Tolowa Nation (Petitioner #85) Proposed Finding Summary under the Criteria and Evidence for the Proposed Finding against Acknowledgment of the Tolowa Nation (Petitioner #85) Prepared in Response to a Petition for Federal Acknowledgment as an Indian Tribe Submitted to the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs NOV 1 8 2010 (Date) = - arry Echo Hawk ssistant Secretary - Indian Affairs Tolowa Nation (Petitioner #85) Proposed Finding CONTENTS ACRONYMS……………………………………………………………………………..…….…i MAPS……………………………………………………………………………………………..ii Map of Athabascan Villages and Sites in Del Norte County ................................................. iii Map of Del Norte County, including Del Norte Athabascan Locations ................................. iv INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 Regulatory Procedures ............................................................................................................. 2 Administrative History ............................................................................................................ 2 Documents Received: Governing Document. ........................................................................ 5 Historical Background 1853-1906 ........................................................................................... 5 Issues Pertaining to Historical Indian Tribe ............................................................................ 9 Identification of Ancestors .................................................................................................... 13 Membership Lists ........................................................................................................... 13 Membership Files ........................................................................................................... 13 Petitioner’s Claimed Ancestors ...................................................................................... 13 UNAMBIGUOUS PREVIOUS FEDERAL ACKNOWLEDGMENT (§ 83.8) .......................... 16 Smith River/Klamath Reservations ....................................................................................... 17 Smith River, Elk Valley, and Resighini Rancherias .............................................................. 17 Del Norte Indian Welfare Association (DNIWA) ................................................................. 18 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 18 SUMMARY UNDER THE CRITERIA ....................................................................................... 20 Criterion 83.7(b) .................................................................................................................... 20 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 20 Evidence for years 1853-1868 ........................................................................................ 20 Evidence for years 1869-1902 ........................................................................................ 22 Evidence for years 1903-1933 ........................................................................................ 24 Evidence for years 1934-1949 ........................................................................................ 27 Evidence for years 1950-1982 ........................................................................................ 31 Evidence for years 1983-2010 ........................................................................................ 36 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 40 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................... 43 Tolowa Nation (Petitioner #85) Proposed Finding ACRONYMS AS-IA Assistant Secretary–Indian Affairs BIA Bureau of Indian Affairs BAR Branch of Acknowledgment and Research (Now OFA) CA California CETA Comprehensive Employment and Training Act DNIWA Del Norte Indian Welfare Association FD Final Determination FR Federal Register GLO General Land Office IRA Indian Reorganization Act M “Mixed” or “Mulatto” NCAI National Congress of American Indians NCIDC Northern California Indian Development Council OD Obvious Deficiency Letter OFA Office of Federal Acknowledgment OR Oregon PF Proposed Finding TA Technical Assistance [Review Letter] TN Tolowa Nation W White i Tolowa Nation (Petitioner #85) Proposed Finding MAPS ii Tolowa Nation (Petitioner #85) Proposed Finding Rogue River – 40 Miles Howonquet (Siesta Peak Ranch) Nelechundun (Fish Dam Site) Yontocket (Burnt Ranch) Etchulet (Lake Earl) (Lagoon) Tataten Mestletun (Pebble Beach) Wilson Creek Map of Athabascan Villages and Sites in Del Norte County1 1Adopted from Waterman (1925, 529). Note the variations in spelling of the village names in the texts. iii Tolowa Nation (Petitioner #85) Proposed Finding Map of Del Norte County, including Del Norte Athabascan Locations2 2Adopted from Crescent City Hazard Mitigation Plan Volume 1: Planning-Area-Wide Elements (2010, 32). iv Tolowa Nation (Petitioner #85) Proposed Finding Introduction INTRODUCTION The Office of the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs (AS-IA) within the Department of the Interior (Department) issues this proposed finding (PF) in response to the petition it received from the group known as the Tolowa Nation (Petitioner #85), with its headquarters in Fort Dick, California. Petitioner #85 seeks Federal acknowledgment as an Indian tribe under Part 83 of Title 25 of the Code of Federal Regulations (25 CFR Part 83), “Procedures for Establishing that an American Indian Group Exists as an Indian Tribe.” The evidence submitted by Petitioner #85, and evidence Department staff obtained through its verification and evaluation research, is insufficient to demonstrate that Petitioner #85 meets the criterion 83.7(b), one of the seven mandatory criteria of the regulations for a determination that the petitioning group is an Indian tribe. Criterion 83.7(b) requires that “[a] predominant portion of the petitioning group comprises a distinct community and has existed as a community from historical times until the present.” In accordance with the regulations, the failure to meet all seven criteria requires a determination that the petitioning group is not an Indian tribe within the meaning of Federal law (§ 83.6(d), § 83.10(m)). Therefore, the Department proposes to decline to acknowledge Petitioner #85 as an Indian tribe. According to AS-IA Office of Federal Acknowledgment; Guidance and Direction Regarding Internal Procedures of May 23, 2008: If during the evaluation of a petition on active consideration it becomes apparent that the petitioner fails on one criterion, or more, under the reasonable likelihood of the validity of the facts standard, OFA may prepare a proposed finding or final determination not to acknowledge the group on the failed criterion or criteria alone, setting forth the evidence, reasoning, and analyses that form the basis for the proposed decision. (73 FR 30147) The burden of providing sufficient evidence under the criteria in the regulations rests with the petitioner, 25 CFR § 83.5(c). Because Petitioner #85 has not met criterion § 83.7(b) as a distinct community, it is not necessary for the Department to make conclusions regarding the other six mandatory criteria. This proposed finding is based on the evidence currently in the record. Additional evidence may be submitted during the comment period that follows publication of this finding. New evidence provided during the comment period may result in a modification or reversal of the conclusions reached in the proposed finding. As provided in the AS-IA guidance of May 23, 2008: If a proposed finding against acknowledgment is issued on fewer than seven criteria and if, following an evaluation of the evidence and argument submitted during the comment period, it is determined that the petitioner meets the criterion or criteria, then the Assistant Secretary will issue an amended proposed finding evaluating all seven criteria. (73 FR 30147) 1 Tolowa Nation (Petitioner #85) Proposed Finding Introduction Regulatory Procedures The acknowledgment regulations under 25 CFR Part 83 establish the procedures by which a group may seek Federal acknowledgment as an Indian tribe, establishing a government-to- government relationship with the United States. To be entitled to such a political relationship with the United States, the petitioner must submit evidence documenting that the group meets these seven criteria. Failure to meet any one of the mandatory criteria in § 83.7 will result in a determination that the group is not an Indian tribe within the meaning of Federal law. The Office of Federal Acknowledgment (OFA) within the Office of the AS-IA has responsibility for administering the regulations and analyzing petitions based on the evidence in the administrative record. The time periods for the evaluation of documented petitions are set forth in the acknowledgment regulations in § 83.10. Publication of the notice of the PF in the Federal Register (FR) initiates a 180-day comment period during which the petitioner and interested and informed parties may submit arguments and evidence to support or rebut the conclusions reached in the PF. Such comments should be submitted