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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2001

Former Seminole Chief Jerry Haney has filed a lawsuit against his Oklahoma tribe for keeping him out of office.

Haney lost an August election to lead the tribe but says his goal is not to regain control. Naming the BIA a defendant, he wants to make sure the Bureau of Indian Affairs doesn't take away administrative programs from the tribe's control.

The BIA is not recognizing a leader of the tribe due to a dispute over the membership of the Seminole Freedmen. The Freedmen were slaves who were made members of the tribe by a post-Civil War treaty.

Descendants of Freedmen without Seminole blood were subsequently voted out of the tribe last year. Former Assistant Secretary Kevin Gover, however, refused to recognized the action.

Get the Story:
Rormer chief sues tribe, governmen (AP 12/14)