Readers,
Here is a letter for a terminated member of the Mooretown Rancheria to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. She describes her history and what happened. This is an excellent example of how the individual Indian has to fight back. One letter, one fax, one phone call at a time.
Thank you, Lois, for standing up for you family and the history of Mooretown, when tribal leaders try to destroy its history, along with its reputation.
Lois Edwards Letter
PLEASE help support those like Lois Edwards by sharing her story with your friends and by sending this URL: http://originalpechanga.blogspot.com to them so they can do the same.
The one constant is that this matter has Congress attention now. Add on that Congress introduced IGRA to benefit all Indians in the communities that started gaming. The billions of dollars generated from gaming have fueled tribal corruption and Congress is taking notice. Combine IGRA and ICRA and they are intertwined. Why would a tribal government establish a constitution or bylaws, if they did not have to? To protect the integrity of the tribe from the plenary powers of the outside forces that surrounds them. Is it ironic that tribes such as Pechanga established a disenrollment procedure the same year that IGRA was introduced by Congress in 1988? Why develop a procedure if tribes already have the right to self determination and the right to define its membership?
ReplyDeleteSuing the BIA over the matter at Pechanga is on the drawing board also. This membership battle was settled by the BIA back in the 80’s and has resurfaced again after IGRA. Pechanga has both a Constitution and Bylaws on file at the BIA, why do they need to follow it?
Again the good Pechanga people do what is right and help bring this to an end. It’s not too late, until it’s too late.