Federal Solicitor Acknowledges Historic BIA Error — 2015 Sheep Ranch Decision Provides Legal Precedent for Restoring Wopumnes 1935 IRA Tribal Rights to the Shingle Springs Rancheria

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 19, 2026
El Dorado County, California

The Wopumnes Nisenan and Mewuk Heritage Preservation Society announces a major breakthrough in its effort to correct a 60-year-old federal error concerning the historic Shingle Springs Rancheria and its original Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) Tribe.

On September 29, 2026, the U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of the Solicitor issued a memorandum identifying an error in the Bureau of Indian Affairs' (BIA) determination of Wesly Yielding's ancestry. DOI Solicitors and BIA Regional Staff agreed that his lineage through Manuel Wing Padilla, a member of the historic 1935 Shingle Springs IRA electorate family, must be corrected.

This development supports the Wopumnes' longstanding position that the historic 1935 IRA Shingle Springs Tribe of El Dorado County was never lawfully terminated.

With this memorandum confirming the Tribal Lineage was never terminated, the Wopumnes have demanded the United States immediately correct its records, act in accordance with those corrections, acknowledge the Tribe's existing IRA Federal Recognition status, and make the Tribe whole. This means restoring the historic Tribe's rightful governmental authority, Rancheria lands and trust rights, federal benefits and Snyder Act services, and its government-to-government relationship with the United States.

The Solicitor's Memorandum and Kirkland Directive

The federal government's April 17, 2026 determination incorrectly attributed Wesly Yielding's ancestry exclusively to his great uncle Clarence Padilla, whose interests were affected by a 1966 land distribution plan.

That determination was used to deny Yielding's connection to the historic IRA electorate and eligibility for federal services.

However, Wesly descends through Manuel Wing Padilla, who was not a party to the 1966 distribution.

The September 29 Solicitor's memorandum acknowledges this error and memorializes the agreement of DOI Solicitors and BIA Regional Staff that a corrected lineage determination is to be issued.

The memorandum also recommended that Assistant Secretary–Indian Affairs William H. Kirkland direct the Pacific Regional Director to respond under 25 C.F.R. § 2.604, which requires a response within 15 days of receiving the directive. Kirkland issued the directive on September 30, 2026. The Pacific Regional Office's 15-day deadline has now expired without action.

For the Wopumnes, this correction is not simply about ancestry. It concerns the federal government's responsibility to restore the rights of the historic Tribal community and provide the public with accurate Federal Records and actions. 

The Controlling Precedent: The 2015 Sheep Ranch Decision

The Wopumnes' demand relies on the December 30, 2015 Sheep Ranch decision issued by then-Assistant Secretary–Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn concerning the federally recognized California Valley Miwok Tribe.

In that decision, Washburn examined the history of the Sheep Ranch Rancheria, including its original residents, federal census records, IRA electorate, and subsequent land distributions.

The central principle was that the rights and identity of an entire historic Tribal community cannot be reduced to the individual who received Rancheria property.

At Sheep Ranch, a single resident participated in the 1967 termination process, but the BIA never completed the Tribe's termination. Washburn determined that the larger historic Tribal community and its descendants had to be considered, rather than limiting the Tribe to the individual landholder's family.

The federal courts subsequently upheld the 2015 decision. The Ninth Circuit affirmed that the Department had properly considered the broader Tribal community in determining who was eligible to participate in tribal organization.

The Wopumnes maintain that the same legal principle applies to Shingle Springs Rancheria.

Clarence Padilla's participation in the 1966 distribution could not, by itself, terminate the entire historic Shingle Springs IRA Tribe or extinguish the rights of other IRA electorate families, including the descendants of Manuel Wing Padilla.

What This Means for Shingle Springs Rancheria

The Wopumnes maintain that the historic Shingle Springs IRA Tribe continued to exist despite the federal government's subsequent misidentification of its descendants and governmental authority.

Under the Sheep Ranch precedent, the Wopumnes contend that the federal government must recognize the distinction between an individual land distribution and the continuing rights of the larger historic Tribal community.

Correcting the error means making the Tribe whole.

For the Wopumnes, that includes restoring the historic Tribe's rightful federal relationship, governmental authority, Rancheria rights, and eligibility for federal benefits and Snyder Act services.

What About the Rancheria's Change of Ownership?

The correction raises fundamental questions about the federal government's administration of Shingle Springs Rancheria and the historical basis for recognizing governmental authority over its lands.

The Wopumnes seek correction of the federal records, a full accounting of their ancestral Rancheria lands and trust interests, and restoration of the rights they maintain belong to the historic 1935 IRA Tribe.

The Wopumnes' formal demand calls for the return of Shingle Springs Rancheria to its historic 1935 IRA Tribe along with all its assets and trusts. Under federal law and the 2015 Sheep Ranch precedent, the Wopumnes maintain that correcting the government's historic error requires restoring the Tribe's rightful ownership interests, governmental authority, and federal benefits. The Solicitor's acknowledgment and Kirkland's directive represent important steps toward carrying out that demand and making the Tribe whole.

This would include the ejection of the substituted Sacramento-Verona business group, which the Wopumnes contend has been masquerading as the “Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians.” over the last 40 years. The Wopumnes maintain that the United States must carry its correction through to the full restoration of the historic Tribe’s rights, rather than stopping at a corrected ancestry record.

Justice for the Historic Shingle Springs Indians

For decades, the Wopumnes have sought correction of the federal record documenting their ancestors, their Rancheria, and their historic Tribal Government.

The Solicitor's acknowledgment and Kirkland's directive represent a significant advance in that effort.

The public has a legitimate interest in ensuring that federal agencies maintain accurate records, uphold their decisions, and comply with lawful directives to correct errors without unreasonable or unlawful delay.

The Wopumnes are not asking the United States to create a new Tribe. They are demanding that it make the historic Shingle Springs IRA Tribe whole.

About the Wopumnes Nisenan and Mewuk Heritage Preservation Society

The Wopumnes Nisenan and Mewuk Heritage Preservation Society is a California nonprofit public benefit organization dedicated to preserving the history, cultural heritage, ancestral lands, and rights of the historic Native American families of El Dorado County.

Additional information: www.wopumnes.com