Indians barred by Tribes Seek Help

An article from 2004 has even Carole Goldberg, shill for CA's Indian Tribes saying that Congress could take over membership disputes.

Indians barred by tribes seek help
Protesters want a court for resolving membership issues. By Stephen Magagnini -- Bee Staff Writer Published 2:15 am PDT Thursday, July 15, 2004

Read rest of article HERE

More than 200 California Indians, claiming they've been banished from their tribes by greedy or power-mad tribal leaders, on Wednesday asked Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to halt compact negotiations with gambling tribes until they establish independent tribal courts to deal with membership disputes. California Indians For Justice, a coalition of 14 tribes, converged on the north steps of the Capitol to protest a wave of disenrollments they say is cutting the hearts out of Indian people. In recent years, several thousand California Indians have been kicked out of their tribes or denied official membership, often because they challenged the ruling faction, questioned the tribe's finances or were embroiled in long-standing family feuds. "Disenrollment takes away your identity," said protest organizer Laura Wass of the American Indian Movement. "We have full-blooded Indians not recognized by their tribes."

Carole Goldberg, an Indian law expert at UCLA, (OP: who uses her knowledge to help tribes, and NOT the individual Indians who need help from tribes that have destroyed their own people, hurt their elders and children by denying them basis civil rights.) said the U.S. government could take jurisdiction over membership disputes, but such a move would be bitterly opposed by Indian nations. Nevertheless, she said, the wave of disenrollments could threaten the sovereignty of all tribes.