3000 Shanel Road
Hopland, CA 95449
707-744-1647
The Hopland Band of Pomo Indians has a tribal territory located in the Hopland, California. Their tribal land encompasses not less than four hundred acres of and almost twelve miles on the southeastern side of Ukiah and forty two miles on the northern portion of Rosa, in the Mendocino County. The Hopland Band of Pomo Indians is actually a federally acknowledged tribe. The tribe underwent an illegal termination of the rights on the 22nd of May in the year 1961 in accordance with the California Rancheria Act. Several years later, in March of the year 1978, the termination of the tribe and the selling of their tribal properties most especially their reservation area was illegal under the government constitution. It was also declared in the same year that the tribal acknowledgement was still in existence as well as their governmental status. Upon their organization in compliance with the Indian Reservation Act's Constitution, the tribal constitution was formalized and approved by the General Council on the 20th of August, in the year 1981. The Hopland Band of Pomo Indians then organized their governing body which was composed of seven elected members who became known as the Tribal Council. On the other hand, the tribe also had their General Council who are composed of the General Membership of the whole of the tribe. The general criteria to be considered as part of the General Council was that one must be a member of the tribe and he or she must be at least eighteen years of age. These people are the ones who vote to elect the tribe's Tribal Council. The elected officers who will govern the Tribal Council are given two year of terms to prove themselves and serve the rest of the tribe. It was in the year 2000 when the Tribe chartered and created the Hopland Economic Development Corporation. The general task of the newly established governmental institution was to administer the Overall Economic Development Plan of the tribe thus bringing forth the economic progress that they desire. The Hopland Band of Pomo Indians is settled just around the ancestral territory of the Pomo people. The Pomo people were known to have traditionally settled along the banks of the Russian River located in the Northern California. The tribal population encountered many ups and downs as their number normally ranged from those who were settled in the heart of the valley of Russian River up to the northern areas aong the branch of the Eel River, which were known as the Outlet or the Deep Creek. These water forms are the ones that flow along the coastal valley which is almost the same size as that of the Russian River. These two landmarks, however, are located in opposite directions. It was the availability of the nearby resources that urged for the trading industry which was the stool for the economic growth. The said sites likewise played a significant role in the lives of the other neighboring tribes. It was during the 1850's when these Pomo people were forced to move out of their ancestral territory. Many of them were killed by the Euro-American invaders so the remaining member shad no choice but to relocate to save their lives. In the nineteenth century, the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians was finally resettled in an area of not less than 2,070 acres located six miles on the east of Highway 101. Today, they have several business enterprises, and their current Chairperson is Wanda Balderama.
October 23, 2007
Sheriff signs law enforcement agreement with HBPI (pdf)
October 21, 2007