On 7/14 Mark Franco, political leader and partner to Caleen Sisk, self-proclaimed co-leader of the WWO, Winnemem Wintu Organization, claimed once again that he posessed a traditional Wintu title of "headman" of the not for profit organization. Starting in 2005 shortly after the late Flora Jones ( a Toyon Wintu Tribal Member) death Caleen assumed another self-proclaimed role as the next traditional spiritual leader to succeed Flora Jones following her death. Despite Jones declaring she would be the last such leader, and the United States Forest Service not choosing to extend a permit granted to Flora Jones for doctoring practices on federal lands, to Caleen following her death after Sisk's request. Sisk-Franco occupy Jones's land in Jones Valley, Ca.
Since the death of the traditonal leader (Jones), Sisk's partner Franco, has sucessfully claimed to be a "traditional Wintu headman", to various press and media outlets thot should be able to do better reserach. Franco was proven to not posess indian descent at all after failing to qualify for the 2003 Toyon Wintu tribally prepared roll. The Wintu enrollment committe members contacts the Apache Tribes in AZ and NM to verify a 2004 claim by Franco that he was an Apache Indian.
we traveled to Los Angeles to attend a meeting between native California activists and a United Nations investigator of religious intolerance in the United States. Caleen Sisk-Franco (Wintu), Mark Franco (San Carlos Apache),
Story Link to Franco Apache Claim
No Apache Tribe contacted by the enrollment committee responded that Mr. Franco was a enrolled member in 2004-2005. Despite this Franco continues to claim a herreditary title to a tribe that he does not posess blood descent from. Bringing into question the make-up of the current Winnemem Wintu Org. membership roster, and what descent, and what crietria are being used to determine ancestry by that group. The article:
Winnemem Wintu Tribe Fights for the Delta
Mark Franco, headman of the Winnemem Wintu (McCloud River) Tribe, held up a sign proclaiming, “Tribes Support Saving the Delta.” The Winnemem Wintu has been forefront in the battle to save the Delta and stop the peripheral canal. They are strongly opposing a federal plan to raise Shasta Dam that is a linchpin in the plan to export more water out of the Delta through the canal.
“The peripheral canal is a big, stupid idea that doesn’t make any sense from a tribal environmental perspective,” said Franco. “Building a canal to save the Delta is like a doctor inserting an arterial bypass from your shoulder to your hand– it will cause your elbow to die just like taking water out of the Delta through a peripheral canal will cause the Delta to die.”
Story Link
10 comments:
The Sisk-Franco Tribe reads like a cartoon. The Headman is Hispanic(No Wintu blood; used to call himself Apache). The Chief/Spiritual Leader is an on again off again lesbian(That was one of the reasons Forence Jones said she would never be a doctor). The Dance Captain for their ceremonial dances is known as "DJ Rez Dog."(check out his MySpace)
This is a traditional tribe?!! How comical. Only non-Indians and a few wannabe Indians believe in this group.
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Great web site!
Mark Franco is the Winnemem Wintu Headman and he is Indian and he has a wife and daughter that are Winnemem. These are facts. "NotinOurName" and "Enrollen Wintu Tribal Member didn't you both get dis-enrolled from the Wintu Tribe for being "trouble makers". Neither of you have ever been in a position to know what Florence Jones said about anything.
Now that all the old time Wintu elders are gone, the young generation like Caleen Sisk-Franco is free to make things up as she goes with no one to call bullshit on her.
Now she can call herself a Chief, Spiritual Leader, Doctor...whatever she wants and who is left to put her in her place? Now everything is turned around. She is free to say Florence handed everything over to her when there were dozens of witnesses who saw Florence hand over ceremonies to a group of seven people the year she "retired."
We know Caleen was not selected by the elders to be a spiritual leader. She was not trained as a child to be doctor. She was a throw-a-way child. She came out of nowhere and was a college activist and lesbian. Remember when she was with Sally Carless? Then she grabbed Mark Franco after Florence said she could never be a doctor because of her lesbian activity. Sources say Mark Franco at one time even caught her in bed with another woman causing a huge blow-up. But it all ended after she threatened suicide. What a disfunctional bunch of people! Now they are all continuing a lie with their fake relationships and phoney titles. Its all about power and control.
