Cherokee SecState on Elizabeth Warren, DNA and Tribal Citizenship

Well done opinion piece from Chuck Hoskin Jr. The Cherokee Nations Secretary of State.
Recent political events from Senator Elizabeth Warren’s DNA results have raised important questions nationally of what it means to be a citizen of a federally recognized tribe. These events—and disparaging statements made by elected leaders and political pundits in response—may cause some to question the value of tribal citizenship. 

The right of a tribe to determine its citizenship is the most basic and inherent function of a sovereign government. But citizenship is a concept that many outside tribal governments do not understand.

As I discuss citizenship with non-Native friends, I talk about my family table. During holidays, our family table is shared by my immediate family, and friends we do not get to see that often. They are all welcome and loved as we share food, stories and laughter.

However, if something tragic were to happen to me or my wife, not everyone at that table would be entitled to inherit my house or become legally responsible for my kids. Those friends at my table will no doubt be critical in healing and providing love for those left behind, but it is my immediate family that will have their own rights and responsibilities in the eyes of the law.

This concept of family is key to understanding why citizenship matters. Everyone who cares about us as Natives are welcome, but at critical moments those that have legal and cultural standing have a unique place with specific rights and responsibilities.

That is why it offends us when some of our national leaders seek to inappropriately ascribe membership or citizenship to themselves. They would be welcome to our table as friends, but claiming to be family to gain a spot at the table is unwelcome. 

Redding Rancheria Family Disenrolled Because of GREED. The FOREMAN FAMILY Was UNJUSTLY Stripped of Citizenship

Fifteen years ago, in Sept.  2003, the LATimes reporter Michael Hiltzik had the story of the disenrollment of the Foreman family from the Redding Rancheria.  Please READ and share

Virginia Timmons

The late Virginia Timmons was among the 17 Indians still living on the Redding Rancheria when it was disbanded by federal order in 1959, one of the sad milestones of the Indian experience in California.

Her daughter, Lorena, was among the 130 original members enrolled in the tribal group after its reestablishment 24 years later, a restoration that came about partly through the efforts of her grandson, Bob Foreman.


To this day, many of Virginia Timmons' 75 descendants remember her as the cheerful woman they called "Nano." She loved the music of Elvis and used to startle guests by uttering phrases from a near-forgotten tribal language in her sleep. Many of her offspring have served the rancheria as members of the tribal council, executives of its health clinic, administrators of its educational programs or managers of its thriving Win-River casino.

By almost any measure, Timmons' family would have to be ranked among the leading clans of the Redding Rancheria, which sits on 30 acres of land in the shadow of Mt. Shasta. So one can only imagine their dismay at the movement to kick them all out of the tribal organization.

Rep. Jared Huffman Named Committee Chair On House Natural Resources Subcommittee: CAN HE HELP AGGRIEVED Hopland Natives?

Good to hear that Democrat Rep. Jared Huffman has been named chair of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans  by House Natural Resources Chairman RAUL GRIJALVA who has supported disenrolling tribes like Pechanga in water rights theft


If you'll recall, the HOPLAND 74, which was disenrolled a few years back wrote him a letter asking for help to assist Native Americans who have had their civil and human rights violated.  He was in the minority and couldn't help...but NOW, as CHAIR, he's much more powerful and can discuss the issues with the subcommittee on INDIAN, INSULAR AND ALASKA NATIVE AFFAIRS .

The QUESTION:  WILL Rep. Jared Huffman HELP?

Congressman Jarred Huffman FINAL Doc by Original Pechanga on Scribd

Tribal Disenrollment: Osage Nation vs Reta Linter Rescheduled

From Osage News:

The Reta Lintner case is slated to be decided by jury trial, which will be the first in the history of the 2006 Osage reformed government. The pre trial portion is rescheduled to Feb. 6

A petition for Lintner’s disenrollment from the Nation was first filed in April 2016. Lintner’s family claims they are descendants of original allottee Paschal Canville through an illegitimate daughter, Lola Brown. According to the ON membership law, a person must be a lineal descendant of an original allottee from the 1906 Allotment Act in order to be eligible for Osage citizenship.

