Nancy Ayala: Handling the daily business of Chukchansi Tribe

Over the past year, it's likely you've read about the internal struggle for control of the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians government. The stories have surely been confusing, involving multiple lawsuits, countless accusations of wrongdoing and two rogue factions who continue to sabotage the Chukchansi tribe though they no longer have offices on the Rancheria or control of our government on a day-to-day basis.

We write to clear up that confusion. Our group of seven – the Ayala Quorum Council – comes to work every day on the Rancheria. We pay the Tribe's bills and make monthly per capita payments to Tribal members. We operate the Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino. And we represent the Tribe when our more than 900 members have dealings with the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs and other government entities.

In short, the rogue factions talk about governing the Chukchansi tribe, helping members and doing business. We actually do that work as opposed to talking about it.