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JULY 11, 2000

The Rabangs, a family of Filipino and Nooksack ancestry, are at the center of a legal, political, and cultural debate.

FBI and US Customs Service agents believe the family is at the center of a drug-smuggling operation that crosses the Canadian border. The Nooksack are closely related to the Skyway in Canada and federal authorities say the family has used the ties to evade law enforcement in both counties.

Authorities have indicted 18 people, most members of the family, in connection with marijuana smuggling.

The family is also at the center of a debate within the tribe. Some tribal members believe the Rabang family and their relatives don't belong in the tribe and don't satisfy enrollment requiremnts.

Members of the Rabang family says they are the target of tribal politics and other vendettas and that their family is Indian. The Rabangs control many tribal offices and number around 200 out of 1,449 total members.

Get the Story:
Filipino clan stealing tribe's identity, elders say (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 7/11)