In December 2017, ON Trial Court Associate Judge Lee Stout ordered the Attorney General’s office to collect samples from 11 of Canville’s known descendants, noting the membership office’s use of DNA testing in paternity cases. Although a handful provided non-invasive samples via mouth swabs, none were male. The testing facility contracted by the tribe, Bio-Gene DNA Testing, previously stated it could not complete the testing without a male participant.

If Lintner is found not to be a legitimate tribal citizen, she and her relatives could be ordered to repay any Osage Nation financial benefits received while enrolled with the tribe. 

According to Osage law, jury trials are permitted in both civil and criminal cases.

The law also states: “juries, except for cases prosecuted under special domestic violence criminal jurisdiction, shall consist of six Osage Nation members who reside within Osage County, Oklahoma. The court may, in its discretion, appoint one alternate juror. A verdict may be reached in either a civil or criminal case by the affirmative vote of four of the six jurors.”

The FACE of Disenrollment: Cathy Cory and her Ancestor Chief Hawa of Chukchansi

Our series on the Faces of Disenrollment continues with  Chief Hawa descendants of the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians,who were disenrolled in one of the largest mass disenrollments in the history of Indian Country.  Sadly one of many in that disgraced tribe.  Please..read and share.

Cathy Cory and Chief Hawa

When your own people can steal your birthright away from you, it hurts," said Cathy Cory, who was disenrolled,   from the Picayune Chukchansi tribe. "It's obscene that a very few are getting so rich, and there is so much poverty in Indian country."

Cory  is a direct descendant of Hawa, the last true chief of the Picayune Chukchansi tribe; during her disenrollment hearing, she propped next to her an iconic photo taken of him in 1901 at 101 years old.    A reminder, they disenroll the ANCESTORS, which then cuts your ties to the tribe.  Chief Hawa had NO opportunity to defend himself against the lies being told to eliminate the family.

COMING HOME: The unprecedented return of Indian Island to the Wiyot Tribe

What a wonderful story, for the Wiyot tribe and the City of EUREKA

Wiyot Tribal members

It was an unusual request for the drab, staid confines of Eureka City Council Chambers.

"Do I have time to sing you a song?" she asked from the podium.

"Sure," then Mayor Frank Jager replied.

With that, Cheryl Seidner, a Wiyot tribal elder, clad in a traditional knit cap, tilted her head back, eyes closed, and began to sing.

The REAL REASONS for TRIBAL DISENROLLMENT

Bryan Galt, friend of ours from One Little Indian Reports, and unjustly disenrolled from the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians, had such a good comment in 2007, that I'm bringing it forward for easier viewing. I've added my 2 cents worth.



Bryan Galt said...
The real purposes of terminating memberships are two-fold:

1. Removal of potential distribution competition:Each member of a gaming Tribe is usually entitled to an equal share of the Casino profits. 

American Indians in Children's Literature: Native Perspectives on Nathan Phillips and the Activist Covington Catholic School boys

Excellent recap of the events in Washington DC between Native American activist Nathan Phillips and the white high school activists from Covington High School (yes, they were their to support pro-life movement) on the website

American Indians in Children's Literature   please, take a look

Jacqueline Keeler: What happened at the Lincoln Memorial proves most Americans are still not hearing the Native American experience

A well written piece by Jacqueline Keeler for Sierra Club which should be read and shared by all.  Not all see the same thing in the issue with Nathan Phillips, the Israelite Hebrews and the students from Covington.

The video reveals the triumvirate of experiences that largely define American history: Red, Black, and White. The question posed by the unspeakable truths uttered in the video is the question that will make or break America: Can we find a way to hear each other? 

Since the incident occurred last Friday, a swirl of competing interpretations have emerged about what, exactly, happened at the Lincoln Memorial, and along with it a maelstrom of arguments for what it all means. Here’s what we know about the conflict: 

Some videos show that the confrontation began when a group of Hebrew Israelites started shouting at the high school students, who had traveled to Washington, DC to attend a “Pro-Life” march. But the confrontation was first sparked when the Hebrew Israelites started to sermonize to the Indigenous marchers, telling them that, “You are not savages, you are children of Israel. Stop worshiping totem poles and worship God.”  

