"The New York Times and NBC-4 TV in Los Angeles have reported on disenrolled Cherokee Freedmen in Oklahoma and ousted citizens of the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians in Temecula, Calif.
The Cherokee recently voted on whether the Freedmen - former slaves who lived side-by-side with the Cherokee - could be considered tribal citizens. The tribe voted to change its constitution to recognize only Cherokee who had relatives on the “blood” list, not the Freedmen list.
The Freedmen and supporters have called the decision racist, saying the Cherokee refuse to recognize Freedmen because they're black.
Tribal status is important. It gives members health and education benefits, a sense of belonging and voting rights. And in some cases, tribal citizens receive a per-capita payment. It's mostly the casino-rich tribes that make these payouts.
NBC4-TV recently aired a piece about disenrollments in the Pechanga Tribe, where 220 have been kicked off the tribal rolls. Some previously had been receiving as much as $20,000 a month from the Pechanga government, a benefit from a tribe-owned casino.
“Thousands of Indians are being kicked out of tribes,” the TV reporter said in her broadcast. “Critics say it's more about greed than anything else. The tribes say it's about preserving their lineage.”
But the real question is: Whose money and lineage is at stake, the tribes or individuals?
The reporter failed to say the Pechanga Tribe has voluntarily given some $10 million to charitable groups in the past seven years. And it has contributed millions more in revenue sharing to nongaming tribes in California."
Get the Story:Natives striving for status in tribes (The Missoulian 5/20) Relevant Links:
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