Indian Gaming > Study claims Scotts Valley Band not tied to land

November 21, 2006

Study claims Scotts Valley Band not tied to land

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A study commissioned by Contra Costa County, California, claims the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians is not tied to a proposed casino site in the Bay Area.

The tribe wants to build a casino in North Richmond, about 114 miles from its headquarters. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is considering a land-into-trust application for 30 acres near San Pablo Bay.

But the county claims the Scotts Valley Band didn't occupy that area. A historian from Lewis and Clark College in Oregon says other tribes, but not the Pomos, have historical or cultural ties to the area.

Chairman Don Arnold criticized the study. "Indian people were here a long time ago," he told The Contra Costa Times. "We were Indian people ... Who are you going to believe: the Indian or the white guy?"

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Tribe lacks ties to land, study says (The Contra Costa Times 11/21)
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