History and Case Brief of the Mesa Grande Tribe Land Dispute

A land dispute between two Native tribes in the California mountains is analyzed. Mesa Grande's perspective is highlighted through a full history of the tribe, an interview with members of the tribe, and an analysis of where the parcels are geographically. To understand the full land battle, a review of the history of the battle, case brief, and counterarguments will be presented. The thesis will then delve into the ambiguities in government language that led to Mesa Grande’s understanding that the disputed land was theirs and review evidence that the land was long intended to be Mesa Grande by the federal government. Many of these points were ignored by the federal court system in their early rulings.