Dennis Chappabitty: Surviving Racists "You Damn Redskin!" .

Our friend and attorney to disenrolled tribal members in California, Dennis Chappabitty has his story on actual racism and his survival when attacked by four white men...


Attorney Dennis G. Chappabitty, a member of the Comanche Nation, shares his encounter with hate and racism in Oklahoma:

I engaged in a pitched, life-and-death, brutal, bloody battle with four racist young white men on a lonely dark rural road in Creek County, Oklahoma in 1971. I was a 22-year-old college student and a citizen of the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma.

Recent reports of racism rearing its hateful head out of the filthy muck in Rapid City, South Dakota; Ferguson, Missouri; and Norman, Oklahoma compel me to tell my personal story of survival against racists who were out to kill me while screaming, “You damn redskin, your kind of cowardly red trash needs to be beaten and killed!”

That night in September 1971, I was hitchhiking to Stillwater, Oklahoma from Chicago to attend my final year of college at Oklahoma State University. The trip was great with good folks sharing their food and company all the way to Tulsa from Chicago where I visited my Chiricahua Apache uncles who lived there.

I was on the outskirts of Tulsa very late at night with no cars stopping when a red Chevy Camaro quickly sped by, abruptly stopped, then backed up. I ran up to the car and asked, “Are you going to Stillwater?” They told me to get in. It was a tight fit in the small back seat with two guys while two others sat up front. They could have been frat boys. My pack was stashed in the trunk as we all sped down Highway 51 West.

Get the Story: "YOU DAMN REDSKIN"

OPEN LETTER TO PALA TRIBAL MEMBERS: LOOK WITHIN, WHAT IF IT WERE YOU?

Former Pala Chairman King Freemen has penned an open letter to the members of the Pala Band of Luiseno Indian, whose porcine leader The DESPICABLE ROBERT SMITH has overseen the disenrollment of 164 members of the tribe.

It describes the chicanery and tampering of government paperwork.  Hand written changes to the blood degree that...funny enough, didn't make it to the records housed in DC.  We, from Pechanga  know full well how this can affect others, as there were changes made to the Masiel Basquez Crime Family of Pechanga to ensure they met tribal standards.

This must be shared on twitter and Facebook to all the appropriate people and organizations.  And I URGE those who are under similar circumstances to write the same type of open letter, I WILL print it and those who have been disenrolled to share their stories in the comment sections...and visit OFTEN.

Pala Open Letter by OPechanga

Questions for Pechanga Chairman MARK MACARRO Part TWO Still Waiting for Answers to Part ONE

I've asked members of families terminated from Pechanga or those being kept out to ask some questions of Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians Chairman Mark Macarro.  On March 17th, we published the first round of those questions.  We know Pechanga reads the blog, we'd appreciate ANSWERS.

What is the TRUE reason you have a moratorium on membership? Isn't two decades enough to "get your records straight"? Why won't you let the family of current members in?  Tosobols are IN the tribe, all members should be in.  

Why does the tribe keep extending the moratorium on new adult members for so long?

How did family members of former enrollment committee chairman Bobbi LeMere… get enrolled into the tribe, with a moratorium in place?

Why did you lie to Congress to get property that you claimed was sacred, and then put a golf course on it?

Why do you use tribal money to bring your little brother on business trips when he has no position of value to the tribe?

Why are you allowing a convicted felon, Raymond Basquez Jr. steal water from Native  American allottees using the water committee elected post?

If the disenrollment was just and followed the tribal constitution and by laws why not settle it once and for all and waive the sovereign immunity on the disenrollment instead of dragging it thought the mud along with Pechanga's name and settle it in front of the dept of interior.   

Federal Lawmakers Want to Delay NEW RULES on Federal Recognition; Who needs More Indians Right?

House Natural Resources committees want the BIA to take more time on their changing of the rules for Federal recognition...

“We are concerned that the Department’s proposed rules fail to address many of the issues that have been identified and could create new problems that lead to unintended and unjustifiable outcomes,” the lawmakers wrote.

One of the more controversial changes is a new requirement that tribes demonstrate political authority since 1934, where they previously had to show continuity from “historical times.”

Supporters of the rule change say it helps to remove unfair burdens. Advocates say that some tribes have been denied recognition because records were lost or burned over hundreds of years, and any tribe that was still together by 1934 had overcome histories of mistreatment.

The letter urges the Interior Department to hold off on putting out final regulations until issues with recognition can be evaluated more thoroughly. The other congressional members who signed the letter are Rep. Don Young, an Alaska Republican, and Rep. Mike Thompson, a California Democrat.

Gabrieleno-Kizh Chief Ernie Salas Named Senior Citizen of the Year in San Gabriel

The City of San Gabriel named Ernie Salas as the Senior Citizen of the Year for the city.

Salas, who is also the Chief of the Gabrieleno Band of Mission Indians Kizh Nation, has been a resident of San Gabriel his entire life of 86 years. The city will recognize him at the April 21st City Council meeting where he will be given the award of Senior Citizen of the Year.

Chief Salas has long led the efforts of his Gabrieleno tribe in promoting their culture and heritage to the residents of San Gabriel and other San Gabriel Valley communities. He has maintained his own collection of native artifacts and other natural items to further educate the youth and local communities in and around San Gabriel.

