internet access has been brought to Pit River tribal members that have spent an equal ammount of time without them. The tribe was able to work in concert with local contractors and officials to get the job done for the benefit of tribal members, and most recently in January 2007 three new Pit River families were given new homes in Montgomery Creek and Neubieber.

The Wintu Tribal Council must take steps tward re-opening the facilities at Toyon, it has been far to long that Toyon has sat fenced off, and our people scattered about, it is time to re-build Toyon and the Community there for the advancement of our future generations of Wintu People. And time for aknowlegement from the Federal Government and Local Officials and Community about the past wrongs that have been perpetuated upon us. (photo below) Jessica Jim chair Pit River Tribe presents keys to new homes for three tribal members.

Wintu Resourses- Coho (Silver) Salmon Lawsuit Filed

Coho salmon focus of lawsuit

Environmental groups filed a lawsuit Monday against the state Department of Fish and Game, in an effort to get the agency to overturn logging regulations adopted in December.
The groups -- which include the Environmental Protection Information Center, Sierra Club and California Trout -- contend that the regulations don't do enough to protect coho salmon. The lawsuit was filed in the San Francisco Superior Court.
The sea-run fish are protected by the state's Endangered Species Act and found in the north state's Trinity and Klamath rivers. (Story Link)

**NEW** 2003 Wintu Tribal Election Fraud?

The Wintu Tribe of Northern California has operated a non-profit organization since 1993 after thier incorporation as a tribal 501.3 (c) status entity seven years after the closure of Toyon Wintu Center in 1987. The current Wintu Tribe is represnted in its incorporated capacity by the tribally elected governing body, known as the Wintu Tribal Council. Consisting of 12 elected Wintu Members, they are elected on staggered terms.

Annual elections for the Wintu Tribe/ Toyon Wintu Tribe historically have been public knowlege and thier candidates and results reguarly published in Redding area publications like the Record Searchlight, currently an E.W. Scripps Co. owned conseravtive based news source that continues to shun the focus of media attention on the Wintu Tribe or its varied issues, in favor of the more economically contributive Redding Rancheria (RR). The RR also based in Redding and established Win- River Casino a lucritive native american gaming faciltiy in operation since 1990. The gaming revenue generated by Win- River Casino, however, does not benfit the larger Wintu Tribe, in which, ancestral territory the quasi alien Win-River Casino lies. The RR contibutes hundreds of thousands of dollars to the State of California every year, tens of thousands of dollars to the Newspaper annualy, partially, it is alleged. to supress the plight of the Wintu People. The cumulative generated contributory asset revenue capacity to the state and other agencies generated by Win-River (and the RR)since its opening is estimated to be in excess of $180,000,000 (180 million) US dollars (Root- Wintu Demograph- 1998), while the Wintu Tribe remains landless and without federal aknowlegement.

It has come to the attention of Stop Wintu Fraud Editors that a small group of Wintu Members were disenrolled from the Toyon Wintu Tribe/ Wintu Tribe of Northern California's tribally prepared "base roll", that has not yet been approved by the secreatry of the interior (BIA). Carol Sinclair, Wintu Elder and Cultural Resourse Director for the tribe for the last two decades, was disenrolled as a result of the actions of the tribal council and its enrollment committee shortly after the 2003 Wintu Tribal Elections along with 10 other individuals. These 11 Wintu have become known as the Wintu 11. Ms. Sinclair has gone on record as stating it was following provocation, her and another unidentified Wintu Tribal member concurrently serving on the Wintu Tribe Enrollment Committee began to bring questions to the Tribal Council as to enrollment proceedures, and tribal election proceedures, and brought fourth allegations of vote tampering by the 2002 Tribal Council member Linda Malone, and Carol Martin. Vote tampering allegations that include Ms. Sinclair, "... watching Linda throw ballots out (of the ballot box) and onto the floor, and in the trash...". Taking place in June 2002 at the old Wintu Tribal office at the end of the Downtown Mall on Placer St. in Redding. This is alleged to have occoured in front of Womens Leagure of Voters Officials present to provide oversite to the Tribal Election by an unbiased outside body. But whether or not the League recognises the Results or these Election Officials, or the Officials identities has yet to be verified by Stop Wintu Fraud. Other Tribal members that voted in person in 2003 reported seeing the, "... grey haired non-indian ladies in a seprerate room form the voting chambers...", that were, "...tallying ballots with Carol Martin and Linda Malone present."

In an attempt to assure the intergrity of the vote Sinclair and another un-named Tribal Member tried and failed to gain larger tribal support for recount and later recall of the tribal council in 2004. Actions of which are legal proceedures outlined in the Wintu Constitution. These Individuals were bothat the time of the incident serving on the Wintu Election Committee and serving as Election Officers at the proceedings, and were told ot leave while the "illegal" election proceed. The election results saw the Encumbants all being re-elected, some for the 5 and 6th terms consecutively, reigns of tribal leadership that lasted for over 15 years in some cases. Gary Rickard, a progressive, was elected chairman as a result of this vote while some traditionalists, like Loretta Root, lost by small margins.

