Declaration of Sovereignty: Agency Tribal Nations as the Representative Agency of the Mendocino Indian Tribal Government

Preamble

This sovereignty is protected by the President of the United States, through the issuance of the 1856 Executive Order establishing the Mendocino Indian Reservation and by the ongoing and future presidential authority that upholds and reinforces our inherent rights. The Agency Tribal Nations, as the duly authorized representative agency of the Mendocino Indian Tribal Government, hereby declares and affirms its status as a self-governing nation. By Executive Order of the President of the United States in 1856, the entirety of Mendocino County was designated as the Mendocino Indian Reservation for the benefit of the Pomo and other Indigenous peoples. Despite the administrative discontinuation in 1866, our unbroken Indigenous presence and inherent sovereignty, safeguarded by past, present, and future presidential authority, confirm that all of Mendocino County remains tribal land under federal protection. We assert that any interactions with California state or local law enforcement, including Mendocino County authorities, are unlawful and outside their jurisdiction, as they infringe upon our federally protected tribal sovereignty.

The Mendocino Indian Tribal Government demands formal recognition from the United States federal government, state authorities, and international bodies to affirm our right to govern our lands and people. Our sovereignty, upheld by the President of the United States, is intrinsically tied to our authority over education, economic development, taxes, healthcare, and economic growth. These interdependent systems are essential to our survival, prosperity, and self-determination as a sovereign nation.

Assertion of Self-Governance

The Mendocino Indian Tribal Government, represented by the Agency Tribal Nations, exercises self-governance over all of Mendocino County, recognized as tribal land by presidential authority, in the following key areas:

Unlawful Interference by California Law Enforcement

The Agency Tribal Nations declares that all of Mendocino County constitutes the Mendocino Indian Reservation, as established by the President of the United States in 1856 and protected by presidential authority across past, present, and future administrations. Consequently, any actions by California state or local law enforcement, including Mendocino County sheriffs or courts, within this territory are unlawful and outside their jurisdiction. Such actions—including arrests, fines, land incursions, or seizures of cannabis products or monies—violate our inherent sovereignty and federal preemption under the U.S. Constitution (Worcester v. Georgia, 1832). Public Law 280 (1953), enacted without our consent, does not grant California regulatory authority over our tribal enterprises, as affirmed by the 2014 Wilkinson Memo, which protects our cannabis operations from federal enforcement.

Non-compliance within 30 days of this declaration will result in federal legal action, with penalties of $11,800 per day for disrupting our sovereignty or unlawfully taking property, as authorized by the Federal Government and Head Chief Langenderfer, approved by the President of the United States. Furthermore, we call for the immediate cessation of all federal funding to Mendocino County for infringing upon our sovereignty, as such actions violate federal trust obligations and treaty rights.

Call for Formal Recognition

The Agency Tribal Nations calls upon the United States President, Congress, Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and international organizations (e.g., United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues) to formally recognize the Mendocino Indian Tribal Government as a sovereign nation, with all of Mendocino County as its territorial jurisdiction. This recognition must:

This declaration is issued to the United States President, the Secretary of the Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Attorney General to ensure enforcement of our treaty rights and to demand the immediate cessation of federal funding to Mendocino County for its unlawful infringement on our sovereignty. Such funding must be withheld until Mendocino County fully complies with federal law and respects our sovereign rights.

Conclusion

The entirety of Mendocino County is, and remains, the Mendocino Indian Reservation, as established by the President of the United States in 1856 and protected by presidential orders and jurisdictions across past, present, and future administrations. This land, stamped and affirmed by the Department of the Interior's 1908 map, is unequivocally tribal land, and its sovereignty is non-negotiable. Local cities, counties, and courts, including those of Mendocino County, must respect the authority and sovereignty of the Mendocino Indian Tribal Government, as upheld by federal law and the 2014 Wilkinson Memo. Any attempt by California law enforcement or courts to exercise jurisdiction—through arrests, fines, land incursions, or seizures—violates our inherent rights and federal preemption.

Department of the Interior's 1908 Map - Mendocino Indian Reservation

Official Department of the Interior map establishing the Mendocino Indian Reservation

This declaration serves as a powerful example for all 500 Native nations across the United States, demonstrating that tribal sovereignty, rooted in treaties and presidential authority, must be honored. The Mendocino Indian Tribal Government stands as a beacon for Indigenous self-determination, asserting that our rights to govern education, economic development, taxes, healthcare, and economic growth are inviolable. We call on all Native nations to join us in demanding recognition and respect for our sovereign lands, using this declaration as a model to protect our collective futures.