Chairperson Leona L. Williams 

Pinoleville Pomo Nation 

500 B Pinoleville Drive 

Ukiah, California 95482 

Dear Chairperson Williams: 

September 28, 2015 

This is in response to your request for an Indian lands opinion 1 from the Office of 

General Counsel ("OGC") of the National Indian Gaming Commission ("NIGC") regarding 

whether gaming can be legally conducted on the Pinoleville Pomo Nation's Reservation2 under 

the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act ("'IGRA"). More specifically, the Tribe asks whether certain 

fee lands, upon which the Tribe intends to conduct gaming, fall within the definition of "Indian 

lands" under IGRA.3 

To assist with our analysis, the Tribe has provided us with extensive documentation and 

written materials. The submissions include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) maps of the 

Tribe's Reservation; (2) maps of the fee lands at issue and their location within the Reservation; 

(3) deeds for the original Rancheria; ( 4) letters, with maps, from the BIA addressing the legal 

status of the Pinoleville Rancheria, dated January 3, 2001, and September 8, 2009; (5) copies of 

stipulations and court orders from the Tillie Hardwick class action litigation and subsequent 

settlement, which includes a legal description of the exterior boundaries of the Reservation, both 

original and as restored; (6) a copy of the Tribe's current commercial lease for the Parcels, with 

an option to purchase; (7) land survey records; (8) preliminary title reports; (9) an environmental 

site assessment of the Reservation; (10) a draft Environmental Impact Report, prepared for the 

Tribe in 2010, concerning a proposed casino project on the fee lands at issue; (11) the Tribe's 

1 See letter, with enclosures, dated January 16, 2014, from Attorney Melissa Canales, on behalf of the Pinoleville 

Pomo Nation, to Eric Shepard, Acting General Counsel, NIGC; e-mail from Melissa Canales to Eric Shepard, 

entitled "Request oflndian Lands Determination Legal Opinion" (Jan. 16, 2014, 16:37 EST) (on file with NIGC); 

and e-mail, from Melissa Canales to the NIGC, entitled "Request of Indian Lands Confirmation" (Aug. 19, 2013," 

14:58 EST) (on file with NIGC). 2 In the requests and submissions we received from the Tribe, the Tribe's lands are referred to as both the Pinoleville 

Reservation and the Pinoleville Rancheria. The terms "reservation" and "rancheria" are used interchangeably 

throughout this opinion. We note that the definition of a "reservation," found in 25 C.F.R. § 292.2, specifically 

includes rancherias. 3 See 25 U.S.C. § 2703( 4); 25 C.F.R. § 502.12; see also 25 C.F.R. § 292.2. 

NEW MAILING ADDRESS: NIGC/DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 1849 C Street NW, Mail Stop # 162 l Washington, DC 20240 Tel: 202.632.7003 Fax: 202.632.7066 

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Constitution; (12) the Tribe's class II and III Gaming Ordinance, approved by the NIGC;4 and 

(13) the Tribe's Tribal-State Compact with the State of California for class III gaming, approved 

by the Secretary of the Interior. 5 

According to the Tribe, the fee lands at issue are located within the exterior boundaries of 

the Pinoleville Reservation, which is situated approximately one mile north of the City of Ukiah, 

in an unincorporated portion of Mendocino County, California. The fee lands consist of two 

adjacent parcels ("the Parcels"), which, together, comprise approximately 8.8 acres. The lands 

are owned by a non-Tribal entity6 and were previously developed as an automobile 

dealership/service center. They are currently being leased to the Tribe for a 5-year term, until 

2016, with an option to purchase the lands included in the lease. 

After carefully reviewing the Tribe's submissions, coupled with our own investigation of 

the status and location of the lands at issue, we find that the Parcels are located within the 

exterior boundaries of the Tribe's Reservation. Based on this finding~ we conclude that the 

Parcels are "Indian lands" under IGRA. We also find that the Tribe has jurisdiction over the land. 

Therefore, the Tribe may legally conduct gaming on the lands. 7 

Background 

The Pinoleville Pomo Nation is a federally recognized Indian tribe.8 The Tribe's primary 

land base is a 99.53-acre reservation located in an unincorporated part of Mendocino County, 

near the City of Ukiah in northern California. It is situated approximately 100 miles north of San 

Francisco and is divided by Highway 101, a major north-south, interstate thoroughfare. 

