Wife of Imprisoned Redding Rancheria Member Under Threat of ICWA Theft of her Children

Toni Christie, Ayla & Qotisa

From GOFUNDME page (h/t Carla Maslin)

The Redding Rancheria Council is SCUM. (no offense to scum) Looks like they are pressing an ICWA suit, when they could simply provide for the children.

Toni Christie is a phenomenal single mother who works hard to provide anything and everything for her two kids, Ayla who is 8 and Qotisa who is 7. Their father is serving a life sentence in prison, so she has been a single mother for a little over 6 years now. The children are part of the Redding Rancheria tribe from their father's side. 

Since the kids were little she has done everything to help maintain their culture and heritage. She celebrates special holidays with them, takes them to special functions whenever possible and had tried to keep a relationship between them and their father's family. 

Toni has always been a huge advocate for maintaining Ayla and Qotisa's heritage. She attended events and holidays with the Redding Rancheria when she was allowed to. 


Even after numerous occasions of her being mistreated from the Redding Rancheria Toni still allowed the children to participate. In 2018 Toni received notification from the Redding Rancheria that she was no longer able to attend any events herself, that she was to send the children alone. This is extremely unfair and inhumane, to expect the children, then 6 and 5 to be separated from their mother to celebrate their heritage. 

Instead, Toni found other events in Shasta County and surrounding areas to participate in where they could celebrate their culture and heritage together, as a family. Toni receives no child support for either of the kids, and the tribe has completely cut off all financial support the children are entitled to. 

Toni continued working at the college but had to find additional means to provide for her family since losing the financial help from the Redding Rancheria for her children.  These children don't miss out on anything with her as their mom, she is truly amazing! In the fall of 2019 the children's paternal grandmother attempted to remove the children from her care.

 Toni got another job at Costco to help pay for attorney fees, fought for her children and won! The Redding Rancheria tribe continues to harass her and her family to no end. They are currently filing to remove the children from her care completely and are wrongfully doing so. She is working full time at Costco, taking clients when she can at her salon and is still unable to pay for the federal attorneys she needs to help fight this injustice.