Gabrieleno Kizh Chief Ernie Salas (R) pictured with Gabrieleno Elder Alex Motano
grandson of Felecitas, who decended from San Nicolas Island

He has also led the tribe’s efforts toward becoming federally recognized and as performed spiritual blessings at number of local public and private sites to further continue the time honored ways of his people. Chief Ernie and his lovely wife Virginia are the proud parents of six adult children with an abundant number of grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Who is WORSE for Online POKER, The Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians or Sheldon Adelson

Online poker site  POKERFUSE.COM  has this article on how Pechanga is behind the delay of online poker.  Funny, you won't read about it at Victor Rocha's (Pechanga Chairman Mark Macarro's cousin) website on all things related to Indian Gaming.  REALLY VICTOR?  What a jerk.  THANK you POKERFUSE!

One man, billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, has vowed to “spend whatever it takes” to stop online gambling including online poker, and spend he has. Adelson donated nearly $100 million to political causes in the last presidential election year, and he has funded the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling (CGIG).

He has also backed the Restoration of America’s Wire Act, a bill introduced in 2014 and again in 2015 which seeks to strengthen the restrictions of the 1961 Wire Act to include activities other than sports wagering. RAWA would also roll back laws on the books in states that already allow online poker.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has even been accused of blocking PokerStars’ entry into the state regulated marketon the behalf of Adelson. And while we cannot attribute the failure of several online poker bills around the country directly to Adelson, it is not that far of a stretch to speculate that his support has seeped down to the state lawmaking level.

But, given all his spending and efforts, it is quite possible that Sheldon Adelson is not the biggest roadblock for online poker in the US.

The politically powerful Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians along with a handful of other tribes stand staunchly opposed to proposed legislation that would bring online poker to the state of California—an online poker market that on its own would be considered one of the largest in the world. And, if California were to share its player pool with other states, as Nevada and Delaware have agreed to do, one could argue that California is by far the most strategic cog in the future of online poker in the US.

California’s poker playing community is so large that it could entice other states—that may otherwise struggle on their own to maintain a viable player base—to become partners. We have seen combined efforts for lottery games such as Powerball where 44 states have banded together to increase lottery participation by offering larger and more attractive prize pools.

Now to be fair, Pechanga and its allies are supporting a bill to legalize online poker in California, but considering the unrealistic nature of the bill they support, one could argue that it is really not support for online poker at all, and that is merely a facade. After all, the bill would exclude participation in the online poker industry by the state’s racetracks—a deal-killer in the eyes of Governor Jerry Brown who has stated that any online poker bill must include the racetracks.

In addition, the coalition led by Pechanga has made little progress in the way of developing online poker software, or partnering with companies that could provide the platform needed to enter into the online poker market—indicating that there may be more to their intentions than they are letting on.

So as it stands, the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, along with a small coalition of other tribes, hold enough power in California to block online poker legislation from passing, and in doing so they just might be doing more damage to online poker in the US than billionaire Sheldon Adelson.

San Nicolas Island and The Wrongful Removal of Remains: A History without Pechanga, Why Would They STEAL the BONES of Gabrieleno Ancestors?

I'm receiving more information on the history of San Nicolas Island, it's relationship to Gabrieleno and it's glaring LACK of any relationship to The Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians which proved they don't care about certain sacred sites if you can put a golf course on it .

The tribe has taken control of the bones of Gabrieleno Ancestors.   We reported on that earlier. I've included some pictures of historical works describing the Gabrieleno's cultural ties to San Nicolas Island, click on them to enlarge:

Mishewal Wappo Tribe LOSES Federal Recognition Lawsuit: Judge Edward Davila Rules Tribe Waited TOO long.

United States District Court Judge Edward J. Davila issued the ruling. The judgment means that the U.S. Department of Interior will not have to recognize the Mishewal Wappo Tribe of Alexander Valley.

Napa County officials, who have opposed having the tribe federally recognized, celebrated the judge's decision. If the Wappo had won, they had feared the tribe might then seek to have land held in trust by the federal government and try to build a casino in the county. Local land use laws would not apply in such a case.

“The end result of this ruling is very important because it ensures local lands continue to be protected and upholds the agricultural preserve and watershed lands that we hold so dearly,” Diane Dillon, chair of the Napa County Board of Supervisors, said in a statement. “It also makes certain that the voice of Napa County residents is heard and their years of efforts are not dismissed.”

The litigation stemmed from the 1959 termination of the Alexander Valley Rancheria, which was located in Sonoma County. A modern day group claiming to be descendants of Mishewal Wappo Indians of Alexander Valley sued the federal government in 2009 seeking status restoration and placement of unidentified Napa County lands into federal trust, exempting such lands from all local and state regulations.

U.S. District Court Judge Edward Davila agreed with arguments previously made by Napa and Sonoma counties, and also advanced by the federal government, that the Wappos waited 40 years too late to bring its lawsuit when the statute of limitations is only six years, county officials said.   OP:  Too long for a tribe that's centuries old? 

