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MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2001

A dispute over tribal enrollment -- the key to sharing in gaming profits -- is once again making headlines as officials of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan seek to take hundreds of members off tribal rolls.

The Detroit News on Sunday began running "American Indian rule: Sovereignty Abused," focusing on the efforts of Chief Phil Peters to disenroll upwards of 400 tribal members, including some who are now dead. At issue is sharing in profits of the tribe's successful Soaring Eagle casino: $52,000 per adult member per year and $13,000 per child.

Grossing $350 million last year, the casino is the state's biggest Indian-owned casino. It has helped the once impoverished tribe attain a level of self-sufficiency not common throughout Indian Country.

But, as the controversy shows, it has also brought dissension. The paper focuses primarily on the power Peters wields as head of the tribe and actions some tribal members feel are unfair.

The story isn't the first time the tribe has made national headlines, though. A dispute over a series of elections became so heated that former Assistant Secretary Kevin Gover in August 1999 had to step in and get rid of 10 members of the tribal council whom he said were holding onto power illegally.

The incident, like the current one, highlighted the financial and political power of the tribe. In what Bureau of Indian Affairs officials said was a plot to oust Gover from office, the tribe employed a Washington, DC, media firm to produce negative stories about the agency.

The campaign, mounted by McCarthy Communications, resulted in a negative article about Gover auspiciously timed before his action to oust the council.

The contract -- worth a reported $280,000 -- was indicative of the tribe's large campaign contributions. In the 1997-1998 cycle, the tribe made $300,000 in soft money donations, most of it going to Democratic interests.

Tribal officials have also hired high-powered lobbying firms to represent their interests in Washington, DC. Preston, Gates & Ellis and Baker Donelson, two large law and lobbying firms, have worked for the tribe in the past.

Ietan Consulting, an Indian-owned company that just formed a partnership with Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, another major law and lobbying firm, now counts the tribe as one of its clients.

According to the paper, two reporters spent two months investigating the tribe. Chief Peters was interviewed, as were a number of tribal members and those who have sought tribal membership.

There are about 2,700 members currently enrolled.

Read the Series:
American Indian Rule: Sovereignty Abused (The Detroit News August 2001)

More on the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe:
Saginaw Chippewa, Official Homepage - http://www.sagchip.org
Soaring Eagle Casino - http://www.soaringeaglecasino.com

Campaign Spending, from The Center for Responsive Politics:
1997-1998 | 1999-2000

Lobbying Spending, from The Center for Responsive Politics:
1998 | 1999

RealAudio from Native America Calling:
Back on the Tribal Rolls (January 24, 2001)
Disenrollment for Dollars (September 14, 2000)

Relevant Links:
Preston, Gates & Ellis - http://www.prestongates.com
Baker Donelson - http://www.bakerdonelson.com
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld - http://www.akingump.com

Related Stories:
In The Hoop: Indian Lobbying(8/2)