By Gloria Young
June 9 was a life-altering day for the 210 members of the United Auburn
Indian Community.
That day, when the doors opened at Thunder Valley Casino, a door opened
on a new life for the tribe that has lived in poverty for nearly a
century on a few acres of land near Auburn.
“It’s very life-changing,” tribal council chairwoman Jessica Tavares
said recently. “Change is slow, but it is getting there.”
For many years, the day-to-day struggle simply to make ends meet left
no time for preserving and celebrating the centuries-old heritage of
the tribe, which is composed of Miwok and Maidu Indians.
But that is changing, with the tribe investing those hopes in the
newest generation. A major focus is going to be on education, including
their link with the past, Tavares said.
“One of the great things about the casino is it gives them the
opportunity to bring back their culture, such as language and dancing,”
tribe spokesman Doug Elmets said.
And Tavares agrees.
“Just teaching the young ones is important, and I think it is important
they learn this,” she said.
But the first priority is to pay off the debt from the construction of
the casino.
“Jessica and the tribal council are not going to saddle this generation
or future generations with debt,” Elmets said.
“I don’t want to pass debt down,” Tavares said. “I want the money to be
available for the next generation. We want to see doctors and lawyers
come out of that generation. I have a dream for my granddaughters. I’d
like to see them become lawyers — all of them.”
That means allotting funds for education to send them to whatever
college or university they choose.
Tavares’ emphasis on education is being felt in other areas, too. The
younger members of the tribe are required to have a high school diploma
or GED, or show proof they are in school, in order to get a
per-capita distribution from casino profits, for which they become
eligible when they reach 18.
In addition, all the tribe members are required to attend 18 hours of
financial classes in a program administered through American River
College. Then there are ongoing classes for those who want to learn
more about finance and investing.
“Some have never had a checkbook or bank account before,” Tavares
said.
The council also has hired a new administrator, Gary Bates, whom they
met through the financial instruction program
“We were looking for someone we’d feel comfortable with,” Tavares said.
“He is a great guy.”
Medical care is now in the hands of Blue Cross, enabling members to
have their choice of physicians, she said.
As they pursue their dream for a better life, the tribe has purchased
land for a new rancheria outside Camp Far West, near Sheridan. Tavares
estimates it will take five years for construction of the 93
residential homes to be built on 5-acre lots.
Even when it’s completed, some members of the community will opt to
stay on at the Auburn Rancheria.
“They want to live there because they’ve lived there all their lives,”
she said.
For them, they will have new dwellings too.
“Before June 9, many were living in homes with tarp roofs and no
running water, or in trailers,” Tavares said. “One woman had water that
came out of a hose. Her kitchen was outside.”
Some of the funds will be put toward buying back some of the Auburn
Rancheria acreage sold by the federal government in years gone
by.
Another project in the works is the design and construction of a tribal
center — similar to a traditional roundhouse — on the old
rancheria. It will include offices, classrooms, meeting rooms and a
medical facility with a doctor or nurse on the staff. The tribe hopes
to have it completed within a year.
Tavares is very busy these days, her time filled with meetings,
planning and discussions on casino matters and the numerous aspects of
making life better for the members of the United Auburn Indian
Community.
“It was quite a struggle to get here,” she said. “If you have a dream,
sometimes it takes a lot of hard work. Just stay with it and stay
strong. It took a lot of hard work, but we stayed strong and we made
it. Keep your dream focused and you can get it.”