The tribal council at that time (1998-2006) has come to be known as the Curl-Malone Board which was responsible for several attemts at violations of the tribal members rights inclding political convolution with the WWO (winnemem wintu organization), seeking to reduce the tribal roll (dis-enroll) by more than 350 people, and passing a illeaglly written document as the 2003 interim Wintu Constitution, an attmept by the former CILS attourney, Mary Risling, to draft controls into the Wintu Constitution. Controls that would have enabled the Curl-Malone Board to violate various former tribal member rights that are guarenteed by former Toyon Constitution. The governing document by which the tribe had been operating, albeit sporadically, since the closure of the facilities at Toyon by the BIA in 1987. The rule-change violations alleged in the secific rights vioaltions include the language "...right to deprive of life propertry or liberty without prior notice...", and the heavily suspect language that attempted to hand the WWO power to control all of the tribes archaeological and spiritual resourses. The language was removed by a majority vote of tribal members in 2003, denoucing the Curl-Malone Board and its memebers ability and future goal, in capacity to regain the sole rights to the use of the lands at Toyon Wintu Center.

The Wintu 11 are a small numer of California Indians in comparison to the other 2000+ tribal disenrollments statewide California's Gaming Tribes have seen in the last several years, but the lack of civil rights enforcement quite equal. 57 members of the Foreman Family were also disenrolled from the Redding Rancheria, a scandal which recieved national media attention, the Wintu 11 and the the Disenrollments of 2003 by the Wintu Tribe's enrollment committee members in contrast has seen no media attention to this day.

Allegations of illegal tribal elections, tribal voter fraud, illegal use of the identity of the Womens League of Voters by the Wintu Enrollment Committee, Wintu Constitution and Wintu Election Ordanance violations, vioaltions of the Brown Act, Violations of Civil Rights, Illegal Seizure of Tribal Assetts without CFR Probate, are just some of the Allegations that are coming to light as a result of inquests by Stop Wintu Fraud contributors.

Stop Wintu Fraud is seeking Contributors on Wintu Rights Violations, you can email stopwintufraud@gmail.com for information on how to contribute to the exsposure of Wintu Fraud.

Wintu Bands Geography

Wintu band areas- Map Published in DuBois- 1931 Wintu ethnography The Wintu Tribal band areas were described, at that time as being the Bald Hill, Keswick, Stillwater, French Gulch, Upper Trinity, Hayfork, Upper Scaramento River, and McCloud River.

These 1931 surviving Wintu that recollected pre-historical village- family locations relayed a incomplete list of Wintu Bands as some at that time had been entirely extinct from Gold Rush era massacres, dieseases, famine and conditions, and removal to reservations abroad. The prehistoric list of Wintu Bands are: Daunom, El Pom, Pui dal pom, Nom ti pom, Nom sus, Nor Muk, Wenamem, Wai muk, and the Pui su.

The correlation of prehistoric Wintu Band Names to historic (1931) era surviving Wintu band locations are: Bald Hill - Dau nom, Keswick- El Pom, Stillwater- Pui dal pom, French Gl.- Kl' bal pom, Upper Trinity- Nom sus, Hayfork- Nor Muk, Upper Sacramento River- Nom ti pom, and McCloud River.

As one can see the Pui sus, and Wai muk were not represented in the later 1931 list but I will attempt to outline those bands histories in a later post. The modern band correlations to prehistoric Wintu Bands are:

-Nom sus (Upper Trinity), Nor Muk (Hayfork) are today the Nor- Rel-Muk Nation

-Daunom, Elpom, Wenamem, Nomtipom, Klablpom all compose the Wintu Tribe of Northern California. Fmr. Toyon Wintu Tribe.

-United Bands- All Bands

- El pom- is now the El-Pom Keswick Rancheria

- Dau nom- Wintun of Cottonwood

- Wintu of Shasta- ?

- Wintu of Central Valley- ?

- Wenamem- WWO Winnemem Wintu Organization- Puisus- ???

Wintu Band Unity- If The Pit River Can Do It, We Can Do It

(map) Pit River bands & ancestral territory

As seen in other tribal petitions where the tribal membership is either duplicate or representative of the same prehistoric tribal group recognition has been denied repeatedly thru the BAR process of recognition at BIA. As recently at November 2007 the Juaneno tribe had a negative determination handed down on their petition because several years previous to the final review as a result of tribal matters the tribe split, much like the Wintu Bands Today, into sepreate organizations claiming "control" of the membership rolls, and future administration of the tribal government. Around 1997 the Juaneno, a tribe from southern california that also have been on the list waiting for a descision on their application for recognition thru Interior's BAR process for over 20 years, split into two groups that became knows as Juaneno 1 and Juaneno 2. The Interior dep't declared a "NO" descision after the membership rolls were found to be duplicate, and the membership criteria innacurate and differing from interior historical documents, and the tribal governments not following proceedures outlined in tribal governance documents. All Wintu elders know that the band members are scattered throughout the modern tribal poltical entities that all claim the same thing, governance of the Wintu People.

In 1984 the Pit River Tribe (constitution) was recognised under the Reagan (R, CA)administration, and at that time were able to consoldate inter-bands interests for the good of the members to gain federal recognition, I'm not saying everything is smooth up in Burney, or Bieber, or Alturas, but they did it, now they have housing, they have a gaming facility, while we have spent the last 30 years watching with Toyon closed, no federal funding, no community and no guarentee for education for our children or jobs for our members, and without a land base members are found in substandard housing without any response whatsoever from the BIA.

Lets get together for the Elections 2008 and vote in members to the tribal council that will take steps tward, what the CILS attourneys have told us five years ago was the only was to a BAR final detirmination, to resolve the intertribal disputes between the seperate bands of Wintu, and move foreward for recognition for the entire tribe! Cuz if the Pit River can do it, So Can We!