But local officials already have another casino worry on their hands. They say the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians – a federally recognized tribe – has signed a preliminary agreement with a Las Vegas company to seek a casino in Napa County, Sonoma County or Solano County.

Pechanga Disenrollments: Nine Years of Abuse Sanctioned by BIA and Congress

That's nine years that Hunter descendents have been stripped of their tribal citizenship, due to unconstitutional actions by the corrupt Pechanga Tribal Council and by collusion with enrollment committee members, including Bobbi LeMere (who, in a quid pro quo, got her sisters enrolled in the tribe, even though scores of others were in the moratorium  READ Corruption Exposed… )  Ruth Masiel, matriarch of the crime family and mother of councilmember Andrew Masiel Sr. and Frances Miranda, who two years before, had seen to it that her OWN FAMILY members, the descendent of Manuela Miranda were also stripped of their citizenship.  Irhene Scearce received justice in death.


Concerning Disgraceful Actions by the Pechanga Tribal Council

In a notice dated August 7, 2006, the descendants of Paulina Hunter, an original allottee of the Pechanga Indian Reservation, were informed that the Pechanga Tribal Council and the Pechanga Enrollment Committee had denied their appeal to over-turn the Enrollment Committee’s earlier decision to disenroll the family.

The Hunter Family members were disenrolled in March of this year when the Enrollment Committee concluded that their ancestor, Paulina Hunter, was not a Temecula Indian.
Along with disenrollment notices from the Enrollment Committee, a memo from the Tribal Council explained that it had decided that a law passed by the Tribe’s governing body in July 2005 to bar future disenrollments applied to all tribal members except the Hunter Family.

The disenrollment of the Hunter family was initiated when several statements were presented to the Enrollment Committee claiming Paulina Hunter was non-Indian or not a member. One such letter came from a convicted felon serving time in the California State Prison system for child molestation.

EVEN the DEAD Can't Escape Disenrollment at Redding and Pechanga: Wilkins

Professor Wilkins discusses the horrible acts of disenrolling the dead.   Many Americans have remarked on the strangeness of the Mormon church baptizing the dead into their religion, but how is that different from dishonoring the dead?

Even the dead aren't spared as the disenrollment epidemic spreads in Indian Country, observes professor David Wilkins:

For Native peoples then, and now, those on the other side continue as vital members of our societies. Centered between us and the Great Mysterious, they are able to bridge the worlds. They are conduits, providing critical guidance necessary for our continuance as peoples.

This is why more than a century and a half after these words were spoken, actions taken by tribal leaders to purge their tribal rolls, not just of their living relatives, but even of the bones of their relatives on the other side inspires such instinctive disgust. The very fabric of the cosmos as we have always understood it is being assaulted in this macabre fashion through recent attempts, some successful, by several Native governments to engage in the loathsome practice of disenrollment of deceased tribal members. By doing so, current officials may then more easily wield the legal authority to disenroll descendants who are currently enrolled tribal citizens.

The actions are inhumane. In one California case, a revered grandmother’s body was exhumed so that a DNA test could be performed. Even when the test confirmed her as a genetically bone fide member, the tribal government still disenrolled this long-deceased woman and all her descendants from the tribe’s rolls.

The case above references the case of the Foreman Family of the Redding Rancheria.  They were forced to exhume their ancestor for a DNA test.  That's disturbing the dead in a way that's worse than what tribal monitors watch for during construction on native lands......right?   The Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians also disenrolled the dead, Paulina Hunter, even though the overwhelming evidence, written and oral, in the Luiseno language by elders who knew Paulina when she was alive as PECHANGA.  The Pechanga Chairman, Mark Macarro has NO HONOR.

Cherokee Freedmen Descendents Hosting 4th Treaty Celebration Banquet

Press Release – For Immediate Release—March 21 2015                                                                                                                      

Contacts –

Reverend Everett Adair 918-336-6507 or 918-440-6099  everettadair49@gmail.com                  Mrs Ruth Nash  918-333-9683 or Mrs Marilyn Vann  405-227-9810  mkvann@hotmail.com      

 DESCENDANTS OF FREEDMEN OF THE FIVE CIVILIZED TRIBES ASSOCIATION            AFRICAN INDIANS OF THE 5 CIVILIZED TRIBES  FOUNDATION CO HOST 4TH TREATY CELEBRATION BANQUET APRIL 17, 2015 BARTLESVILLE OKLAHOMA 

The Descendants of Freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes Association and the African Indians of the 5 Civilized Tribes Foundation will co host the Fourth Treaty Celebration banquet on Friday April 17, 2015 in Bartlesville Oklahoma.  The Banquet will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn, 205 SW Frank Phillips Blvd, Bartlesville, Oklahoma beginning at 6:30pm. 

 The freedmen and their descendants (former slaves of Indians or free mixed African Indians) received tribal citizenship rights through 1866  treaties signed  by tribal leaders and the US government .  The descendants of tribal freedmen now face discrimination in registering as tribal citizens, accessing benefits such as housing and education available to members of federally recognized Indian tribes, voting in tribal elections,  and also battle disenrollment movements led by tribal leaders.

