In what is the largest land return in the Sierra Nevada region and third largest in Californian history, the Washoe Tribe now owns 10,274 acres (4,158 hectares) northeast of Lake Tahoe, announcing the historical and culturally significant acquisition last Wednesday.

"It's a full level of healing of historic trauma that is passed down through generations of our people, knowing that we once flourished in these areas," Washoe Tribe Chairman Serrell Smokey told the Sierra Sun.

Mr Smokey recalled the painful history of his people being removed from their ancestral land, stolen allotments and being disallowed to use the land for resources and ceremony.

"We're now able to come back to that and have a place of our own," he said.

Acquiring the land has tripled the Washoe Tribe's land holdings.

The Tribe purchased the $6 million property through its Waší·šiw Land Trust, a Washoe-led nonprofit formed in 2025 to return ancestral lands to the Washoe People. Partners, including the Northern Sierra Partnership, Feather River Land Trust and the California Wildlife Conservation Board raised US$6.9 million (AUD 9.76 million) for this project.

It is the first land returned through the Waší·šiw Land Trust.

Remaining funds after the land purchase are going towards an endowment for the WélmeltiɁ Preserve's long-term stewardship.

The tribe has called the land the WélmeltiɁ Preserve after the band of Washoe people that once lived there. Having descended from this group, it has a deep personal connection for the Mr Smokey, who says the land has been calling them back.

"We are answering that call," the chairman told the Sierra Sun. "This land purchase is good medicine for our people."

The ecologically significant homelands span from the sagebrush and grassland-laden Great Basin and up to the conifer and aspen-decorated Sierra Nevada. The property holds culturally important pinyon forests and is abundant with streams and wildlife, including pronghorn, elk, mountain lions and grey wolves.

Mr Smokey said the Washoe people will restore and conserve the land for plants, foods, and medicine, as well as preserving it for future generations.

"It's always been said by former leaders of the Washoe Tribe that the health of the land equals the health of the people," the chairman told the Sierra Sun.

The Tribe plans on restoring traditional cultural practices on the property, and connecting Washoe youth back to the land and their native language through educational opportunities. The Tribe will also conduct cultural assessments to identify cultural sites on the land.

"This is a small start to healing from generations of historical trauma, and the benefits will go on for many generations to come," Mr Smokey said.