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Furthermore editors feel that references/ accusations to individuals sexuality, or sexual preference is unacceptable internet conduct and will not be allowed on swf comment lists. Future posts referencing such subjects will be deleted from the website.
The purpose of exposing the sexual preference was not to slander anyone. Rather, this was to show the history of this individual and how they schemed to reach the spot they are at now. The historical behavior of this individual is undeniable.
Now, let us be clear on another related subject. There has not been an official Winnemem Wintu headman or chief since the 1800s when the White invasion disrupted the structure of Winnemem society. For sure over the past century there have been highly respected persons who people went to for advise, spiritual help, or doctoring. Some of these individuals interacted with government officials. But to imply, or even state, that there is an unbroken chain of leadership and chiefdom among the Winnemem from the beginning of time to the Sisk-Francos is a lie.
They are no "successors" because there was no one to hand off to them. They made this all up. Florence Jones was not in a position to hand off anything other than her request that the people continue on with ceremony to keep the world going. She understood this. Those of us who were around saw her hand off this responsibility to seven individuals when she retired.
The Sisk-Francos quickly moved forward and occupied her land out at Jones Valley, created a new tribe for themselves, family, and supporters, assigned themselves titles, and prevented anyone else from seeing Florence in her final years.
Again, Caleen was not trained from childhood to be a Chief/Spiritual Leader as she is claiming. She did not show up until she was older and became involved with the people and took it on herself to assist Florence Jones at times (although I heard Florence complain often about her). There were, however, two other individuals who spent time as children out at the ranch being trained by Florence. In the end, they were prevented from reaching their potential, but we will discuss that at a later time.
Hey, "NotInOurName", who are you? Nothing you say should ever be taken seriously by anyone, since you cannot even identify yourself. Are you Gloria Gomes, you write like her?
I will share with you that there is documentation of everything that my Great-Aunt Florence Jones passed to me in a "Will" as well as documentation of Winnemem leadership responsibilities given to me in her own words. This included taking care of her daughter Margie. She wanted these things documented because she knew there would be people like you to who would try to cause trouble.
There is an old timer, Carol Bowen (93 I think), Florence's niece that knows many things, why don't you ask her about who I am, where I am from, and if Florence Jones trained me to be a doctor and Spiritual Leader.
For your information, Spiritual Leaders are not selected by elders - if a person is gifted, then other Spiritual Leaders like Florence and the Creator will train them. I spent a lot of time with Great Uncle Joe (also a doctor) and Great Aunt Florence Jones (also a top doctor)when I was a child. You obviously was no where around to have known that. I was trained as a child about the sacred places, songs, prayers, and medicines on the McCloud River and the mountains to Mt. Shasta.
This is not about power and control, you are wrong about that. This is about Winnemem Wintu Tribal existence now and in the seven generations to come. Try to understand that we do not speak for any other group/tribe of Wintu, nor have we taken anything from them. What we do is for Winnemem's to do.
Matt Root, Enrollen Wintu Tribal Member and blog author, I wonder you if will cut, paste, or edit my comment.
Matt Root is in fact a contributor to the Stop Wintu Fraud website. Not the editor, or creator. To date over half dozen wintu and wintun members have contributed to the website in an effort to exspose fraudulent activities that are stopping our tribe from being federally recognised.
Matt Root, why did you approve the slanderous hate speech written by "NotInOurName" about me to be posted on your blog. As you say, it will be there for ever. Double standards???? Are you protecting or trying to control NotInOurName? NotInOurName really has some serious hate problems. Nothing written by NotInOurName has any truth and should not be taken seriously. Then, you actually appoved NotInOurName again by posting the reasoning and trying to justify why all the name calling as if that was alright. Who is NotInOurName?
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