Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe

On September 27th, 2024, we celebrated the completion of a multi-year land transition and the successful rematriation of 232 acres of land to the Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe.

This land transition was the culmination of multiple years of relationship building and process, and is a powerful example of title holders of religious communities (in this case, the Woolman Board, a Quaker organization) facing the harmful legacy of colonialism and moving towards meaningful repair. For more information, check out the press release of the completed land transition.

The Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe is indigenous to what is now the Nevada City and Grass Valley area of California, and has called the area home for thousands of years. Facing persecution from the Goldrush era forward, and the illegal federal termination of their Tribal status 1964, the Nisenan have fought to preserve their lifeways and language, and in 2014 formed the California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project (CHIRP) non-profit dedicated to “Preserving, Protecting, and Perpetuating Nisenan Culture.”