Jerry Brown: North Fork casino intrudes on Chowchilla lands

We the members of the Chowchilla Tribe of Yokuts have the rightful claim to the ancestral land on which the North Fork Rancheria plans to build a casino near Highway 99. As mentioned in historical documents of California and American Indian history, the Chowchilla Tribe of Yokuts existed in the San Joaquin Valley prior to any white settlers arriving here. Unlike many tribes in California that are not considered recognized, the Chowchilla Indians are a federally recognized California tribe and have never been removed from that status.

For the North Fork Band of Mono Indians to attempt to lay claim to regions historically attributed to the Chowchilla Indians is contrary to every written document. The North Fork tribe has ancestral and archeological rights to its current location in the Sierra Nevada Mountain range above 3,000 feet. They are seeking to move their location 40 miles to the west and on the Valley floor, which is historically Chowchilla Tribe of Yokuts territory. Their move would cause an environmental damage to the land that once housed Chowchilla Indians sites and villages.