Cowlitz Tribe cuts service to men who questioned enrollment

Friday, January 11, 2013  

The Cowlitz Tribe of Washington has cut off services to two men who questioned the lineage of some top leaders.

Steve Meyers and his cousin Thomas Hill were also banned from entering tribal property. And Meyers was told he is now under an ethics investigation.

“I’m pretty frustrated,” Myers told KATU-TV. “They’re spending more time on retaliating against us than they are looking at themselves and their own enrollment records," added Hill.

Meyers and Hill went to KATU with documents that appeared to suggest three tribal leaders do not meet enrollment standards. Chairman Bill Iyall disputed the accuracy of the records that the men provided.

"The tribe’s genealogies were subjected to thorough research and scrutiny by the US government’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) professionals prior to our federal recognition," Iyall said in a statement. "We are confident in the accuracy of our official enrollment records, as is the US government."

The tribe gained federal recognition in 2000.

Get the Story:
Cowlitz tribe leaders respond to accusations (KATU-TV 1/10)

Researcher claims Washington Indian roll from 1919 is unreliable (1/7)