According to the Tribe's Constitution, the territory of the Tribe includes "all lands within the 

original boundaries of the Pinoleville Reservation."9 -

Beginning in 1906, Congress appropriated funds for the acquisition of lands "for the use 

of the Indians in California now residing on reservations which do not contain land suitable for 

4 The Pinoleville Band of Pomo Indians Gaming Ordinance was approved by NIGC Chairman Philip N. Hogen on 

August 24, 2004. 5 The Tribal-State Compact between the State of California and the Pinoleville Pomo Nation was approved on 

January 26, 2012, by Larry Echo Hawk, Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs, and became effective on February 3, 

2012. The term of the Compact extends to December 31, 2031. See "Notice of Tribal-State Class III Gaming 

Compact Taking Effect," 77 Fed. Reg. 5566 (Feb. 3, 2012). 6 The non-Tribal owner/lessor of the fee lands is Kandy Investments, LLC. 7 We note that IGRA 's prohibition of gaming on a:fter-acqllired trust land is not triggered here becatlSe the Parcels 

are fee lands within the limits of the Pinoleville Reservation. See 25 U.S.C. § 2719(a)(l). 8 See "Indian Entities Recognized and Eligible to Receive Services From the United States Bureau of Indian 

Affairs," 80 Fed. Reg. 1942, 1945 (Jan. 14, 2015). Until 2005, the Tribe was listed in the Federal Register as the 

Pinoleville Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California. See also BIA letter, dated January 3, 2001, from Dale Risling, 

Sr., Superintendent, BIA Central California Agency, to Jay Petersen, Directing Attorney, California Indian Legal 

Services. 

9 See Pinoleville Pomo Nation Const. art. I, § I. 

2 
cultivation, and for Indians who are not now upon reservations ... " 10 Parcels acquired with these 

funds came to be known as rancherias. 11 

In 1911, the federal government purchased privately held land for the benefit of the Pomo 

Indians in the Pinoleville area of California and, with this land, created the Pinoleville Rancheria 

("Rancheria"). 12'

13'14 

In 1958, Congress passed the California Rancheria Act, 15 which authorized termination 

of the federally recognized tribal status of many of the California rancherias, including the 

Pinoleville Rancheria. 16 The rancherias' lands were broken up into parcels and distributed in fee 

to the adult Indian members, thereby removing the rancherias' status as Indian lands. 17 Additionally, individual Indian distributees receiving rancheria assets lost their federal Indian status. 18 

In the 1960s, the Pinoleville Rancheria was "terminated" and the land and other assets 

were distributed pursuant to the California Rancheria Act. 19' 

20 The BIA divided the Rancheria 

10 Act of June 21, 1906, 34 Stat. 325, 333; Act of 1908, 35 Stat. 70, 76. 11 Duncan v. Andrus, 517 F. Supp. 1, 2 (N.D.Cal.1977); see also 2014 BIA website available at 

http://bia.gov/Who WeAre/RegionalOffices/Pacific/W eAre/index.htm (accessed April 15, 2015). 12 In re the Trusteeship of the Pinoleville Indians v. Hunter, 2004 WL 1304044, 2 (Cal.App. 1 Dist.) (unpublished 

decision); see also Governing Council of Pinolevi/le Indian Community v. Mendocino County, 684 F. Supp. 1042, 

1043 (N.D. Cal. 1988). 13 According to the BIA, the deeds from the two purchases by the United States to establish the Pinoleville 

Rancheria are dated March 13, 1911, and September 15, 1911, and were authorized by appropriations acts passed by 

Congress on June 21, 1906 (34 Stat. 325, 333) and April 30, 1908 (35 Stat. 70, 76). See BIA letter, dated September 

8, 2009, from Dale Morris, BIA Pacific Regional Director. 14 See BIA letter, dated September 8, 2009, from Dale Morris, BIA Pacific Regional Director. 15 "An Act to provide for the distribution of the land and assets of certain Indian Rancherias in California, and for 

other purposes," ("California Rancheria Act"), P.L. 85-671, 72 Stat. 619-621 (1958) (amended 1964). The 

California Rancheria Act set out a process by which the Secretary could terminate the tribal status and federal 

recognition of 41 California rancherias, if the members of the rancheria approved the termination. The Rancheria 

Act was amended six years later to allow all rancherias and reservations lying wholly within California to petition 

for the distribution of tribal lands and other assets and the termination of federal relations. 16 California Rancheria Act, P.L. 85-671, §§ 3(e), 9, 11. 17 Id at § 3( e ); see also Governing Council of Pinoleville Indian Community, 684 F. Supp. at 1043. 18 Id. at§ lO(b); see also Allen v. United States, 871 F. Supp.2d 982, 984 (2012). 19 California Rancheria Act, P.L. 85-671, § l; Complaint at 7, Hardwick v. United States ("Hardwick"), No. C-79-

1710 SW (N.D. Cal. Filed 1979); Governing Council of Pinoleville Indian Community, 684 F. Supp. at 1043. See 

also Hardwick, Stipulation, filed May 30, 1985, p. 4, ~ 2(B)(2)-(3). 20 See also "Notice of Termination of Federal Supervision Over Property and Individual Members," 31 Fed. Reg. 

2911 (Feb. 18, 1966), which reads: Notice of Termination of Federal Supervision Over Property and Individual 

Members from the Office of the Secretary [of the Department of Interior] regarding "Certain Rancherias in 

California ... Notice is hereby given that the Indians and the dependent members of their immediate families named 

below are no longer entitled to any of the services performed by the United States for Indians because of their status 

as Indians; that all statutes of the United States which affect Indians because of their status as Indians shall be 

inapplicable to them, and the laws of the several States shall apply to them in the same manner as they apply to other 

citizens within their jurisdiction. Title to the land on the North Fork, Picayune, Graton, and Pinoleville Rancherias 

has passed from the U.S. Government under the distribution plans, approved April 29, 1960; June 30, 1960; 

September 17, 1959; and May 10, 1960; respectively, for the above-named Rancherias ... Pinoleville Rancheria ... 

