Here is a letter to the Fresno Bee on an article we posted a couple of weeks back.
Letter to Editor of Fresno Bee:
Regarding the Bee's recent front page story of Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indian's latest business venture.
I find myself wondering once again when the paper genocide of our Chukchansi People and so many other Indian People throughout California will cease? Tribes such as Picayune continue to blatantly violate the tribal, civil and
human rights of hundreds of their own People through disenrollment and moratorium
without consequence.
Tribal council member Alberta states "a healthy economy will allow money to be pumped back into tribal programs". This same promise was made to 1600 Chukchansi People prior to the establishment of Chukchansi Gold. Since that time, over 600 tribal
members including elders and future generations, language keepers and
babies have had their very birthright stolen from them by a PRCI
government who swore to protect the People and their rights.
Chukchansi ancestors have been disrespected and history rewritten--a once proud Chukchansi Nation replaced instead by a greedy corporation whose members have chosen to forget the Indian way of respect and caring for one's People. Programs? Ask currently enrolled tribal People about housing, education or health insurance
for all...then ask of talk of future audits and disenrollments.
PRCI tribal council...do what the Creator planned for our People. Bring the
People--ALL thePeople--home to Picayune!
While this letter was unpublished, writing newspaper editors is critical to getting the word out. The Fresno Bee as well as the Riverside Press Enterprise depend heavily on the advertising revenue of local gaming tribes. Anyone wonder why some news and letters don't get printed?
6 comments:
If the 500 who were disenrolled would stick together and use their comibined strength to raise their voices...it would be heard across the country.
They are the single largest number of terminated Indians and yet, they are the quietest.
Is there no warrior spirit, except amongst the women?
If the remaining tribe members were made to pay State tax on the monthly per capita and sales tax on purchases in the State...it would be a huge source of revenue for California...
If an indian lives on a Federal Reserve he is Tax exempt from State taxes.
If an indian lives off a Federal reserve he is not State Tax exempt.
Where are the disenrolled PCRI people?
The disenrolled from Picayune, with the exception of a few, have given up, and have their heads down.
They want others to do all the rest of the work. And hope to benefit from others.
It's normal to give up and not continue the struggle. The same goes for the Manuela Mirandas and the Hunters. So few of them are contributing to what is effective.
No wonder the tribes aren't worried. We don't give them enough reason to be worried. If the Chukchansi/Picayune people aren't 500 strong, what good are they?
It has gotten worse, now Lewis and his cousin council members, and past council members, have taken their security gaurds, (paid to watch the tribal offices), go to allotment land (not picayune ranch land.) and have tribal members arrested and removed from their own allotment land.
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