OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE –

May 28, 2015

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Smith River Rancheria has changed its name to Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation.

The Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation is a federally recognized Self-Governance Indian Tribe located in the Pacific Northwest and organized pursuant to the Constitution of the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation that was duly adopted by the Citizens of its Nation.

The Tribe held its General Election on the 16th day of May 2015 proposing a Constitutional Amendment to its citizenship to change the name of the Tribe. The Amendment was adopted by a majority vote of those voting in the 2015 General Election, replacing all references to ‘Smith River Rancheria’, or any of its derivatives, with Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation.

The name change is an exercise of the fundamental right of a people to call themselves by the name of their own choosing, which encompasses the entirety of the Nation’s aboriginal lands and waters and that is inclusive of all its Citizens.

The ballot initiative was a true exercise of Self-Governance where the people of the Nation determined how they would like to be depicted. The name change provides the Tribe with the ability to accurately reflect both our cultural heritage and our legal status as a Sovereign Nation.

There will be a six-month implementation and transition period in preparation of the official Federal Register Notice that will be published in January 2016.