 Featured speaker at the banquet is Attorney Jon Velie, who will speak on law and history of the freedmen.  The program will include musical entertainment & an update on new freedmen documentary “By Blood”   http://www.bybloodthefilm.com/

  

To obtain banquet tickets or to find out more about the program, please contact  Everett  Adair, Ruth Nash or Marilyn Vann at the contact information above.

Program information and ticket information is also on www.eventbrite.com

 https://eventbrite.com/event/15822298922/

 To learn more about the freedmen and their struggle for Civil Rights, please visit the Facebook Page: Descendants of the Freedmen of the Five Tribes or contact Descendants of Freedmen Assn Vice President Mrs Fannie Bates 405-642-3527   fannie_bates @yahoo.com.  The organization website is  www.freedmen.org   

Saginaw Chippewa Disenrollment Upheld

A decision has been made on late January's disenrollment appeal of several members of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe

Chief Judge Patrick Shannon issued an opinion concurring with the disenrollment decision previously made by the Office of Administrative Hearings, Tribal attorney Paula Fisher said.


"I'm not surprised; that's the best way I could put it," she said. "I was hopeful... I had really hoped that he would give this careful consideration and render an opinion. That didn't happen."


Fisher said she is planning on appealing prior to the March 31 appeal deadline.


The families involved may be planning on organizing another protest to keep the movement going, she said.

One of those affected is disenrolled Tribal member Sharon Cole, 58.

Cole said 16 living family members, as well as two deceased, have been targeted for disenrollment.


"A lot of people are going to suffer if this isn't corrected," she said. "I's wrong. It's not traditional and it's surprising, because we have a traditional chief at the helm."

Cole said the case is unique because it was originally dismissed without prejudice, and there has never been a case like this before where it was reopened.


Last year, 234 members of the Tribe - 169 living and the rest deceased - received letters making them aware of the latest disenrollment proceedings.


Fisher said these are cases that were closed five years ago and dismissed by the tribe with prejudice.


The disenrollment notices targeted Tribal members tied to the Tribe through collateral descent - ancestry that can be traced back to a great-great uncle, aunt or cousin - rather than lineal descent - ancestry that can be traced back to a parent, grandparent or great-grandparent.


This means that people like Cole and her affected family members will lose their membership.


Cole said this means that her disenrolled family members will also lose their health insurance.


"In our family group, the majority of our group are elders (with) varying degrees of physical disability," she explained. "We're in our 60's, approaching our 60's, and we have a lot of medical issues. It's very frightening."


Cole said she is hopeful for the appeal because she believes the appellate court offers "the most promise for justice."










Tribal Spokesperson Frank Cloutier said in October 2013 that the Tribe does not comment on matters of disenrollment.

Gabrieleno Band of Mission Indians Decry Exclusion in National Monument Decision

In a secong glaring example of how the lack of Federal recognition affects state recognized tribes, here's a notice from the Kizh nation that show the lack of respect from the Obama administration with the exclusion of Gabrielenos.  Is it any wonder why Federally recognized tribes are usurping territories not their own?

Gabrieleno Band of Mission Indians, 

Kizh Nation

Last year US Representative Judy Chu introduced a bill to establish the San Gabriel Mountains, the Rio Hondo/San Gabriel Rivers, and the Puente Hills area as a National Recreation Area.  The bill stalled in committee so Ms. Chu went to President Obama to declare the San Gabriel Mts. as a National Monument and it was proclaimed a Nat'l Monument on Oct. 10, 2014. 

        Throughout both initiatives, Ms. Chu and the proponents have never contacted the  KIZH GABRIELENOS, the indigenous Tribe of the Los Angles basin.  Measures of this propensity require Tribal input.  Now that the development of the Nat'l Monument has progressed, the National Forest Foundation and the National Forest Service have completely ignored the True Tribe of the Area, the Gabrieleno Band of Mission Indians, KIZH Nation.  Instead, they have appointed the Chumash Indians (San Ynez), the Tejon Tribe (Grapevine area), and the San Manuel Indians ( San Bernardino County) as representatives to the NM. 

        The NM proclamation states: "To the maximum extent permitted by other applicable law and consistent with the purposes of the monument, the plan shall protect and preserve Indian sacred sites, as defined in section 1(b) of Executive Order 13007 of May 24, 1996, and access by Indian tribal members for traditional cultural, spiritual, and tree and forest product-, food-, and medicine-gathering purposes. Nothing in this proclamation shall be construed to enlarge or diminish the rights of any Indian tribe as defined in section 1(b) of Executive Order 13007." 

        Executive order 13007 refers to Federally Recognized Tribes.  Even though the KIZH NATION is not Federally recognized, they are recognized by the State of

California, the Native American Heritage Commission, and by the California Environmental Quality Act.  The KIZH NATIONwas instrumental in the Passing of California Assembly Bill AB52, preserving tribal rights of all Tribes in California, Federally recognized or not. 

        To designate three Tribes that are far removed from the NM would be a disservice to the community and an insult to Tribes throughout the Nation.  These Tribes have no connection historically, geographically, or culturally.  These federally recognized tribes continue to disrespectfully infiltrate in our tribal territories such as San Nicolas Island, Burro Flats, and now The San Gabriel Mountains. Only the KIZH NATION have the pertinent information related to the NM.  It was the KIZH ancestors that protected and environmentally preserved the majesty of the San Gabriels.    

