When the government tried to erase California's rancherias, a Pomo woman named Tillie Hardwick took it to court, and in 1983 federal recognition was restored to seventeen tribes at once. The winning argument was that termination was unlawful because the improvements promised before dissolution were never delivered. The case is the series' turning point and set off a restoration wave.
Who's who
- Tillie Hardwick+1 more episodePomo activist and lead plaintiff from Pinoleville Rancheria
- Joseph A. MyersHardwick's son, attorney and founder of the National Indian Justice Center
- Larry MyersHardwick's son, longtime head of the California Native American Heritage Commission
Where it happens
- Pinoleville Rancheria, Mendocino County, CaliforniaHardwick's home rancheria
Timeline
- August 18, 1958California Rancheria Act requires improvements before distribution.
- 1964Amendment adds seven more rancherias to the termination list.
- 1977-1983A narrow first wave of individual restorations begins.
- 1979Hardwick v. United States is filed as a class action.
- July 19, 1983Stipulated judgment restores recognition to 17 rancherias.
Still debated
Sources give 41, 46 or 48 rancherias terminated, against a BIA figure of only 38, and totals of restored tribes range from about 27 to about 40 depending on what is counted.