Natural Resources Committee - Report Secretary of Interior Breach of Fiduciary Duty.

The Honorable Nick J. Rahall, II
The Honorable Doc Hastings
Committee on Natural Resources
1324 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-6065 Fax: (202) 225-1931

Re: Opposition to HR 3697,3742 "Cover-up Bills". Request investigation of SOI endorsed identity theft of the Historic Shingle Springs Miwoks’ name and appropriations by a non-IRA, imposter “band”.

Dear Honorable Chairmen and Committee members,

This is not an Indian Country problem. This is an issue of governance caused by the failure of the Secretary of Interior to uphold his fiduciary duty to us, the Historic Shingle Springs Miwok of El Dorado County, an IRA voting tribe. We are starving and dying off.

With the help of the Bureau of Indian Affairs the Sacramento-Verona Band of Homeless Indians, took our name and is now sitting on the “Shingle Springs Rancheria”. They are neither Miwok, nor had they ever set foot in El Dorado County. The Veronas do not have the same blood in their veins or share the same heritage as the Historic Shingle Springs Miwok. Yet the Secretary knowingly has supported this “created imposter” tribe with US Tax dollars and even authorized their theft of our identity to build a casino.

Honorable Rajill, Hastings, we are asking for your help to investigate this matter and bring us justice. If the Assistant Secretary does not report to you our situation, during your consideration of HR 3697 and 3742, then his impact analysis you requested is a failure.

We the historic Shingle Springs Miwok of El Dorado County are the aboriginal treatied tribe of El Dorado County. Our ancestors survived the Gold-Rush of 1849 and signed the 1852 Consumes River Treaty with the United States accompanied by a census. Our ancestors were included in the 1870 Census, C.E Kelsey’s 1905-06 Census of Non-Reservation California Indians, 1933 Judgment Rolls and were included as a voting tribe of the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act considered to be under “Federal Jurisdiction”.

In 1910 the Shingle Springs Rancheria and El Dorado Rancheria were appropriated for our use. The combined parcel was proposed to be a reservation. BIA Field Agent John Terrell, identified a group of homeless people over 75 miles away in Sutter County. He called them the “Sacramento-Verona Band of Homeless Indians” and noted they were mostly of Hawiian decent. He invited them to live on our aboriginal land with us. They never did.

For over 60 years we occupied our landlocked land, in tents and trailers. No running water, no roads. We were removed off our aboriginal land when the Sacramento-Verona Band filed a constitution with the BIA during the 1970’s. The Veronas did not vote in the IRA nor were they ever verified to be California Natives. BIA records confirm on the 2008 deed for our land, the Shingle Springs Rancheria, that the “Sacramento-Verona Band of Homeless Indians voted to change their name to the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians”. The Sacramento-Verona Band of Homeless Indians took over our identity with the signature of BIA agent, Troy Burdick, built a casino on our aboriginal lands and excluded us from their membership.

There have been a number of attempts by us and by non-native supporters to discuss this matter with the BIA to rectify the issue. As recently as July 2009 a letter with evidence, was sent to the Director of the BIA, Jerold Gidner; Assistant Secretary; Larry Echo-Hawk; Chief of Governance, Daisy West; Senator Dorgan’s Assistant, Allison Binny and to the Secretary of Interior, Ken Salazar. It was met with total silence. Then Mr. Salazar with Mr. Kildee, Mr. Cole, and Mr. Dorgan produced these "cover-up" bills before you today.

During your consideration of HR 3742, 3679 and S 1703 please recognize that “legalizing” the Secretary of Interior’s breaches of fiduciary duty to the Historic Shingle Springs Miwok and many other tribes throughout the United States is criminal. We need amendments for grievance procedures through the Federal Court and Congress.

We ask for your help to have our land returned to us and our lost federal funding made good.

Regards,


The Historic Shingle Springs Miwok of El Dorado County
The Tax Payers of the United States
www.wildfireprotest.org