Join us on March 25 to hear our expert panel address these questions and more. The panel discussion will be moderated by Steve Scauzillo, award-winning San Gabriel Valley Tribune reporter. Invited panelists include Daniel Lovato, Acting Supervisor of the Angeles National Forest; Belinda Faustinos, Vice-Chair of San Gabriel Mountains Forever; Tim Brick, Managing Director of the Arroyo Seco Foundation, and Edward Belden, Southern California Program Associate, National Forest Foundation.

A social reception at 7 p.m. precedes the 7:30 program sponsored by the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter’s Forest Committee. The program is free and the public is welcome. For more information, email John Monsen at wildernessjfm@aol.com.

After Sens. Feinstein and Boxer Inaction, Pechanga Tribe Issues Punitive Increase in Water Rates for Non Tribal Reservation Residents: Convicted Felon Gets His Way

For four years Pechanga has been trying to steal water from allottees on the reservation, who are no longer tribal members after an unconstitutional disenrollment.

 Twice, the tribe has been defeated in the halls of Congress. They've been working on payback.

 We met with the legislative assistants for both Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator Barbara Boxer. The wife of Pechanga Chairman Mark Macarro, high powered lobbyist and short list for Hillary Clinton's Native American aide, Holly Cook Macarro, wrote the last bill that tried to get the definition of allottee changed. Holly tried to get tribal members as the basis for allottee, meaning, those that were ACTUALLY ALLOTTED land and water rights, would lose out. Even the senator's people had the decency to be embarrassed.

 That bill did not go through. Meaning Pechanga paid Holly Macarro and her community property state living husband anyway.

 Now we have a letter from the Pechanga Water Systems, which was pushed by convicted felon Raymond Basquez Jr. to increase the rates of non-members, while the rich tribal members will pay NOTHING for their water.
This is a blatant attempt to force families to sell. $75 might not seem like much, but when you have an EQUAL right to any water on the reservation, in fact, MORE right than any member NOT allotted land, it's punitive.  And a 65% increase is exorbitant.  We told the Senators that this would happen.

Pechanga Water Bill Rate Rise for Non Tribal Residents

NORTH FORK RANCHERIA SUES CALIFORNIA FOR JERRY BROWNS FAILURE TO NEGOTIATE

 The North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians sued California for the right to build a casino nearly 40 miles away from its reservation, though voters rejected the tribe's deal with the governor in last year's election.

     The North Fork Rancheria is in the mountains near Yosemite. The proposed casino - expected to have 2,000 slot machines and 40 gaming tables - would be north of Madera, on land placed into trust for the tribe's project by the federal government.

     Although the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) typically frowns on casinos far from tribal land, an exception is possible if the Secretary of the Interior finds that the resort is in the best interest of the tribe and is not detrimental to the surrounding community.

     The Department of the Interior issued its environmental review for the North Fork casino in 2009 and made its official recommendation in 2011.
     The next year, Gov. Jerry Brown signed off on federal permission for the tribe to build the casino, and the Legislature ratified a tribal-state gaming compact with North Fork in 2013.

     Opponents of the project - which include other Central Valley Indian casinos - gathered enough signatures to force a referendum on the November 2014 ballot. Proposition 48 asked voters whether to uphold the gaming compact between the North Fork tribe and the state, as well as one reached between the state and the Wiyot Tribe.

Determination and Persistence Pay Off: Cherokee Native Child CAN WEAR EAGLE FEATHER to his Graduation NEVER GIVE UP

Our friend John Cornsilk relayed this story about a Cherokee Nation mother who needed support in her quest to get an eagle feather for her son's graduation from high school.  With a long wait list, she was put into contact with Cherokee Nation reseacher David Cornsilk.   David has worked in many capacities for his tribe and is also an activist who supported the Cherokee Freedmen in their recent court victories after a long struggle.

This is a story about persistence, about education of non natives and it shows that that persistence and dedication to the struggle can pay off.  It's something that all Native people who are struggling with injustice, even from their own tribe, should NEVER GIVE UP.   Please read the story in her own words:

 "Osiyo & osdasvhiyei. My name is Teresa Sequichie and I am a member of the Cherokee Nation, as is my 17 y/o son.

After leaving Tahlequah we headed to a suburb right outside of Houston. My son is the only Native student in his entire school district. It's mostly white. My son is in the 11th grade. I wanted him to have an eagle feather for graduating, but the waiting list was almost 5 years long.

We were blessed enough to be put on the same path as David Cornsilk. He honored my boy with one of his own personal feathers! We had it blessed and beaded and came on back to TX.

In the meantime I spoke to my son's high school principal who told me no way, and backed that up by showing me the student handbook that I'd signed stating "no adornment on the graduation cap or gown".

I went back to the only person that seemed to care... David. He composed a letter to the school explaining the significance of the eagle feather in the Cherokee culture. I felt empowered & with my letter in hand I went above his head and went to the superintendent of the district. I was immediately discouraged when the 1st thing he said was, " we've never ran into this kind of problem before".