Ninety-nine and 53/100 acres ofland located in Mendocino County, Calif., described in deed dated March 13, 1911, 

recorded in Book 123 of Deeds, page 418; and deed dated September 15, 1911, recorded in Book 133 of Deeds, 

page 283, Recorder's Office County of Mendocino ... This notice is issued pursuant to the [California Rancheria 

3 
into 19 individual parcels, which were then deeded in fee simple title to individual members 

living on the Rancheria.21 Some of these Indian owners "sold or otherwise transferred all or 

portions of their parcels to non-members of the tribe" during the period of unlawful termination. 22 Consequently, today both Indians and non-Indians own property within the original 

Rancheria boundaries.23 The Rancheria "consists of a checkerboard of parcels held in fee and 

trust by the Tribe and individual Tribal citizens, as well as parcels held in fee by non-Tribal 

individuals and entities, as a result of those years during which the Tribe was illegally 

terminated. "

24 

In 1979, Indian residents from the original Pinoleville Rancheria joined Indian residents 

from other California Rancherias in a class action lawsuit25 against the United States to restore 

the reservation status of their lands and the tribal status of their people.26 According to the 

Complaint, three of the Pinoleville plaintiffs "were and are residents of the parcels of land to 

which they received fee simple title as a result of the purported termination of the Pinoleville 

Rancheria," and a fourth Pinoleville plaintiff was "a distributee of the Pinoleville Rancheria who 

alienated his land shortly after receiving title thereto."27 All of the Pinoleville plaintiffs alleged 

that their lands, their special status as Indians, and the trust relationship they had with United 

States as Rancheria residents had been wrongfully tenninated under the California Rancheria Act 

of 1958.28 The plaintiffs sought, among other things, judicial recognition that " [t]he Secretary of 

the Interior is under a duty to 'unterminate' each of the subject Rancherias, and ... to hold the 

same in trust for the benefit of the Indians of the original Rancherias; ... to treat all of the 

subject Rancherias as Indian reservations in all respects; and ... to treat the Rancherias and their 

Indians as unterminated in all respects."29 

The litigation was ultimately settled. The plaintiffs entered into separate stipulations, 

approving entry of final judgments, with the defendants: the United States and the counties in 

which the purportedly terminated rancherias were located.30 On December 22, 1983,judgment 

was entered against the United States, resulting in the Department of Interior ("Department") 

Act] ... that all restrictions and tax exemptions applicable to trust or restricted lands or interests therein owned by 

the Indians who are affected by this notice are terminated." 21 Prior to the purported termination of the Pinoleville Rancheria in 1961, approximately 120 Indian persons resided 

on the Rancheria. Complaint at 7, Hardwick v. United States ("Hardwick"), No. C-79-1710 SW (N.D. Cal. 1979). 22 Id; Duncan v. United States, 667 F.2d at 41. 23 Id 

24 See letter, dated January 16, 2014, from Melissa Canales, Attorney for the Tribe, to the NIGC. 25 Complaint, Hardwick v. United States, No. C-79-1710 SW (N.D. Cal. 1979). According to the Complaint, 

plaintiffs brought the action "on their own behalf and on behalf of a class of similarly situated persons. The class 

consists of all distributees of the Rancherias listed in Exhibit A [36 Rancherias, including Pinoleville Rancheria], 

any heirs or legatees of said distributees and any Indian successors in interest to such lands." Id. at 5. A total of 17 

distributees were from the Pinoleville Rancheria. Hardwick, Complaint, Exhibit A at I. 26 Id. at 27. 27 Id at 4-5. 2s Id 

29 Id 

30 Hardwick, Stipulation for Entry of Judgment ("Stipulation"), filed Dec. 22, 1983 (signed by U.S. Atty. for federal 

defendants); Hardwick, Stipulation for Entry of Judgment ("Stipulation"), filed May 22, 1985 (signed by counsel for 

Mendocino County); see also Hardwick, Stipulation to Restoration oflndian Country (Humboldt, Mendocino, Lake, 

Plumas, and Tuolumne Counties) ("Stipulation") and Order, filed March 5, 1986 (signed by U.S. Atty. for federal 

defendants). 

4 
restoring 17 of the Rancherias, including the Pinoleville Rancheria, to their tribal status.31 On 

May 30, 1985, judgment was entered against Mendocino County, restoring the Pinoleville 

Rancheria. 32 The effect of the judgments was that all lands within the Rancheria' s exterior 

boundaries, as they existed immediately prior to the wrongful termination, were declared to be 

"Indian Country," as defined by 18 U.S.C. § 1151.33 Further, the United States and Mendocino 

County expressly agreed to treat the Rancheria like any other federally recognized Indian • 34 reservation. . 

