REPORT: RINCON Disenrolls over 30 members

We are getting word that the Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians has disenrolled members this week.   It seems to be a trait of the Luiseno nations.  And not one that shines well on their leadership.

We've posted before on Rincon membership issues, where some didn't meet "blood quantum" which was designed to eliminate Native Americans.  And former chairman's family that were never enrolled..

Here's a story on the Calac family of Rincon:

n question is the lineage of Jose Maria Calac, and whether he was full-blooded or three-quarters Indian.

Currier is among the great-grandchildren of Calac and would be less than the required one-eighth Indian, critics say, if Calac wasn't full-blooded Indian.

The plaintiffs cite a 1989 decision by the Rincon enrollment committee, which ruled that fourth-generation descendants of Jose Maria Calac were ineligible.

The decision was appealed to the BIA, who upheld the decision, but, according to the suit, did not try to enforce the findings and was then instructed by the Interior Department to not get involved.

"We want (the BIA) to do what they're obligated to do under federal and tribal law," Marston said. "The tribe knows that we're right."

A settlement in the case was reached, an agreement that would ultimately reinstate the enrollment committee's 1989 decision.

But the district court ruled that the settlement would affect the Rincon tribe's right to determine its own citizenship.

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