He called David & asked a ton of ?'s. Then he wanted to see the exact feather. I told him I couldn't let him hold the feather but I could send him pictures. For weeks he went back & forth asking ?'s and trying to make a "deal" with me. Finally he made the decision-our request was denied. But he offered that he would allow him to wear the feather underneath his robe!!

Again I'm running back to David. At this point I'm not sure what I'm expecting from him, as he'd already done so much, but he would encourage me to keep fighting and not to take no for an answer.
And he let me know that it was my place to educate them & make them understand our ways.

So feeling newly inspired I walked right into the middle of the district school board meeting! They let me speak for exactly 45 seconds. I tried my best to squeeze my most important facts into that minute and a half but they acted like I wanted my son to ride in on a mountain lion or something.

They took a private vote and informed me for a THIRD time the answer was no to him wearing his eagle feather. We were devastated. We went back to Tahlequah for a week and today the principal sent this letter home with my son stating that after extensive research by their legal dept they've decided to approve the "regalia"

I thank you more than you know, David Cornsilk. You inspired me and you will never be forgotten for everything you've done for my family. You truly went above and beyond!!! Wado a thousand times!!

And thank you for caring about our Native youth."

Questions For Pechanga Chairman Mark Macarro - PART ONE

I've asked members of families terminated from Pechanga or those being kept out to ask some questions of Pechanga Chairman Mark Macarro.   We know Pechanga read the blog, we'd appreciate ANSWERS.

Why are you practicing Apartheid on your reservation, with the threat of banishment for using a restroom or water fountain?  Isn't that outside your Democratic Party principles?

Did you make a deal with the FBI to not prosecute former tribal chairwoman Jenny Miranda and her son for stealing slot machines from the tribe?  If so, WHY would you do that?

How much to YOU get from your wife's lobbying firm that the tribe pays $250,000 per year?  What has her firm accomplished to deserve that payment?

Antonio Ashman, Pechanga's vaunted elder, in more than one document, acknowledged the Paulina Hunter family as Pechanga as well as at least 5 other tribal elders. Why Mr. Macarro do you continue assert that the enrollment committee was correct in stripping Hunter descendants' membership rights?

Why did the tribe hire an outside expert to research the Hunter family history and then ignore his findings that the evidence shows the Hunter family are true Pechanga people?

If Pechanga honors their elders, why then weren't elders  Ashman, Tortuga, and Rodriguez , who KNEW Paulina Hunter as Pechanga, when she was alive, believed?  Why sir, would you take the word of a convicted child molestor, over the words of people who knew here?   

Why did the tribe disenroll them even though disenrollment wasn't even a part of tribal law at the time of their disenrollment and why didn't his tribal council obey the will of the people that everyone as of the date that the law passed would remain tribal members?

Gabrieleno Tribe Fires Salvo At Navy's Wrongful Transfer of Remains

The Andrew Salas led Gabrieleno Band of Mission Indians has fired off a letter to Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy, expressing concern about the Navy giving  the remains of 469 ancestors, resting on San Nicolas Island to the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians. We wrote about it here   and HERE 

There are numerous factions of Gabrieleno and Gabrieleno Tongva tribes.  Our understanding is that there will be cooperation on this matter.   Please help add your voice by sharing this post to your emails, Facebook and Twitter.  Don't let Pechanga get away with usurping the Gabrielenos ancestors

Demand That Navy Give Gabrieleno Tribe Their Ancestor's Remains

For twitter addresses:  @usindianaffairs  @indiancommittee

You Want PROOF the Trask Family of San Pasqual Doesn't Belong?

Well, of course there is oral history, but some tribes are so well documented that it could fill a binder, or two, or in the case of San Pasqual and the Trask family SEVENTEEN BINDERS!

17 Binders of Proof, with MORE to come. Can San Pasqual HANDLE the TRUTH?

Yes, tons of documentation, that will be presented.  Can the BIA ignore the evidence?  Which statute will they hide behind?  How far will they stick their heads in the sand?

Read more on San Pasqual:


San Pasqual Lawsuit
San Pasqual Split
San Pasqual Must Lose Right to Run Valley View
San Pasqual Members DENIED their Civil Rights says BIA

Gabrielenos FIGHT BACK on Pechanga Tribe's Takeover of Ancestor's Remains; San Nicolas Island Dispute UPDATE

We reported earlier on the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians Indians and it's chairman Mark Macarro's usurpation of the ancestral homelands of the Gabrieleno people.

This disgraceful action is not going unanswered by the Gabrieleno people.  See that story: Pechanga Has NO Cultural Affiliation to San Nicolas Island

Chairman Andrew Salas, of the Kizh Nation Gabrieleno Band has forwarded me some documents that they will be providing the U.S. Navy, which should help them recover the remains of their people.


At this link, are the historical boundaries of the Chumash and Gabrieleno people. There is NO EVIDENCE of Luiseno or Pechanga in this historical record.  The report is detailed archaeology and deserves more weight than any oral history of the current Pechanga "elders" some who have NO blood of Pechanga.