On March 23, 1985, the Pinoleville Indian Community reorganized its tribal 

govemment.35 The Tribe is presently governed bt a Tribal Council, in accordance with the 

Tribe's Constitution, which was ratified in 2005. 6 In 2005, under the terms of its Constitution, 

the Pinoleville Rancheria renamed itself the Pinoleville Pomo Nation.37 

On May 18, 2004, the Tribe adopted an ordinance for both class II and class III gaming 

activities; on August 24, 2004, the Chair of the NIGC approved the ordinance.38 Additionally, on 

January 26, 2012, a Tribal-State Compact for class III gaming, between the State of California 

and the Pinoleville Pomo Nation, was approved by the Secretary of the Interior.39 It became 

effective on February 3, 2012.40 

Applicable Law 

In order for a tribe to authorize gaming activity under IGRA, the land upon which the 

tribe intends to conduct the gaming activity must qualify as "Indian lands," as defined in 

IGRA.41 

IGRA explicitly defines "Indian lands" as follows: 

(A) all lands within the limits of any Indian reservation; and 

(B) any lands title to which is either held in trust by the United States for the benefit of 

any Indian tribe or individual or held by any Indian tribe or individual subject to 

restriction by the United States against alienation and over which an Indian tribe 

exercises governmental power. 

25 u.s.c. § 2703(4). 

31 Hardwick, Stipulation, filed Dec. 22, 1983. 32 Hardwick, Stipulation, filed May 30, 1985, p. 4, if C. This stipulation, which restored the Pinoleville Rancheria 

and was ordered as to Mendocino County, was subsequently ordered as to the United States and the other federal 

defendants. See Hardwick, Stipulation, filed March 5, 1986, pp. 1-2, irif 2-3. 

33 Governing Council of Pinolevi/Le Indian Community, 684 F. Supp. at 1044-45. 34 Hardwick, Stipulation, filed May 30, 1985, p. 4, if 8(2). 

33 Governing Council of Pinoleville Indian Community, 684 F. Supp. at 1044. 

36 See Pinoleville Pomo Nation Const. art. III,§ l; see also Allen v. United States, 871 F. Supp. at 985. 

31 Id. 38 See letter, dated August 24, 2004, from NIGC Chairman Philip Hogen to James Cohen, Attorney for the Tribe, 

approving the "Pinoleville Band of Pomo Indians Gaming Ordinance." 39 See "Notice of Tribal-State Class III Gaming Compact Taking Effect," 77 Fed. Reg. 5566 (Feb. 3, 2012). 4o Id. 41 See25 U.S.C. §§ 2703(4), 2710; 25 C.F.R. §§ 501.2, 502.12. 

5 
NIGC regulations further clarify the definition of "Indian lands," providing that: 

"Indian lands" means: 

(a) Land within the limits of an Indian reservation; or 

(b) Land over which an Indian tribe exercises governmental power and that is either-

( 1) Held in trust by the United States for the benefit of any Indian tribe or individual; 

or 

(2) Held by an Indian tribe or individual subject to restriction by the United States 

against alienation. 

25 C.F.R. § 502.12. 

Other statutory and regulatory definitions shed light on what constitutes "Indian lands." 

In 25 C.F.R part 292, the Department includes in its definition of "reservation" the following: 

... (2) Land of Indian colonies and Rancherias (including Rancherias restored by judicial 

action) set aside by the United States for the permanent settlement of the Indians as its 

homeland ... 

25 C.F.R. § 292.2. 

IGRA also requires that a tribe possess legal jurisdiction over the land before it authorizes 

gaming.42 

Once IGRA is deemed applicable, tribes have the exclusive right to regulate gaming "on 

Indian lands," providing that: 

[T]he gaming activity is not specifically prohibited by Federal law and is conducted 

within a State which does not, as a matter of criminal law and public policy, prohibit such 

gaming activity. 

25 U.S.C. § 2701(5). 

Analysis · 

In order to determine whether the Tribe can authorize gaming on the Parcels, the Tribe 

must demonstrate under subsection (A) of the definition of"Indian lands" that the Parcels qualify 

42 25 U.S.C. § 2710(b)(l) ("An Indian tribe may engage in, or license and regulate, class II gaming on Indian lands 

within such tribe's jurisdiction, if[it meets certain specified criteria] .... "); id § 2710(d)(l)(A)(i) ("Class III 

gaming activities shall be lawful on Indian lands only if such activities are-{ A) authorized by an ordinance or 

resolution that-{i) is adopted by the governing body of the Indian tribe havingjurisdiction over such lands [and 

meets other specified criteria] .... "); id § 2710(d)(3)(A) ("Any Indian tribe having jurisdiction over the Indian 

lands upon which a class III gaming activity is being conducted, or is to be conducted, shall request the State in 

which such lands are located to enter into negotiations for the pill-pose of entering into a Tribal-State compact 

governing the conduct of gaming activities .... "). See also Rhode Island v. Narragansett Indian Tribe, 19 F.3d 

685, 701-03 (1 51 Cir. l 994)(citing Sections 2710(d)(3)(A) and 2710(b)(l) ofIGRA as creating IGRA'sjurisdictional 

requirement), cert. denied, 513 U.S. 919 (1994). 

