Apparently, Pala Chairman Robert Smith is circulating some information trying to sway the tribe that he is right to strip citizenship from lifelong members of the tribe.
We wrote about the disenrollments:
The Pala Band of Mission Indians on Wednesday expelled 154 people from its North County tribe, according to a Pala spokesman.
The removal of the 154 people appears to be connected to the removal of eight people from its rolls last year. Those eight people were told in June by the tribe that they did not meet the 1/16th Pala "blood quantum" requirement.
Pala spokesman Doug Elmets said the tribal council made the decision to remove the additional 154 people Wednesday, but he declined to discuss the reason for the removal.
Stay tuned for more information to come....
20 comments:
Robert Smith is beginning to feel the heat!
smith is digging his own grave!
It's funny how you say lifelong members of the tribe when some were not enrolled until they were adults when King was chairman. Not as children like the rest of our members
All of them? What a crock
Not all of the 154 but some like King’s kids they weren’t enrolled until they were adults and their dad was chairman.
Plain and simple, how can the name "Robert Smith" even qualify as actual Native? Not even 1/16th quantum. Too hilarious... ;)
I have read the document smith sent out and quite frankly don't see how he believes that any of the documents are basis for disenrollment. There were no facts and evidence as he stated in those documents. Besides that the fact is that pala bases their enrollment off of the 1913 allotment roll as stated in their articles and so called constitution. Margarita was on the original allotment roll #25 allotee and this was approved by the secretary of interior in 1913. Smith claims he and the EC used the documents he sent out as basis for disenrollmet. I am not sure how he thinks that any if it is relevant I have seen the documentation sent in by some of the disenrolled to the tribe and their documents were actual documents that are legal and actually relevant to the issue
I didn't know a name qualified an individual as native or not. Am sure your name is native through and through. Am sure most posting on here are kings family and I feel bad for you some had no clue. You guys slam smith but am sure king did such a great job as a leader. It's unfortunate this topic has even came up. Natives need to band together and end this term BLOOD QUANTUM. Its a term that the US govt has put on natives to end all tribes. For blacks they were given the one drop rule. One drop of black blood and you were classified as black. The US has used different race rules across the board for all races besides white Europeans! It's doubtful those who were removed will be allowed back in based off what they are arguing right now. What I would look into is suing the US about this term BLOOD QUANTUM. It has been well documented the US govt put blood quantum in place to destroy and get rid the US of native Americans. Look no further than senator wheeler and the indian organization act of 1934. In it he comes out and clearly says the IRA is to put an end to native Americans.
I didn't know a name qualified an individual as native or not. Am sure your name is native through and through. Am sure most posting on here are kings family and I feel bad for you some had no clue. You guys slam smith but am sure king did such a great job as a leader. It's unfortunate this topic has even came up. Natives need to band together and end this term BLOOD QUANTUM. Its a term that the US govt has put on natives to end all tribes. For blacks they were given the one drop rule. One drop of black blood and you were classified as black. The US has used different race rules across the board for all races besides white Europeans! It's doubtful those who were removed will be allowed back in based off what they are arguing right now. What I would look into is suing the US about this term BLOOD QUANTUM. It has been well documented the US govt put blood quantum in place to destroy and get rid the US of native Americans. Look no further than senator wheeler and the indian organization act of 1934. In it he comes out and clearly says the IRA is to put an end to native Americans.
Anonymous 5:52 good thought maybe a suit where all disenrolled from tribes across the US who have been disenrolled by the use of blood quantum get together and file one suit?? something to think about!!! Also, for those of you wondering I am not a member of King family in fact I am not a member and never have been but I am married to one of the disenrolled and have spent many many hours researching and reading and I know what my spouse is going through being stripped of his heritage. I know for him this fight for what is right will not end until he prevails.
