Despite the denial of federally recognized tribal status, the Paskenta Band maintained its tribal identity and culture while it worked for restoration as a Native American tribe. The Paskenta Band suffered this fate in 1959, and its Rancheria was sold to private parties. In the 1950’s, the federal government terminated recognition of hundreds of Indian tribes in a misguided attempt to force assimilation. Although the influx of white settlers dramatically altered the environment and many aspects of the Tribe’s traditional ways of life, the Paskenta Band maintained its own culture and ties to this region.

For countless generations, the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians lived in the Northern California region now called Tehama County.