Winnemem Wintu

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The Winnemem Wintu ("middle river people" or "middle water people") are a band of the Native American Wintu tribe originally located along the lower McCloud River, above Shasta Dam near Redding, California. The Winnemem are one of nine bands of Wintu. They are not a federally recognized tribe, although they are working for federal recognition. The Winnemem Wintu feel that it is by government error rather than termination that the Bureau of Indian Affairs does not recognize them. The Winnemem Wintu spoke one of the Wintuan languages.

The Winnemem Wintu relate that forty-two Winnemem men, women and children were killed by white settlers at Kaibai Creek, California, in 1854. This action is known as the Kaibai Creek Massacre.

Since 1945, portions of the lower McCloud River have been flooded by Shasta Lake. The Winnemem Wintu are currently in a protracted fight with State of California and the federal Bureau of Reclamation over the proposed raising of the height of Shasta Dam to secure more water for California cities and agriculture; the Winnemem Wintu argue that the proposed higher lake level would flood many Winnemem Wintu sacred sites. From September 12 to 16, 2004, they held their first war dance since 1876 as a protest.

The Winnemem Wintu claim important sacred sites on Mount Shasta and Cold Spring Mountain. They are one of several groups of Native Americans who feel that casinos and their proceeds destroy culture from the inside out, and refuse to participate in the gaming industry.

[edit] Federal recognition

The Winnemem Wintu argue that they were accidentally erased from the Bureau of Indian Affairs list of recognized tribes during the 1980's. They have not been able to regain this recognition. Legislation sponsored by Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell in 2004 gave the Winnemem Wintu the opportunity to regain recognition. However, the Winnemem Wintu were informed that the group's inclusion on an Omnibus Bill related to all Native American tribal people would have put the entire bill at risk. Rather than have other tribal people put at risk, the Winnemem Wintu agreed with Senator Campbell to remove their name from the bill.