The Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation, previously known as Smith River Rancheria, is a
federally recognized tribe
A federally recognized tribe is a Native American tribe recognized by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs as holding a government-to-government relationship with the US federal government. In the United States, the Native American tribe ...
of
Tolowa people
The Tolowa people or Taa-laa-wa Dee-ni’ are a Native American people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethno-linguistic group. Two rancherías (Smith River and Elk Valley) still reside in their traditional territory in northwestern California. Tho ...
in
Del Norte County, California
Del Norte County ( Spanish for "Of The North") is a county located at the far northwest corner of the U.S. state of California, along the Pacific Ocean adjacent to the Oregon border. Its population was 27,743 as of the 2020 census, down from ...
.
["Smith River Rancheria."]
''SDSU: California Indians and Their Reservations.'' Retrieved 4 June 2012. They are
Athabascan
Athabaskan ( ; also spelled ''Athabascan'', ''Athapaskan'' or ''Athapascan'', and also known as Dene) is a large branch of the Na-Dene language family of North America, located in western North America in three areal language groups: Northern, ...
people, distantly related to northern Athabascans of eastern
Alaska
Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
and western
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, as well as the
Apache
The Apache ( ) are several Southern Athabaskan language-speaking peoples of the Southwestern United States, Southwest, the Southern Plains and Northern Mexico. They are linguistically related to the Navajo. They migrated from the Athabascan ho ...
and
Navajo people
The Navajo or Diné are an Native Americans in the United States, Indigenous people of the Southwestern United States. Their traditional language is Navajo language, Diné bizaad, a Southern Athabascan language.
The states with the largest Din ...
s of the American Southwest.
[
As of the 2020 Census the population of this group was 423. Tolowa people are also part of other federally recognized tribes in northern California and Oregon.
]
Government
The Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation is headquartered in Smith River, California
Smith River ( Tolowa: ''Kaa-nvsh'') is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Del Norte County, California, located near the Oregon border. Smith River is the headquarters of the Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation, a federally recognized tri ...
. They are governed by a democratically elected, seven-member tribal council. Their current tribal administration is as follows:
* Chairperson: Jeri Lynn Thompson
* Vice Chairperson: Scott Sullivan
* Secretary: Debbie Boardman
* Treasurer: Jaytuk Steinruck
* Councilmember: Dr. Joseph Giovannetti
* Councilmember: Amanda O'Connell
* Councilmember: Dorothy Wait
* Executive Director: Troy Ralstin
Reservation
The Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation is a federally recognized tribe, which owns 805 acres of land on or adjacent to its reservation in Del Norte County, north of Crescent City.[ The Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation was established in 1906; their land used to consist of only 30-acres. The nearest community is Smith River, while the nearest incorporated city is ]Brookings, Oregon
Brookings is a city in Curry County, Oregon, Curry County, Oregon, United States. It was named after John E. Brookings, president of the Brookings Lumber & Box Company, who founded the city in 1908. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...
, about 10 miles to the north. In 1862, the US Government established the Smith River Reservation
Smith River Reservation was an Indian reservation on the Smith River, set aside April 9, 1862 by the Department of Indian Affairs to replace the Klamath River Reservation that had been destroyed by the Great Flood of 1862 and as a reservation fo ...
, which consisted of 16,000 acres and which was abandoned by the U.S. in 1868.
Economic development
The Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation (Smith River Rancheria) owns and operates the Lucky 7 Casino and Xaa-wan'-k'wvt Village Resort in Smith River, California."California Casinos - Indian Casinos by Tribe."
''500 Nations.'' Retrieved 4 June 2012.
Notable members
* Eunice Bommelyn, Tolowa language
The Tolowa language (also called Chetco-Tolowa, or Siletz Dee-ni) is a member of the Pacific Coast Athabaskan, Pacific Coast subgroup of the Athabaskan languages, Athabaskan language family. Together with three other closely related languages (Lo ...
proponent, cultural advocate, genealogist, and historian.
Notes
External links
Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation
official website
* , Four Directions Institute
{{authority control
Tolowa
Native American tribes in California
Federally recognized tribes in the United States
Del Norte County, California
1906 establishments in California
Populated coastal places in California