6 
as "lands within the exterior boundaries of the reservation."43 Accordingly, we must evaluate the 

following: (1) whether the Pinoleville Rancheria qualifies as a reservation; and (2) whether the 

Parcels are located "within the limits" of the Reservation. If both queries are answered 

affirmatively, we must then determine whether the Tribe has jurisdiction over the Parcels. 

I. The Parcels Qualifj; as "Indian lands" under IGRA 

IGRA recognizes the exclusive right of tribes to conduct and regulate gaming activity "on 

Indian lands',.« and specifically requires that the gaming activity be conducted "on Indian 

lands.'.45 Accordingly, any lands upon which a tribe intends to conduct gaming must first be 

determined to be "Indian lands" under IGRA.46 

A. The Pinoleville Rancheria Is an Indian Reservation 

We first examine whether the Pinoleville Rancheria is an Indian reservation under 

subsection (A) of the definition of"Indian lands" in IGRA.47 If it is, we need not consider the 

application of subsection (B).48 

The Tribe's Reservation occupies 99.53 acres in an unincorporated part of Mendocino 

County, near the City of Ukiah in northern California. In 1911, the United States government 

purchased 99 .53 acres of land with Congressional funds allocated for this purpose, thereby 

establishing the Pinoleville Rancheria. 49 

Federal case law and long-standing Department practice confirm that California 

rancherias, including the Pinoleville Rancheria, are Indian reservations. In a case involving the 

Pinoleville Rancheria specifically, the United States District Court for the District of Northern 

California described California rancherias as "numerous small Indian reservations or 

communities in Califomia."50 Other federal courts have also described California rancherias as 

reservations, using the same, or similar, language.51 Moreover, the Department has previously 

43 25 u.s.c. § 2703(4). 44 25 u.s.c. § 2701(5). 45 25 U.S.C. §§ 2710(a)(1)(2); 2710(d)(l)(A), (C). See also 25 C.F.R. § 501.2. 46 25 U.S.C. § 2703(4). "Indian lands" are defined in the NIGC regulations at 25 C.F.R. § 502.12. 47 25 U.S.C. § 2703(4)(A). 48 25 u.s.c. § 2703(4)(B). 49 See original deeds, dated March 13, 1911, recorded in Book 123 of Deeds~ p. 418, and September 15, 1911, 

recorded in Book 133 of Deeds, p. 283, Recorder's Office, County of Mendocino; see also "Notice of Termination 

of Federal Supervision Over Property and Individual Members," 31 Fed. Reg. 2911 (Feb. 18, 1966). 50 Governing Council of Pinoleville Indian Cmty., 684 F. Supp. at 1043 n.l (citing Duncan v. United States, 667 

F.2d 36, 38, 229 Ct. Cl. 120 (1981), cert. denied, 463 U.S. 1228 (1983)). 51 Duncan v. United States, 667 F.2d at 38 ("Rancherias are numerous small Indian reservations or communities in 

California"); Big Lagoon Rancheria v. California, Nos. 10-17803, 10-17878, 2015 WL 3499884, at *1-7, *2 n.l (9th 

Cir. June 4, 2015) ("Rancherias are numerous small Indian reservations or communities in California ... "); 

Williams v. Gover, 490 F.3d 785, 787 (9th Cir. 2007) ("Rancherias are numerous small Indian reservations or 

communities in California .. . ");Artichoke Joe's Cal. Grand Casino v. Norton, 278 F. Supp. 2d 1174 n. l (E.D. Cal. 

2003) ("Rancherias are small Indian reservations ... "). 

7 
stated in legal opinions, one of which was issued in 1939, that a California rancheria qualifies as 

a reservation. 52 

The Department's long-held view that rancherias are reservations dates back to at least 

the passage of the Indian Reorganization Act ("IRA")53 in 1934. On June 10, 1935, as part of its 

implementation of the newly enacted IRA, the Department held a special election at the 

Pinoleville Rancheria to provide Rancheria residents with the op~ortunity to vote to reject 

application of the IRA to the Rancheria, as required by the IRA. 4 These special elections were to 

be held at reservations,

55 and the calling of such an election at the Rancheria demonstrates that 

the Department concluded at that time that the Pinoleville Rancheria was a "reservation" at 

which an election should be held. 

In the 1960s, pursuant to the California Rancheria Act, the Rancheria' s tribal status was 

terminated through distribution of the Rancheria lands. 56 The Rancheria lost its status as a 

federally recognized Indian tribe. 57 Its lands ceased to be held by the federal government and 

were broken up and distributed in fee simple parcels to individual tribal members.58 

Nearly two decades later, the Pinoleville Rancheria was relieved of the deleterious effects 

of the California Rancheria Act. Between 1983 and 1986, the Rancheria' s tribal status and the 

status of its lands were restored as part of the Hardwick settlement (mentioned in the background 

section). 59 The settlement included stipulations between the Rancheria and the United States, and 

the Rancheria and Mendocino County. 60 

These stipulations establish several critical points, which are dispositive of our analysis 

today: (1) the tribal status of the members of the Pinoleville Rancheria is restored and the 

