As the Biden administration winds down its term, indigenous tribes are anxiously watching for a decision over a plot of land in Vallejo where a proposed casino project has embroiled several tribes in a battle over cultural propriety.  The Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians is waiting to hear whether the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs will approve its request to put a 128-acre parcel of land bordered by Interstate 80 and Columbus Parkway into trust. The arrangement would authorize the U.S. government to hold title to the privately-owned land and allow the tribe to develop the site and govern it.  The first Trump administration rejected the proposal in 2019, saying the tribe didn’t demonstrate a historical connection to the land. But a federal court judge ruled the government overstepped its authority and overturned the decision. The Biden administration has moved forward with a review of the project, leading some to wonder if a decision might come down before President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in for a second term.  The Scotts Valley tribe’s plan for the site includes construction of a controversial 400,000-square-foot, eight-story casino, 24 homes for tribe members, an administration building and a biological preserve.  “We’d like to do something really nice for the surrounding area and the public here and our tribe” said Jesse Gonzalez, vice chairman of the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had land in trust and a right to do anything.”  Jesse Gonzalez, vice chairman of the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians. The proposal has sparked vehement opposition from the Nocha Dehe Wintun Nation, which claims the land as part of its cultural heritage — echoing arguments that the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians has no historic connection to the land.  “A tribe from 90 miles-plus north with no ancestral or cultural connection to the land to come in and build a mega casino on our Patwin land is truly hurtful,” said Nocha Dehe Wintun Nation Chairman Anthony Roberts. The history of the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, which has offices in Lake County and Concord, is rife with the kinds of shadowy details that illustrate the early treatment of indigenous people in the U.S. In 1850, an estimated 800 members of the Pomo tribes were murdered in Clearlake by the U.S. Calvary following a revolt by enslaved tribe members. The event is known as the Bloody Island Massacre.   In 1907, the government granted the tribe 54 acres to build a rancheria but snatched the land away five decades later through the California Rancheria Act. The tribe successfully sued the federal government in the 1990s to regain its recognition, but the victory did not come with an allotment of land. The tribe is officially designated a landless tribe.  “We survive on grants and stuff right now, but our tribe is growing and this will be really good for our tribe,” said Gonzalez. “A lot of elders have passed on waiting for this. We’ve been fighting for land in trust since the 50s.”  As cars whizzed down Vallejo’s Columbus Parkway, Roberts stood against a waist-high barbed wire fence, taking in the plot of land where the Scotts Valley tribe hopes to build. Freeway traffic flanked the far end of the small valley which sloped up toward a formation of rocks where cows grazed on grass. Horses meandered across an adjacent piece of land where a small ragged boat stood sentry to a small ranch.  “The Patwin people would call this home,” Roberts said, referring to his tribal ancestors. “It’s a beautiful setting.”  Roberts said the plot of land includes important cultural sites connected to his tribe’s history. He said whenever there is a question about the site or a new discovery, it’s the Nocha Dehe Wintun Nation that local authorities contact.  “We take very seriously the protection of these resources,” Roberts said. “When they’re gone, they’re gone.”   Anthony Roberts, chairman of the Nocha Dehe Wintun Nation, which opposes the casino project, looks out at the proposed site in Vallejo. Gonzalez bristled when asked about his tribe’s connection to the land in question. He said his tribe’s ancestors traveled all through the area and were known to visit the lands in question.  “It may be a part of their heritage and we respect that,” Gonzales said, sitting in the tribe’s offices in Concord. “It’s also part of ours as well.” The tribe’s proposal has also gotten opposition from Gov. Gavin Newsom, who wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Interior urging it to not approve the project because of the tribe’s lack of historic connection. A number of Solano County supervisors have also voiced opposition to the project. The Vallejo City Council voted recently to work with the tribe if the land is placed into trust.  Gonzalez’s hopes aren’t dashed by the naysayers. He said his 95-year-old grandmother is among the tribal members still waiting for the tribe to once again own its own piece of the United States.   “We’re pretty much a conquered nation,” Gonzalez said. “So anything we get as far as land back, that is huge for us.”