A court fight between two Native American tribes has heated up as the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria try to stop the building of a planned casino near Windsor, California. The Graton Rancheria sued federal agencies on November 27 claiming that the project would step on their tribal rights and ancestral roots.
Historic Dispute Over Ancestral Ties Clouds Koi Nation’s Casino Project
The Koi Nation’s Shiloh Resort and Casino project has stirred up a lot of debate since it began. The Koi Nation, whose ancestors lived in Sonoma and Lake counties, bought a 68-acre piece of land on East Shiloh Road for $12 million not long ago. For many years, the tribe did not have any land to call their own. Now, they plan to build a big resort on this site with gambling, shows, and places to stay.
However, Graton Rancheria claims the Koi Nation does not have real ancestral connections to the Windsor area, as reported by SFGATE. The lawsuit states that the planned site sits outside the Koi Nation’s historical lands, which are over 50 miles away in Lake County. Graton Rancheria says the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Department of the Interior did not look at the Koi Nation’s claims to the land. This led to what they call a “flawed process.”
The fight has caught the eye of California’s leaders too. Governor Gavin Newsom‘s team does not like the plan. They say the Koi Nation just wants to make money from gambling, not get back their old lands. Newsom’s team points out that the Windsor spot is far from where the tribe used to live.
Koi Nation Challenges Opposition, Stands Firm on Windsor Casino Proposal
The Koi Nation hit back at the lawsuit. Their spokesperson said Graton Rancheria’s claims are wrong. They accused Graton of trying to mess with the rules to make more cash. The Koi Nation stressed they have been part of the wider Sonoma area for a long time. They insist their project follows federal rules.
People living near the proposed casino site have voiced their worries about how it might affect their area. Some neighbors are scared that it could lead to more cars on the roads, make wildfires more likely to happen, and cause more crime. A few of them are even thinking about going to court to try and stop the project from moving forward.
The Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma, which runs a lot of casinos, is putting up $600 million for this project. They want to build the Shiloh Resort and Casino, which would have a hotel with 400 rooms and 2,500 slot machines. If they get the go-ahead to build it, the Chickasaw Nation will be in charge of running the place.
The BIA plans to make a choice by the end of December on the Koi Nation’s request to put the Shiloh Road land into a federal trust. This is a key move to build the casino. Graton Rancheria wants its court case to slow down or stop the project. This fight shows bigger issues about tribal power and land use rights in the area.
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