Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria facts for kids

The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria is a Native American tribe. They are made up of two groups: the Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo Indians. This tribe was once known as the Federated Coast Miwok. The U.S. government officially recognized them again in 2000. This happened because of a special law called the Graton Rancheria Restoration Act.

A Long History: Before Europeans Arrived

Before Europeans came, Native Americans lived in Marin and Sonoma Counties. These were the Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo people. They lived close to each other in Northern California. For over 3,000 years, more than 600 village sites have been found in Coast Miwok lands. Their territory stretched from Bodega Bay in the north, east to Cotati and Sonoma, and along the Point Reyes National Seashore and Tomales Bay.

First Meetings with Europeans

The first time Europeans wrote about the Coast Miwok people was in 1579. This was recorded by Chaplain Fletcher, who was on Sir Francis Drake's ship near Point Reyes. In 1595, the Coast Miwok met the crew of the San Agustin. This was a large Spanish ship called a Manila Galleon, captained by Sebastião Rodrigues Soromenho. Its crew included Filipino sailors.

Life During the Mission Period

From 1779 to 1823, during the Mission Period, Native Americans were used for labor. Missions like Mission San Francisco de Asís (also called "Mission Dolores"), Mission San Rafael Arcángel, and Mission San Francisco Solano relied on them. This included the Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo people.

Families and New Beginnings

As early as 1830, a Filipino man named Domingo Felix married a Coast Miwok woman named Euphrasia Valencia. They started a family. This family later settled in Lairds Landing in 1861 and lived there until 1955. Some members of the Coast Miwok tribe today can trace their family history back to this couple.

Southern Pomo Lands

The Southern Pomo people lived in Sonoma County. Their lands were south of the Russian River and extended to the southern Santa Rosa area. The Southern Pomo were the first people to live in what is now the town of Sebastopol. Several smaller traditional Southern Pomo villages were located southeast of Sebastopol, along the Laguna de Santa Rosa. A famous California expert, Alfred L. Kroeber, wrote that a place called Batiklechawi in Sebastopol was an important town for them.

Recent History: Regaining Recognition

Most Coast Miwok people continued to live in their traditional lands throughout the 1900s. They worked in sawmills, as farm laborers, and fished to earn money.

The Graton Rancheria

The Graton Rancheria was a special area of land set aside for Native Americans. It was about 15-acre (61,000 m²) near Sebastopol in Sonoma County. This land was meant for Coast Miwok, Southern Pomo, and other Native Americans living nearby. However, when people started to settle there in 1920, they found that most of the land (all but three acres (12,000 m²)) was not good for living on.

Losing and Regaining Federal Recognition

In 1958, the U.S. government stopped recognizing the Graton Rancheria as a tribe. This meant they lost their special status. However, Gloria Armstrong, a Miwok woman, privately owned a 1-acre (4,000 m²) piece of the former rancheria. In 1992, the tribe began the process to get their federal recognition back. They finally achieved this on December 27, 2000, thanks to the Graton Rancheria Restoration Act passed by the U.S. Congress. On April 18, 2008, the tribe bought 254 acres (1.03 km²) of land.

Working for the Future

Since 2007, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria have worked with Occidental Arts and Ecology in Occidental, California. They have created workshops called Tradition Environmental Knowledge. These workshops teach about organic farming, herbology (the study of plants for medicine), restoring native plants, and ethnobotany (how people use plants).

Notable Tribal Members

• Julia F. Parker, born 1928, a master basket weaver
• Greg Sarris, born 1952, a professor and author