Akaka Bill Preview: Tribes Boot Members Keep Loot
By Andrew Walden, 5/15/2008 9:39:59 AM
Are you Hawaiian? Perhaps not for long.
California Indian tribes are giving Hawaii a preview of what can be expected under the Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ proposed Akaka Tribe. They are throwing out members—and some say it is all about money. OP: It absolutely IS.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle on April 20: “From San Diego to Clear Lake, 57 tribes are cashing in on the annual $7.7 billion California Indian gambling boom, and some are throwing out many of their own members -(OP: 25% of the Pechanga Tribe, almost 50% of Picayune) all, critics say, so those remaining can pocket more cash.
In many cases, that amounts to monthly allowances of up to $30,000 per person. The numbers of those receiving shares were relatively small to begin with - only an estimated 39,000 of the 350,000 American Indians in this state, according to studies by the state attorney general, the U.S. Census Bureau and others.”
See it here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/20/MNJNVJC72.DTL
If the Akaka Bill becomes law, Hawaiians will be forced into something King Kamehameha abolished in creating the Hawaiian Kingdom—a tribe. And that tribe will have authority over who is or is not officially allowed to enroll.
At stake will be land and shares in revenues from Akaka Tribe ownership of thousands of acres of valuable Hawaii real estate.
Nobody explains this better than the Akaka Bill’s chief proponent in the U.S. House Rep. Neil Abercrombie.
Speaking to the House Committee on Natural Resources on May 2, 2007, Abercrombie explained: “The bottom line here is that this is a bill about the control of assets. This is about land, this is about money, and this is about who has the administrative authority and responsibility over it.”
OP: Pechanga has already taken land they said they wanted to preserve, hundreds of acres and are now putting 18 holes into it, and fertilizer... They LIED!
Read the full article HERE
OP - gee that sounds a awful lot like Minnesota. We have a couple of tribes here who won the gambling "lottery" and they all restrict who is allowed to join. If you are not part of their "tribe" you don't get jack. While these tribes are blasting through 5 figures a month, their cousins in the Leech Lake Band (for example) live in near abject poverty....
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Welcome LL, thank you for coming.
ReplyDeleteYes, California Tribes have hit the jackpot, and they not only don't want to share it, they don't want others in their tribe to have it, so they terminate them. Then, they moan about the Termination Acts of the 1950's.
Pechanga has sent many back into poverty and this time, with ill health.
But, I'm trying to spread the word and shine light where I can.
Thanks for coming by.
Pechanga Tribal Council acted unconstitutionally in allowing a moratorium in enrollment. Similarly, they did the same in NOT allowing the will of the people in stopping the disenrollments. They are evil and have proved it and small donations to local high schools won't change that.
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