Channel Island Language Groups
NO Pechanga

Here is from a comment on the previous article:   The Luiseno have an intact oral history that describes their territory within Southern California, I got one tend to believe and side with tribal knowledge and cultural understandings of history that is handed down generationaly, not the non-Indian Western derived ideologies that forced Indigenous people into the social ills that plagued a lot of tribal communities. Stop mixing hatred, ideology, and your own agenda to promote an erasure of the truth or at the least frustrating the situation. Pamela Munroe knows what she is doing, I am thinking so do the Luiseno and the Pechanga Band.

My response to this bullshit above is that the current leaders of Pechanga make up their history.  They have been PROVEN to IGNORE both written and oral history in the Paulina Hunter matter.  Therefore, they are ill equipped to provide historical analysis on territory so far outside their own.

We will continue to report on this issue and expect to hear more from the Kizh, and the Navy, as the theft of ancestry of the Nicolenos cannot stand.

UPDATE:   Have already heard back from Victor Rocha, Chairman Mark Macarro's first cousin, who runs a Native news site, after including him with news organizations: 

From: Victor Rocha
To: me
Today at 11:29 AM

Lose my email address.

UPDATE 2:  Gabrieleno-Tongva leader says:  We will be uniting with other bands to fight this together, just like we did with AB 52.

Chukchansi's Ousted Council Member SUES Sally Jewell, Interior and BIA's Amy Dutschke and TROY BURDICK

No wonder the BIA refuses to do their jobs.  One of the few times they do the right thing and they get sued right?  Had they done something earlier and with other tribes, there wouldn't be so many issues.  Interior and BIA are pouring gasoline on the fires they should be putting out.

Patrick Hammond, ousted Chukchansi Tribal Council members has filed suit against Interior Secretary Sally Jewell.    Funny to see that he's concerned about ETHICS.  Wonder if someone had to explain what that was?

As our friend Cathy Cory said:  

This argument, taken from the complaint, actually could refer as well to ALL of the DISENROLLMENTS undertaken at p\Picayune by EVERY TRIBAL COUNCIL SINCE 2006:

All of defendants' actions, as stated above, are (1) arbitrary, capricious, abuse of
discretion, and otherwise not in accordance with law; (2) in excess of statutory jurisdiction,

authority, or limitation, or short of statutory right; (3) without observance of procedure required by

law, within the meaning of 5 US.C. §706(A), (C) and (D); and the Decision is not supported by any evidence in the record and should be vacated by this Court.

Here are some of the facts of his case:

7. Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians Indians ("Tribe") is a federally recognized Indian tribe organized under the provisions of a written constitution ("Constitution"), which has been approved by the voting members of the Tribe.

FREEDMEN UPDATE: Meetings and Protest Announcements Please Share

Descendants of Freedmen Association and their supports will host their next meeting on Saturday March 14 2015 at First Missionary Baptist Church 429 Denison Street, Muskogee Oklahoma beginning at one pm. The meeting is free and open to the general public. Please bring a covered dish to share with other meeting attendants. Candidates for both tribal and non tribal political office will be recognized. Candidates of both tribal and non tribal elections will be recognized at the meeting. 

Seminole Freedmen tribal members will sponsor a demonstration on Friday March 13th 2015

outside the Federal Courthouse Building 200 NW 4th Street, Oklahoma City, Okla beginning at one pm. The demonstration is to protest the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) not enforcing treaty rights of Seminole Freedmen tribal members to receive Indian Health Services . For more information on the demonstration please contact Seminole Nation Ceasar Bruner Band Council Member Mrs Leeta Osborne Sampson at Losbornesampson@gmail.com 



CLICK here for FULL FREEDMEN UPDATE

Search Terms for Smithsonian Visit: Corrupt Pechanga Chairman Mark Macarro

Wow, I guess the word is spreading!  While checking my Sitemeter, was glad to see the Smithsonian visit.   I was surprised to see that they came looking using the search terms

Corrupt Pechanga Chairman Mark Macarro

I've added a screen capture here, and you can see which was the page they came looking for:

http://www.originalpechanga.com/2015/01/corrupt-pechanga-chairman-mark-macarro.html

Good to know that we are not alone in seeing that..

Tribal Casino Crimewatch: PASKENTA BAND Accused of Squandering MILLIONS of Tribal Dollars.

One faction of an Indian tribe has accused another in a lawsuit of squandering millions of dollars in profits from a Northern California casino to lead lavish lifestyles.

In the federal suit filed Tuesday, tribe members who lost control of the Rolling Hills Casino last year are accused of spending $17 million on private jet travel and millions more on tickets to professional sporting events, luxury homes, expensive vacations and custom sports cars, The Sacramento Bee reported.

The suit alleges the faction invested $93 million in gold, property and unproven, high-risk startup companies.

They also are accused of mounting an armed attack, which authorities described as a standoff between two rival factions on a road leading to the casino in an attempt to regain control.

That was followed by a cyber-attack to cover up their criminal activity, the lawsuit alleges.

Authorities were not immediately available Wednesday to provide further information to The Associated Press related to the allegations.

The AP also could not immediately determine if the people sued have retained lawyers.

The lawsuit marked the latest chapter in an ongoing fight over the casino located near Corning, about two hours north of Sacramento.