Rancheria is restored to federal recognition (the 1983 Stipulation61); (2) th~ Pinoleville 

Rancheria was never, and is not now, lawfully terminated under the California Rancheria Act 

(the May 1985 Stipulation62); (3) the Pinoleville Rancheria "shall be treated by .. . the United 

States of America as any other federally recognized IndianReservation" (the 1985 Stipulation63); 

52 See Solicitor's Op. M-28958 (Apr. 26, 1939); 1 Op. Sol. On Indian Affairs 891(U.S.D.I.1979) available at 

http://thorpe.ou.edu/aol opinions/p876-900.html (finding that the State of California lacks jurisdiction over land 

located within a rancheria-land purchased for landless Indians in California with funds appropriated by 

Congress-,---because rancherias are "for all practical purposes, small reservations," making them Indian country). 53 25 U.S.C. §§ 461-494a. 54 See Theodore Haas, Ten Years of Tribal Government Under LR.A. (1947) at 15 (reporting Pinoleville Rancheria 

election results showing that the Tribe voted to not reject, i.e., accept, the IRA) available at 

http://www.doi.gov/library/intemet/sub j ect/upload/Haas-Ten Y ears.pdf 

ss 25 U.S.C. § 478 (providing that the IRA "shall not apply to any reservation wherein a majority of the adult 

Indians, voting at a special election duly called by the Secretary of the Interior, shall vote against its application"). 

(emphasis added) 56 P.L. 85-671, 72 Stat. 619-621(1958) (amended 1964), §§ 3(e), 9, IO(a)-(b), 11; see also "Notice of Termination of 

Federal Supervision Over Property and Individual Members," 31 Fed. Reg. 2911(Feb.18, 1966). 

n Id. 

5s Id 

59 Hardwick, Stipulations, filed May 30, 1985, and March 5, 1986. See also Hardwick, Stipulation, filed Dec. 22, 

1983. 

60 Id. 61 Hardwick, Stipulation, filed Dec. 22, 1983, p. 3, ft 3-4. 62 Hardwick, Stipulation, filed May 30, 1985, p. 4, ~ 8(2). 63 Hardwick, Stipulation, filed May 30, 1985, pp. 4-5, ~ D. 

8 
and (4) the original boundaries of the Pinoleville Rancheria, as they existed immediately prior to 

their purported termination under the Rancheria Act, are restored and all land within the restored 

boundaries of the Pinoleville Rancheria are declared to be "Indian Country"64 (the May 198565 

and March 198666 Stipulations). 

Additionally, we note that, not long before IGRA was enacted, the legal status of nonIndian fee lands within the exterior boundaries of the Pinoleville Rancheria was addressed by a 

federal district court in a non-gaming context. In Governing Council of Pinoleville Indian 

Community v. Mendocino County, 61 the Pinoleville Rancheria maintained that it bad regulatory 

authority over the use of non-Indian owned fee land located within the exterior boundaries of the 

Rancheria because of the Hardwick stipulations. The court examined the effects of the 

stipulations on the Pinoleville Tribal Council's power to regulate non-Indian fee land within its 

Rancheria's boundaries and found that·it was Mendocino County's express undertaking, in its 

stipulation with the Pinoleville Rancheria, "to treat the entire Rancheria as a reservation ... " 

Moreover, the Court found that it was ''the clear and fundamental intent" of the Hardwick 

judgments to "restore all land within the original Rancheria as Indian Country ... "68 

Accordingly, we conclude that the Pinoleville Reservation is an Indian reservation and, 

therefore, meets the definition of "Indian lands" under IGRA.69 

In support of our conclusion, we find that the exterior boundaries of the original 

Pinoleville Reservation, as described in Exhibit A of the first Hardwick Stipulation,70 are the 

same as the Reservation's exterior boundaries today; they have not changed. The legal 

description of the current Pinoleville Reservation is the same as the legal description of the 

original Pinoleville Rancheria, created in 1911, and both are the same as the legal description of 

the Pinoleville Rancheria restored by the Hardwick settlement.71 This legal description has been 

confirmed by the Tribe72 and is consistent with official maps of the Reservation prepared by the 

BIA 73 and additional maps prepared by other entities. 74 

64 We note that the IGRA definition of"Indian lands," i.e. "all lands within the limits of any Indian reservation" uses 

the same language as the definition in 18 U.S.C. § 115 l(a), "all land within the limits of any Indian reservation." 65 Hardwick, Stipulation, filed May 30, 1985, p. 4, 1 C. 66 Hardwick, Stipwation, filed March 5, 1986, pp. 1-2, 1f 2. 

67 Governing Council of Pinoleville Indian Community, 684 F. Supp. 1042 (N.D. Cal. 1988). 68 Id. at 1046. 69 25 U.S.C. § 2703(4)(A). 70 Hardwick. Stipulation, filed Dec. 22, 1983. 71 See BIA letter, dated Sept. 8, 2009, from Dale Morris, BIA Regional Director, Pacific Regional Office, with 

enclosures, includiqg "copies of the map delineating the exterior boundaries of the Pinoleville Rancheria as 

recognized by the United States along with the 1985 Stipulation and therein referenced Exhibit 'A' as attached to the 

1983 Order and Stipulation for Entry of Judgment. Said boundaries are also shown on that Record of Survey for the 

Pinoleville Rancheria recorded in the Official Records of Mendocino County filed in Map Case 2, Drawer 1, Page 

74." 

