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2,000 California Indians face disenrollment
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
According to the American Indian Movement, 2,000 California Indians are being threatened with disenrollment.
About 130 of those are from the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians whose heritage is being questioned because on of their ancestors allegedly cut her tribal ties 80 years ago. The group has filed a suit in state court, charging that members of the tribe's enrollment committee have broken the law.
"It's just like saying - I don't have to serve a black man because it's my restaurant," their attorney, Jon Velie, told The Christian Science Monitor. Velie is representing Black Seminoles in Oklahoma who are fighting for their rights.
The battle is a high-stakes one. With reduced enrollment, casino per capita payments for the remaining tribal members would increase. Each Pechanga reportedly receives $120,000 a year.
Get the Story:
Gambling on tribal ancestry
(The Christian Science Monitor 4/14)
Relevant Links:
Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians -
http://www.pechanga.com
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Opinion: Greed,
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Opinion: Calif. tribes disenrolling more people
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