A bill to extend the policy of self-determination to Native Hawaiians enjoys support in Indian Country but one tribe in particular is paying close attention to the debate.

Most of the members of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians have Hawaiian roots. Tribal ancestors married Native Hawaiians who came to California during the Gold Rush of the mid-1800s and the groups formed Indian-Hawaiian communities around Sacramento.

In 1916, the Bureau of Indian Affairs relocated one of those communities to what is now the Shingle Springs Rancheria. Tribal members say they owe their survival to their Hawaiian ancestors and believe their relatives on the mainland deserve the same recognition as tribes in the U.S.

"I think they should have the same rights as native Americans – they are native Americans," Hannah Adams, 23, a tribal gaming commissioner, told The Sacramento Bee.

Get the Story:
Sacramento Indians hope bill will restore sovereignty -- in Hawaii (The Sacramento Bee 5/13)

Native Hawaiian Bill:
H.R.862 | S.381

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Editorial: Restore Native Hawaiian sovereignty (2/9)
Native Hawaiian recognition bill revived in Congress (2/5)