There are tribes in Canada that kick women out for marrying outside their tribe no matter the amount of blood, but men can marry outside the tribe and remain in the tribe. How is that not ass backwards? The governments of Canada and the US are the ones who have caused these problems. Women are the ones who carry on the linage of a tribe removing them from a tribe puts an end to a tribe. Before these two governments came into power and started destroying tribes women held all the power of the tribe. Everything went through the women linage, money, crops, homes and many other things. Men hunted and went to war but the governments came in and said you Indians have everything backwards. Men have power and women are subservient. Native tribes threaten the societies of Canada and the US. Most women who were taken by tribes to replace those who had died did not want to return to US society because they were seen as equal or better in tribal society. Some families were not native but were brought in to the tribe for one reason or another and because of this dirty word blood quantum they were removed. If someone is 1/32 or less they do not receive benefits but doesn't mean they can't practice or keep their hertiage. Unfortunately no court is going to overturn the decision. Precedent has already been set with previous tribes.
This case is different than all others if you do your research you will see.
The one point we loose site of is the Band determines banishment issues or membership issues through custom and tradition. These issues are addressed by corrupt individuals, and hidden from the outside by terms such as "Sovereignty", or a "tribes right" or "due process". Pechanga for instance has custom and tradition and a written constitution and bylaws. Clearly it states the band determines all issues. This custom is traditional for our people. However the current council, with the assistance of corrupt individuals has violated Pechangas constitution, bylaws and thrown out custom and tradition under the cloak of sovereignty. This action clearly threatens all tribes, and it has caught the lawmakers attention. If you don't follow custom and tradition, you are not entitled to the benefit of Federal recognition. Its time that the Band wakes up and makes the council follow the will of the people. Right "Butch" Murphy!
To justiceforpaladisenrolled of April 18, 2012 7:41 PM
I'm glad that you aren't giving up and I'd like you to know you aren't alone. I am a spouse also of one of the disenrolled. I have studied the history and families of this tribe (and neighboring tribes) and I have found this history some of the most amazing I have ever seen. I am hopeful that those in power know they have done wrong, and that others will see through them. I don't believe that anyone in the tribe is "safe" from a similar fate. No American Citizen should live in that kind of fear. I am writing a book about how this has changed my life, what I know, what I have learned, and how the Federal Government & Tribal Government over time have failed to protect the interests of the true descendents of this tribe. To protect the integrity of the tribe, the government must first have integrity. It seems to me they are not interested in protecting that integrity, but instead strategically removed a family no longer in the Executive Committee's favor. In the meantime, while I work on my book, I will be hoping for a positive outcome...for your family, my family and all the other families disenrolled now..or those who may be in the future.
Butch Murphy did not have the enrollment comittees approval for membership in the late 70's and early 80's. accordingly he asked the band to determine if his family could be adopted in the indian way. it was custom and tradition and the band voted and recognized his family line. in 2005 the band voted again according to custom and tradition to stop all investigations and dis enrollments and repeal the dis enrollment procedures. in 2006 the tribal council said that the band could not determine membership issues and allowed a clan who has tribal history and ties to the temecula indians and valley to be dis enrolled. this action went against the will of the people and custom and tradition. no custom or tradition. no band, according to lawmakers.
Actually it was 1986 when Butch Murphy's family was let in by the people, thus overruling the decision of the enrollment committee not to enroll them.
It was in 2006 that the enrollment committee disenrolled us, the Hunters, and we found out just two days before we were disenrolled that we were not included in the law to outlaw disenrollment that was passed the previous year, 2005.
It was clearly illegal to disenroll us but the problem has been all along, if a tribe doesn't follow their own laws who can make them do so?
In theory the general membership but most of them, including people who know it was wrong to kick us out and who voted to stop all disenrollments, don't care enough to take a stand that a duly passed law be enforced as they all got a raise in per capita when we were disenrolled.
And the more time passes, the more they put it out of their minds that a grave injustice was perpetrated on us.
I have had several elders tell me that they agree it was wrong that we were disenrolled but they then add, "I just don't get involved in those sort of things" or, "I don't get involved in politics."
I guess the blood money paid out to them each month makes it easier to stick their heads in the sand.