72 See e-mail from Melissa Canales, Attorney for the Tribe, to Kathy Zebell, NIGC Staff Attorney (Feb. 11, 2014, 

14:41 EST) (on file with NIGC). 73 See BIA letter, dated Sept. 8, 2009, from Dale Morris, BIA Regional Director, Pacific Regional Office, supra note 

64. 

74 See 2010 Draft Tribal Environmental Report, which includes a number of maps showing the Parcels' location 

within the Reservation in Figure 3.1-2, p. 37; Figure 3.1-3, p. 38; and Figure 3.1-4, p. 40. See also map on p. 39. 

9 
B. The Parcels Fall Within e Exterior Boundaries of the Reservation 

After concluding that the Pinoleville Rancheria, as restored by the Hardwick stipulations, 

constitutes a reservation, we now examine whether the Parcels, upon which the Tribe intends to 

conduct gaming, qualify as "lands within the limits of an Indian reservation," as required by 

IGRA.

75 

The fee lands at issue consist of two adjacent parcels, which together comprise 

approximately 8.8 acres of the 99 .53-acre Pinoleville Reservation. The parcels are owned in fee 

simple by a non-Tribal entity, Kandy Investments, LLC, and are currently being leased by the 

Tribe until 2016, with an option to purchase. The Tribe has provided us with a legal description 

of the Parcels; 76 a map of the Parcels, showing their location within the Reservation; 77 a Draft 

Tribal Environmental Report, prepared for the Tribe in 2010, which includes two maps showing 

the Parcels' location within the Reservation; 

78 and maps of the ReserVation, including the 

Parcels,. which were prepared by the BIA. 79 The Tribe has also confirmed, in writing, that the fee 

lands are located within the exterior boundaries of the Reservation. 80 

Based upon our review of the maps, legal descriptions of the Parcels, legal descriptions 

of the Reservation's exterior boundaries, and other materials provided to us by the Tribe, coupled 

with our own investigation of the Parcels' status and location, we conclude that the Parcels, 

owned in fee simple by a non-Tribal entity, are located "within the limits" of the Pinoleville 

Reservation, thereby satisfying part of the definition of "Indian lands" under IGRA. 

The fact that the Parcels are owned in fee simple by a non-Tribal entity and not by the 

Tribe or a Tribal member (in trust or in fee) does not affect our Indian lands analysis. IGRA's 

definition of "Indian lands" includes "all lands within the limits of any Indian reservation."81 As 

explained above, the Hardwick stipulations were intended to restore al/ land within the 

Pinoleville Rancheria and treat the entire Rancheria as a reservation, 82 and the United States, as a 

party to the litigation, remains bound by these stipulations. The restoration of the status of 

Rancheria lands as Indian Country, as defined by 18 U.S.C. § 1151, included land that had been 

sold or conveyed to non-Tribal members during the time in which the Rancheria was purportedly 

terminated. We note that, in our previous Indian lands opinions, we have not distinguished 

75 25 U.S.C. § 2703(4)(A); see also 25 C.F.R. § 502.12. 76 See 2013 Preliminary Title Report, prepared by the First American Title Co. (p. 7). 77 See 2013 Preliminary Title Report, prepared by the First American Title Co. (p. 9). The Parcels are identified on 

the maps as Nos. 26 and 27, with APNs of 169-21 1-26-00 (Parcel One) and 169-211 -27-00 (Parcel Two). 78 See 201 O Draft Tnbal Environmental Report, which includes a number of maps showing the Parcels' location 

within the Reservation in Figure 3.1-2, p. 37; Figure 3.1-3, p. 38; and Figure 3.1-4, p. 40. See also map on p. 39. 79 See BIA letter, dated September 8, 2009, from Dale Morris, BIA Pacific Regional Director, supra notes 69, 71. 

See also BIA letter, dated January 3, 2001, from Dale Risling, Sr., Superintendent, BIA Central California Agency, 

confirming ''that lands within the boundaries of the Pinoleville Rancheria are 'Indian lands' within the meaning of 

IGRA," and enclosing a map of the Pinoleville Rancheria, including the location of Tribal trust land, trust allotments 

and fee land. 

86 See e-mail from Melissa Canales, Attorney for the Tribe, to Kathy Zebell, NIGC Staff Attorney (Feb. 11, 2014, 

14:41 EST) (on file with NIGC). 81 See25 U.S.C. § 2703(4). 82 See Governing Council of Pinoleville Indian Community, 684 F. Supp. at 1046; Hardwick, Stipulation, filed May 

30, 1985, p. 4, ~ C. 