The casino makes $100 million a year and provides $54,000 annually to each of its 300 members.

The suit alleges the "looting spree" was enabled by "rigged" tribal elections.

The 171-page lawsuit includes claims under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act. It names 19 members of the tribe, including four former leaders.

Hey, Disenrolled, Moratorium Bound, YES, YOU, THE FIGHT IS NOT OVER, QUIT WATCHING from the Cheap Seats

You mean, we didn't get re-enrolled the ONE time you came to a protest?  You wrote ONE letter to your congressman and he didn't fall all over himself fighting for your rights?  You went to the archives that time...eight years ago and the tribe didn't take your evidence?  SO you're quitting, you don't want to help?  You  don't think we'll ever win?

No, the fight for our rights is not over.  So stop whining that you can’t go back to sitting on your rear end – there is still much to do.  I know you’re frustrated. And I don’t care.

More people want to throw in the towel just as we are approaching some success.  News flash: Our opponents punch back.  Did anyone think they wouldn't continue to fight back, to protect their ill gotten gains and power?   The fight’s up ahead, and we’re going to keep moving to the seats of power, our Congress and the Interior Department.

Many of us are jolted by their disenrollments.  Many expect immediate action, but that is simply not the case, when have we seen quick action?   Laws take time, getting politicians to move takes longer.  SO WHAT?  What are doing in the meantime?   Keeping up with the KARDASHIANS?  SHAME ON YOU.

What is the Department of Justice's Policy of the Abuse of Indian's Civil Rights? Request and Answer.

HERE is a letter YOU can and SHOULD send to Attorney General Vanita Loretta Lynch, or to the newest Attorney General It's a request for a policy statement, which if you read the Gabe Galanda article, could be as simple as "we won't defend the civil and human rights of Indian people harmed by their own Tribes.  Guest blogger  Reinstatement Resolution has crafted this letter.

To: US Department of Justice

    Attorney General Loretta Lynch

    950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

    Washington , D.C. 20530-0001

    Email: askdoj@usdoj.gov

    Fax Number: 202-307-6777

From:  

         

Re: Request for Policy Statement

Dear Attorney General, 

I am writing this request on behalf of thousands of American Indians who have been removed from the Membership Rolls of Federally Recognized Tribes without due process and in violation of their right to equal protection under the law.

Many of the decisions to terminate tribal membership have been imposed by Tribal Leaders without the approval of the General Membership of the Tribe, in direct contradiction of the governing documents of their respective Tribes, and motivated by racial bias. This racial bias is compounded by the fact that some of these Tribal Leaders have no Indian ancestry themselves, and would not meet the same standards as these disenrolled Indians, who have endured discrimination and bias from American society, and now face bias and discrimination from within their own tribes.

Tribal Leaders act with impunity due to the protections of sovereign immunity. Many of these leaders claim that the Santa Clara Pueblos v. Martinez Supreme Court decision gives them the right to exclude legitimate tribal members and they have done so, causing egregious harm to the Native Americans who lose their tribal citizenship. This harm extends far beyond the loss of membership in a Federally Recognized Tribe. It means denial of eligibility for federal benefits to help finance education, medical treatment, and even emergency assistance to families in need. It means the loss of land rights, burial rights, and access to benefits provided by the tribe. It means a denial of heritage, and the legacy of their ancestors, and the connection to their culture.  

Obama Failure on Tribal Disenrollment Justice Department Avoids Conflicts - Galanda

Here's an excellent indictment of the Obama Administration for avoiding the human and civil rights abuses BY tribes against their own people via tribal disenrollment, by attorney Gabe Galanda.  Failure of the disenrolled to continue to press our  politicians, leads to those same politicians not caring or rather unwilling to expend any political capital against big money Indian tribes.

We will have a letter requesting a policy statement from the Department of Justice later today. Please plan on sending a copy for each of your family members.

MONEY QUOTES:

More problematically, Interior and the BIA fail to appreciate that the tribal power to determine membership—or more traditionally, kinship or belonging—is distinctly different from the power to disenroll. The former is a matter of inherent tribal sovereignty. The latter is a matter of federal delegated plenary power that the Congress delegated to the Secretary of the Interior, and in turn, the Secretary has now delegated to tribal governments. This distinction is critical, and lost on most all of Indian Country due to the mistruths espoused on this topic by the federal government and others.

 

Indeed, the BIA’s Indian Affairs Manual explains: “When enrollees lose their membership they also lose their right to share in the distribution of tribal assets. Since the Secretary is responsible for distribution of trust assets to tribal members,disenrollment actions are subject to approval by the Secretary or his authorized representatives. Any person whose disenrollment has been approved by the Area Director acting under delegated authority may appeal the adverse decision as provided in 25 C.F.R. § 2.”    

Instead of honoring those policies, or federal law, Interior honors a selfish decision made by a few BIA senior bureaucrats during the Bush Administration;

But the Obama Administration has failed to doanythingto help fix today’s federally caused, tribal disenrollment crisis. Not only is it the federal government’s fiduciary obligation to all Indian peoples to do so, but it is the morally correct thing to do.

 

Read more at: Galanda on Disenrollment