Anonymous April 19 830 you are right no one in the tribe is safe from this happening to them as long as corrupt tribal members are running the tribe. I wish you the best on your book and wish you and your family the best as well. I hope there are many of us out there Fighting Fr what is right. Wish there was a way for us to all band together for justice.
It is amazing how much Robert Smith of Pala sounds just like Mark Macarro from Pechanga when he talks about the dismemberment of his people.
It is like Macarro is the template for what they can get away with so others see how he and his cronies did it, so they do it too.
I'd like to share this information about Robert Smith's lineage. I bold/italic the parts I found interesting. (Starting with the Pala website info about the council, where Chairman Smith's profile states he is the grandson of Annie Moro)
"Dominguez Moro is chief of police and farm instructor at the Indian reservation at Pala in San Diego County. He is of native stock, of Indian and Spanish lineage, and represents the old aristocratic and land holding element of the old as well as the new California.
He was born at Warner's Springs, in 1870. His grandfather, Jose Maria Moro was chief of the Indian tribes at Warner's Hot Springs. The father of Dominguez Moro, was a Sonoma Indian, was born near San Francisco about 1830, and was brought captive by Ramon Carillo, a Spaniard, to Los Angeles when a boy. He died when his son was a young boy and in the home of his grandfather Dominguez Moro grew up, acquiring a good education. He has been a naturalized citizen of the United States since 1902. For many years he farmed his own land and in 1920 sold his ranch of 1381/k acres at Warner's Hot Springs for ten thousand dollars. This was largely a fruit ranch. He has been chief of police since 1903 and part of the time has been deputized as a United States marshal and deputy constable.
In 1893 he married Nicholasa Lubo. They have two children: Annie, wife of Henry Smith, and Katharine. Mr. Moro comes of a family that has been well off financially for generations, and has always had property to manage. He is a man of strong character, industrious, ambitious, and has a highly respected place in the citizenship in San Diego County."~Published 1922
Now, it says that Mr. Dominguez Moro was of Indian and SPANISH stock. I don't know about you, but to me SPANISH implies SPAIN which is in Europe, and NOT AMERICAN INDIAN. So whatever he is claiming his own blood quantum, go back up his family tree and cut it in half for Dominguez Moro's father, who was according to this article only part Indian. (Dominguez Moro's father's parents are unknown to me, so he may be less than half)Dominguez Moro's mother was the daughter of Jose Maria Moro, of Warner's Ranch (Agua Caliente/Kupa) and she was Native American and Cupeno.
I believe that all California Indian descendents should have their blood counted, and that there should be collective support for your rights. However, this information keeps making me think about "what the pot called the kettle." when talking about the disenrollments. Not only does this article state the SPANISH lineage, but also states that Mr. Moro's father was not from Kupa. As I said before, that information does not matter to me, because he was from California Indian descent (in part) but it may matter to the members and should-be members of Pala because(as I understand it)the Pala governing documents state that the blood counted has to be "of the Band".
Furthermore, Annie Moro Smith's 1928 Application #1341(thanks to the Freedom of Information Act you can request this from Riverside, San Bruno National Archives or Washington D.C. National Archives..they have to give you a copy if you request it under FOIA)she states that her father's mother Silvestria Moro was Agua Caliente, but her mother's father Patricio Lubo was Cahuilla, and her mother's mother Beninia Canero was Cahuilla.(Sorry about the spellings, my photocopy is dark and hard to read.) She also states her father's father was born near San Francisco.
She also states on this 1928 Application that her husband Henry Smith is one-quater Indian blood from Agua Caliente.
Now I ask you, those who are enrolled as well as those dis-enrolled, what you think of this information? Did you know this? Is this common knowledge at Pala? I lost track of where this puts Mr. Smith's "blood degree of the Pala Band" at exactly. Perhaps someone else would like to figure it out for me.
You cannot figure his blood quanum without his mother's information too, which will add up to more than what you are insinuating.
Post a Comment