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between non-Indian owned fee land and fee land owned by a tribe or an individual tribal 

member, ifthe fee lands are located within the exterior boundaries of a reservation. Fee lands 

within the exterior boundaries of a reservation are "Indian lands" under IGRA, regardless of 

ownership. 83 

II. The Tribe Has Jurisdiction Over the Parcels 

Finally, we examine whether the Pinoleville Pomo Nation is the tribe that has 

jurisdiction over the Tribe's Reservation, i.e. the lands within the Reservation's exterior 

boundaries. Before conducting gaming under IGRA, a tribe must satisfy IGRA's requirement 

that it is, in fact, the tribe exercising jurisdiction over the Indian lands upon which it intends to 

game. IGRA states that a tribe may engage in class II gaming "on Indian lands within such 

tribe s~urisdiction" if, among other things, the tribe has an ordinance approved by the NIGC's 

Chair. 4 The requirements for conducting class III gaming likewise include: "Class III gaming 

activities shall be lawful on Indian lands only if such activities are (A) authorized by an 

ordinance or resolution that (i) is adopted by the governing body of the Indian tribe having 

jurisdiction over such lands . ... "

85 

Generally speaking, Indian tribes possess jurisdiction "over both their members and 

their territory."86 A tribe is presumed to have jurisdiction over its own reservation.87 Further, it is 

well settled that a tribe retains primary jurisdiction over the land that the tribe inhabits if the land 

qualifies as "Indian country," and reservation land is one type of"lndian country."88 

As part of the Hardwick settlement, the United States and Mendocino County stipulated 

that "the original boundaries of the Pinoleville Rancheria, as they existed immediately prior to 

their purported termination under the Rancheria Act, are restored, and all lands within these 

restored boundaries are declared to be 'Indian Country,' as defined in 18 U.S.C. § 1151."89 

83 See Letter from NIGC Acting General Counsel to Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Chairwoman ("Pyramid Lake 

Paiute Tribe Indian lands opinion"), dated Sept. 27, 2005; Memorandum from NIGC Attorney to NIGC Acting 

General Counsel re: White Earth Band of Chippewa Indians ("White Earth Reservation Indian lands opinion"), 

dated March 14, 2005; Letter from NIGC ·Acting General Counsel to Judith Kammins Albietz, Attorney for Buena 

Vista Rancheria ofMe-Wuk Indians ("Buena Vista Rancheria Indian lands opinion"), dated June 30, 2005; Letter 

from NIGC Attorney to California Dept. of Justice ("Picayune Rancheria Indian lands opinion"), dated Dec. 3, 200 l. 84 25 U.S.C. § 2710(b)(l). 85 25 U.S.C. § 2710(d)(l). See also id § 27lO(d)(3)(A) ("Any Indian tribe having jurisdiction over the Indian lands 

upon which a class III gaming activity is being conducted, or is to be conducted, shall request the State in which 

such lands are located to enter into negotiations for the purpose of entering into a Tribal-State compact governing 

the conduct of gaming activities .... "). 86 California v. Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, 480 U.S. 202, 207 ( 1987). 87 See NIGC's Buena Vista Rancheria Indian lands opinion, dated June 30, 2005, p. 6 (explaining that, ifthe gaming 

is to occur within a tribe's reservation under IGRA, we can presume that jurisdiction exists for that tribe over its 

reservation lands). 88 "Indian Country" is defined in 18 U.S.C. § 1151, in relevant part, as "all land within the limits of any Indian 

reservation under the jurisdiction of the United States Government .. . "See also Oklahoma Tax Comm 'n v. 

Chickasaw Nation, 515 U.S. 450, 458 (1995); Alaska v. Native Village o[Venetie Tribal Gov't, 522 U.S. 520, 527 

n.1 (1998); United Keetowah Band of Cherokee Indians of Oklahoma v. United States Dept. of Housing and Urban 

Development, 567 f.3d l235, 1240 n.5 {10th Cir. 2009). 89 Hardwick, Stipulation. filed May 30, 1985, p. 4, ~ C; Hardwick, Stipulation, filed March 5, 1986, pp. 1-2, ~ 2. 

11 
We have already determined that the Pinoleville Reservation, inclusive of the fee lands 

within the exterior boundaries of the Reservation (the Parcels), qualify as "Indian lands" under 

25 U.S.C. § 2703( 4)(A). We now conclude that the Pinoleville Nation has exclusive jurisdiction 

to regulate gaming on lands within its Reservation. 

Based on the record before us, the Tribe meets IGRA's requirements that the lands upon 

which the Tribe intends to conduct gaming be "within such tribe's jurisdiction." 

Conclusion 

Based upon the foregoing analysis, including the language of IGRA, the NIGC 

regulations, case law and other materials, as well as our review of the Tribe's submissions and 

our own investigation of the status and location of the Parcels, we conclude that the Parcels upon 

which the Tribe proposes to conduct gaming are Indian lands eligible for gaming under IGRA. 

The Department of Interior, Office of the Solicitor, concurs in our opinion. If you have 

any questions, please contact Katherine Zebell at (202) 632-7003. 

cc: Melissa Canales, Esq. 

Sincerely, 

f{;JiJ! Jlo . Michael Hoenig tr 

General Counsel 

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