California One Step Closer to Asking Federal Government to Restore Recognition of Winnemem Wintu Tribe

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Mark Franco
Headman
Winnemem Wintu Tribe

For the Winnemem Wintu time seemed to stand still then move in reverse.

At the end of the day, The Winnemem Wintu Tribe drew one step closer to righting years of historic wrongs Tuesday. The California Senate Governmental Organizations Committee passed a Joint Resolution in support of restoring the Winnemem Wintu Tribe's federal recognition status. Assembly Joint Resolution 39 (AJR 39), authored by Assemblyman Jared Huffman which passed with no opposition, will now head to the Senate Floor for a vote in August. The resolution, authored by Assembly Member Huffman, urges the Federal Government to restore federal recognition status to the Tribe.

The Senate Government and Organization Committee met on Tuesday to decide the fate of numerous bills and actions set before it including the future of AJR 39. As we sat in the hallway before the resolution came up for discussion, the mood of the tribal members was optimistic and hopeful. We had spent a full day the week before meeting with Senators and staffers to discuss the resolution and left that “Lobby day” with the impression that we would be able to see our resolution head to the full Senate for a floor vote in August.

But as they came into the hallway and said that “39 is being read”, our spiritual leader Caleen and I got separated as we were rushed to the committee table. I hoped that this separation would be short as Mr. Huffman just finished his remarks and introduced me just as I sat down next to him. Like a very large deer in the headlights, I sat unaware of what to do and then as if prompted from a place long in the past, I began to speak on behalf of the tribe and this small piece of historic legislation – historic to our people anyway, as we have waited 157 years to have our words carried to Washington DC by the legislature of the State of California in a helpful manner as opposed to the request made in 1852 that the treaty we signed in “peace and friendship” not be ratified.