"Our journey as the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians is not an easy story to tell. It is a story of endurance. A story of survival. A story of how, no matter what the challenges placed before us, we continue to rise and carry our culture, our language, and our traditions forward.

In 1851, the United States sent agents to make treaties with our people. Our ancestors known as the Ca-la-na-po and Mo-al-kai, were two of eight tribal signatories to an unratified treaty with the United States. Under that treaty, the tribes “jointly and severally” ceded their rights, title, and claims to land from Clear Lake to San Pablo Bay in exchange for reservation land on the western shore of Clear Lake. That reservation was never established, yet the land ceded was certainly taken from our people.  To add insult to injury, the United States Senate rejected the treaty and concealed its existence for more than 50 years. This begins with a series of broken promises, as our people were cast aside. But still, we persevered.

In 1911, the government acquired a small parcel of land – just 56-acres ---which became known as the Sugar Bowl Rancheria. Life there was not easy. There was poor housing, limited water, and hardship. But still, we persevered.

That land base was terminated in 1958 under the California Rancheria Termination Act, which stripped away the federal trust relationship and extinguished Rancheria’s reservation status.  This left the Tribe landless once again. But still, we persevered.

By 1972, the Bureau of Indian Affairs forced many of our members into relocation, sending families to the Bay Area, far from their roots, where language and culture were harder to hold onto. But still, we persevered.

In 1986, our members stood up and fought back. We sued the federal government for what was taken from us. After years of struggle, in 1992, our recognition was restored. This was not just a legal victory. It was the voice of our ancestors, carried through generations, saying: But still, we persevered.

Today, we continue to honor that resilience. After many years of work, the Department of the Interior has acquired 160 acres in Vallejo in trust status for our Tribe as a restored homeland. This land is more than acreage. It is more than boundaries on a map. It is a home. A sovereign place where our people can govern, build, and thrive. And to persevere.

This did not happen overnight. It took nearly a decade of dedication, environmental reviews, public hearings, court challenges, and relentless determination. Our Council, our staff, our members never gave up. And now, this land stands as a symbol of who we are: a people who do not forget where we come from, and who always look toward the generations yet to come."