SD Union-Tribune: Jamul waits for Biden approval to move 172 acres into tribal trust
By Staff
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill to place 172 acres of land in East County into tribal trust for the Jamul Indian Village, sending it to President Joe Biden’s desk.
The Jamul Indian Village Land Transfer Act, sponsored by Sens. Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler, both D-Calif., and Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Bonsall, received additional backing from Rep. Juan Vargas, D-San Diego.
“The Jamul Indian Village has sought for years to bring tribal members back onto their ancestral land — so they can raise their families, carry forward their culture, and add to their history,” Issa said. “This is the right thing to do, and it empowers not government, but individuals, to take new charge and best care of their lives.
“This Fee-to-Trust bill provides that opportunity, securing Jamul’s land, preserving its sacred sites, and protecting Kumeyaay traditions for generations to come,” he added.
The Jamul tribe’s ancestral lands have diminished from more than 640 acres to just 6, making it one of the smallest reservations in the country.
In 2005, Jamul tribal members “voluntarily moved off of the reservation to allow the tribe to pursue economic development to become self-sufficient and less reliant on the federal government,” a joint statement from the senators read. Since then, the Jamul Indian Village has purchased four parcels of land, comprising 172 acres.
The act, if signed into law by Biden, would allow the tribe to place these lands in trust in order to “bring their tribal members back to live on their reservation and develop a permanent and proper homeland.”
“This critical legislation will help bring our people back to the community that has been our home from the beginning of time,” said Erica M. Pinto, chairwoman of the Jamul Indian Village when the act was introduced earlier this year. “It will also achieve the restoration and protection of our culturally significant ancestral lands.
“By bringing the land we own into trust, Congress will help our tribe honor our ancestors and their sacrifices,” she said.
The largest parcel is an L-shaped piece of land comprising around 161 acres just off state Route 94 in the Jamul community. Tribal leaders plan to develop housing for tribal members and establish administrative offices, a health clinic, a child care center, educational services, a community center, law enforcement offices and other community resources for tribal members.
The other, far smaller parcels contain the only physical access road to the reservation and the tribe’s historic church and cemetery.
“After years of sacrifice in their efforts to achieve self-determination, the Jamul Indian Village will finally get the true homeland they deserve to preserve their sacred history,” Padilla said.
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