Still here, still strong!

Be informed. Read our case filings, see our exhibits.
You will find the latest information about your local Tribe here. We are not dead, we were never terminated, we are not a myth…we are still making history...
This is a clear, structured simplified overview that separates IRA-era recognition from the later Part 83 acknowledgment process, and summarizes the A–F criteria.  
 
The Verona Band of Homeless Indians were never invited by the BIA to vote in the IRA, nor did they pass a part 83 review. They were installed by the BIA in 2004 and can be easily removed.
 
How California Tribes Were Recognized Under the IRA — and What Part 83 Is
1. Recognition Under the Indian Reorganization Act (1934–1935)
The Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of 1934 was federal legislation that allowed existing tribal communities to:
Organize formal governments
Adopt constitutions
Elect representatives
Manage lands collectively
In California, many tribal communities were already known to the federal government through:
Treaties (including unratified California treaties) >>"Treaty of Cosumens River 1851"
Census rolls ">>Kelsey Census 1905-06 El Dorado County recorded over 30 families"
Rancheria designations >>"Shingle Springs Reservation, formally designated in 1920 for the El Dorado County Mewuk Indians. The Padilla and Smith families lived on it with formal approval of the Federal Government."
Agency records >>"hundreds of pages"
Allotment records ">>The voting IRA members were not allotted any land"
 
When a tribal community voted under the IRA (typically 1934–1935) to adopt a constitution or organize formally, that action was treated as federal recognition of an existing tribal entity — not the creation of a new one.>>the thumbnail shows the Padillas voted in the IRA
 
Recognition during the IRA period generally meant:
The federal government acknowledged the tribe as a political entity
The tribe could govern itself under a federally approved constitution
The relationship between tribe and United States was formalized
 
There was no Part 83 process at that time.
 
2. The Creation of the Part 83 Process (1978)
In 1978, the Department of the Interior created a formal administrative process for groups that were not already federally recognized but sought recognition.
This became known as:
 
25 C.F.R. Part 83 — Procedures for Federal Acknowledgment of Indian Tribes
Part 83 did not replace earlier recognition.
It created a pathway for groups lacking documented federal recognition to prove continuous tribal existence.
 
The A–F Criteria of Part 83 (Simplified)
To be acknowledged under Part 83, a petitioning group must demonstrate:
A. Identification
The group has been identified as an American Indian entity on a substantially continuous basis since 1900.
B. Community
A predominant portion of the group has comprised a distinct community from historical times to the present.
C. Political Authority
The group has maintained political influence or authority over its members as an autonomous entity from historical times to the present.
D. Governing Document
The group provides a copy of its present governing document, including membership criteria.
E. Descent
Members descend from a historical Indian tribe or from tribes that combined and functioned as a single autonomous political entity.
F. Not Otherwise Recognized or Terminated
The group is not already federally recognized, and its recognition has not been legislatively terminated.

 

Key Distinction
IRA Recognition (1934–35) applied to tribes already acknowledged in federal dealings and allowed them to formalize governance.
Part 83 (1978 forward) applies to groups seeking recognition where federal acknowledgment was not previously established or documented.
A tribe recognized under the IRA would not ordinarily need to go through Part 83 because its federal relationship was already established.
 

Gale Norton testimony describing that the Sacramento-Verona Band never met the Part 83 process nor the IRA