A recent opinion piece by Cherokee genealogist David
Cornsilk had me thinking about the "identity
theft" of heritage that is going on in California Indian Country.
As we have seen in some tribe's such as San Pasqual ,
white interlopers have taken control of
the tribe. And as surely as Andrea
Smith, Elizabeth Warren,or Ward Churchill did, they have taken the identity of real Indians.
San Pasqual leader Allan Lawson's ancestor has NO blood of
the band. His ancestor explicitly stated
they were NOT Indian, yet the BIA has seen fit to give them all rights as
Indians and keep the real descendants out.
Self proclaimed Indians should not have the rights of true Native
Americans. Yet, they do at Pechanga and
San Pasqual. The Nooksack tribe is led
by one who was adopted into the tribe, yet he
has been attempting to disenroll true Nooksack people claiming they
"don't belong". His attempts
were SLAPPED down this week by the IBIA.
In my own family's case, we are descended from Original
Pechanga Indians. In our disenrollment
case the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians, led by Mark Macarro, hired
renowned anthropologist Dr. John Johnson to research our ancestor Paulina
Hunter, from whom 175 of us descend.
Dr. Johnson has done extensive work with The Padrones, the
records of the Spanish missionaries dating back to the 18th century. He was quickly able to provide documentation
and evidence of our ancestral ties to Pechanga and Temecula, where the Pechanga
Reservation now exists. He used the
tribe's own paperwork and records, to show Paulina Hunter was indeed a Pechanga
Indian.
In a television interview, Dr. Johnson stated that NO OTHER FAMILY belonged more than the
Hunters. We were 100% Pechanga. Well at least from the 1700's to 2006 when the tribal council overruled the will of the
people and terminated Paulina Hunter and all her descendants, living or dead. We are collateral damage.
We had the proof of ancestry, something that many in the
tribe DO NOT have. My family is still on
the outside, even though we LIVE ON THE INSIDE of the reservation. We still
have our original allotment issued by President McKinley that we received at
the inception of the reservation . We
live under an Apartheid system, with no rights to vote on issues that affect
us.
Our tribal history proves we belong, with chairman Macarro's
own ancestor calling Paulina Hunter "AUNT". We have sworn
depositions, taken in the Luiseno language in 1915 that state that Paulina
Hunter was Pechanga, you know, from people that KNEW HER when she was living!
(she died in 1899).
I invite ALL Pechanga people to compare our history to their
own. Chairman Macarro wasn't born in the
area like so many of our family have been.
He wasn't even on the original list of enrolled, nor was Jennie Miranda
the previous tribal chair, who is now disenfranchised.
We have long established relations to the tribe and the
reservation. We didn't have to
manufacture our history like some tribal families.
Do the right thing
Pechanga, bring the rightful people home........
3 comments:
the sooner we accept the truth and correct mistakes the sooner and easier life is for ALL BAND MEMEBERS. Our Ancestors deserve the respect, ALL our Ancestors.
Thats right, Macarro's father and chairman was born in San Bernardino not even in Temecula.
"Indian Recognizes Indian" and That is a spiritual fact, Just as "game recognizes game"and as Cat recognizes cat".. And When I first Seen The Commercial on t.V. on Mr.Mark Macarro. "I knew that "sucker" was a big time Fraud. There was something about him and his ora,That was all bad, but I was not too sure, "Now I know".. "Hes a big time fraud' like Mr. Allen Lawson" and his Family".. At first it was hard for me to tell if Mr. Allen Lawson was a fraud, for the fact,that he used to go to my dads Home on canal road, and smile in his face, and tickle his ears with Promises...Then his last visit was strange in 1998, like he was "pouring out his soul, about him having family in Miwok Country and that he had done so much for the tribe.."and I thought "whats up with this Grown ass Indian man "acting guilty'..and I knew then..As my native spirit told me~> " Allen lawson tried to Hide his tracks of Identity theft and his "fraudulent workings, by Doing major projects for our tribe. While changing the I identity of our tribe from 'KUMEYAAYS to DIEGUENOS ON PAPER..and "That'was FOUL!. But, Im so GLAD. NOW EVERYONE IN CALIFORNIA INDIAN COUNTRY KNOWS'....that "Tribal Heritage theft is real". and I ask my creator, that all Comes into the light for the sake of truth and respect and loyalty to our Ancestors.
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