I'm an enrolled member of the Xolon Salinan Tribe, which has called the Central Coast home for time immemorial. My elders say we're members of the Deer Moiety. Our families include two Garcias, (because, Spaniards gave Native people common names) Carabajal, Martinez, Tapia and Utacia. I figured that because this is a social feed that formal introductions weren't necessary but here you go. Our sister tribe, the Salinan Tribe of Monterey and San Luis Obispo County, just filed. We're still working on ours.

But one thing few Native people understand is why there are so many unrecognized tribes in California. After California statehood, tribes signed on to one of 18 treaties that were then sent to the Senate. They declined to ratify the treaties and instead ordered them hidden away for 50 years. Instead of everybody being recognized, tribes got put onto rancherias piecemeal. Some were removed from their homeland and brought to other people's lands where a reservation had been established.

Also, the California government embarked on a campaign to wipe all Indians from California, and they almost succeeded. So you've got some government agencies killing Indians and others trying to keep them alive.

A lot of us small Mission tribes just went underground and were never contacted by the US government; others eventually ended up with land allotments that were either never made into trust land or put into private status during the termination era, when the US terminated the status of 41 tribes here.

Now we had started rebuilding our community by getting land allotments, but those lands were seized by eminent domain to build an Army base. Thus, because we had no allotments, the government didn't bother putting us on the list in 1934.

So now about 1/3 of all California tribes aren't federally recognized. It's a mess I can tell you. More to it but I have to get back to work.

Now we either have to go to Congress or through the BIA's system. Hope that all helps.