The Potter Valley Tribe is a federally recognized tribe of

Pomo people The Pomo are an Indigenous people of California. Historical Pomo territory in Northern California was large, bordered by the Pacific Coast to the west, extending inland to Clear Lake, and mainly between Cleone and Duncans Point. One small gr ...

Mendocino County, California Mendocino County (; ''Mendocino'', Spanish for "of Mendoza) is a county located on the North Coast of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,601. The county seat is Ukiah. Mendocino County consists whol ...

. They were previously known as the Little River Band of Pomo IndiansCalifornia Indians and Their Reservations.
''San Diego State University Library and Information Access.'' 2009 . Retrieved 3 August 2009. and Potter Valley Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California. The tribe is descended from the first-known inhabitants of the valley, which the Pomo called Ba-lo Kai. Europeans first settled there, at the headwaters of the East Fork of the Russian River, in 1852.

History

In 1958, Congress passed the first " Rancheria Act," and 41 Rancherias in California were terminated. Throughout California, 7,601 acres of trust lands were terminated, and 1,330 Native people killed. The Potter Valley Rancheria was formally terminated on 1 August 1961. This revoked the Tribe's federal status, excluded members from further assistance as Indians, and distributed land assignments to eligible members. This placed the land in fee simple status, allowing members to live on or dispose of the property ? and be subject to property taxes for the first time in history. One 10 acre parcel purchased in 1892 continued to be occupied by Potter Valley Pomo Indians and their descendants. Properties of the original Rancheria were sold over the years; there are only one or two properties still belonging to the descendants of the Indians who lived there. The Rancheria is still erroneously shown on road maps. In 1979, tribes throughout northern California counties sued in the United States District Court. The lawsuit alleged that the federal government had illegally terminated 17 Indian tribes. This lawsuit, Tillie Hardwick, et al. v. United States, U.S. Dist. Court, Northern Dist. of California, No. C-79-1710-SW, has become noteworthy in northern California. The Potter Valley Tribe, and other California tribes, are often referred to as "Tillie Hardwick Tribes." On 2 March 1993 the Potter Valley Rancheria adopted a constitution and by-laws, establishing a Tribal Council and assuming governmental functions. The Potter Valley Tribe presently has an on-reservation service population of 31 people.

Records

The majority of records of individuals were those created by the agencies. Some records may be available to tribal members through the tribal headquarters. They were (and are) the local office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and were charged with maintaining records of the activities of those under their responsibility.

Reservation

The Potter Valley Tribe's reservation is the Potter Valley Rancheria, which is large. 138 tribal members live on the reservation. The Rancheria is situated in the western slope of

Potter Valley Potter Valley is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California, United States. It is located north-northeast of Ukiah, at an elevation of at the headwaters of the East Fork Russian River. The CDP population was 665 at the 2020 cens ...

. The Potter Valley Tribe is located at the address of 2251 South State Street Ukiah, CA 95482. In the early 20th century, the Rancheria was a village of 11 houses with 50 residents. They came from all villages all over the valley, including the Yukian Huchnom band. The

Methodist Episcopal church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...

maintained a village school for the reservation.

Government

The tribe conducts business from

Ukiah, California Ukiah ( ; Pomo: ''Yokaya'', meaning "deep valley") is the county seat and largest city of Mendocino County, California, with a population of 16,607 at the 2020 census. With its accessible location along the U.S. Route 101 corridor, Ukiah serves ...

. The current tribal administration is: * Salvador Rosales, Tribal Chairperson * Losario Rosales, Treasurer * Rosemary Rahmaoui, SecretaryPotter Valley Tribe Board Members.
''Potter Valley Tribe.'' . Retrieved 16 March 2017.

Notes

References

* Barrett, Samuel Alfred
The Entho-Geography of the Pomo and Neighboring Indians.
Berkeley: University of California, 1908. * Pritzker, Barry M. ''A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.

External links

Potter Valley Tribe
official website {{authority control Pomo tribe Native American tribes in California Native American tribes in Mendocino County, California Federally recognized tribes in the United States