The speaker goes on to state that the reason Native nations lost their lands is because they stopped worshipping the Creator and worshipped creation instead. A young Native man carrying a staff approaches them and asks them to leave. After being yelled at further, he gives up and walks away. 

READ THE REST AT THE LINK ABOVE and...keep learning

UPDATED: On the Covington High school - Nathan Phillips Issue Were We TOO QUICK to Jump?

I wrote an email to the principal of Covington High School as soon as it came up on FB. Into what seemed was a horrible lack of humanity on these young #Catholics. And after further review of video I'm now not convinced as to the narrative that I responded to. 

Did NATHAN PHILLIPS LIE?   NOT A VIETNAM VET EITHER??

Nick Sandmann and Nathan Phillips

That being said, WHY does this get Natives ALL riled up, yet the abuses heaped on us by our own tribes, won't get Natives involved??

NATIVES, including NCAI and NARF seem to be OKAY with: 

Apartheid on tribal reservations
Tribal Disenrollment
Elder Abuse
Civil rights violations
Segregation of Indians on reservations
Child Abuse by disenrolling tribes
Moratoriums
Evictions
Ex Post Facto Laws to make disenrollments possible
Abuse of DEAD ancestors, who are stripped of citizenship

From Facebook

Markwayne Mullin Says DEMOCRATS BLOCKED FUNDING for NATIVE AMERICANS

Native American Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) told Breitbart News that House Democrats blocked his proposed legislation to fund Indian Health Services (IHS), whose annual funding is in jeopardy due ongoing partial federal government shutdown.

In a Tuesday interview on SiriusXM, Mullin explained that Democrats on the House Rules Committee blocked his amendment, called the Pay Our Doctors Act, which would fund health services for Native Americans through the fiscal year. Democrats voted it down on an 8 to 4 party line vote.

TREATY OBLIGATIONS

PART 2: Tribal Disenrollment a VIOLATION of the Indian Civil Rights ACT

Civil Rights Attorney Donald Daines gives us a supplement and clarification to his prior post “Are Disenrollments a Violation of the Indian Civil Rights Act? But in the end, the solution does not lay in what the BIA or the US Courts decide, but within ourselves.”    To save space, the post will has a break in it, PLEASE read the entire supplement and add your questions and comments. OP

Pala Casino REPLACES CEO Amid Fierce Competition In San Diego

 The Pala Band of Mission Indians, a tribe that exterminated Indians via disenrollment, is struggling at their casino.   Karma?  San Diego UT has the story.

Pala Casino Spa & Resort, has replaced its CEO.  In March, former CEO Bill Bembenek acknowledged to the Union -Tribune that an unspecified number of layoffs — coming amid its planned $170 million expansion — was due in part to the economic pressures from “an increasingly competitive Southern California casino resort market.”

Government Shutdown: Is The Bureau of Indian Affairs NON-ESSENTIAL?

Non Essential Personnel?

Curious that after sending some our our B.I.A employees a link to my post of Emilio Reyes' lawsuit regarding the department's failures in providing documents under the Freedom of Information Act, I got these bounce messages:

BIA SUED by Gabrielino Indian for FOIA ABUSES AGAIN. Justice Department Defends the Indefensible

stoptribalgenocide.com

My friend, Emilio Reyes has filed another lawsuit against the B.I.A.   After winning so many judgements (OP: It's been pointed out to me that there have been NO JUDGEMENTS against the BIA. There have been SETTLEMENTS.  Sorry for my confusion) against them so far, the Department of Justice is HAPPY for the shutdown to minimize their workload that the BIA is forcing them to defend.

Emilio states in his STOP TRIBAL GENOCIDE website:

The Bureau of Indian Affairs failed to adhere FOIA deadlines, unlawfully withheld historical records, wrongfully asserted fees, failed to consult with the Solicitor, acted arbitrarily and capriciously on 1 Privacy Act Request and 10 FOIA requests.

Emilio is under attack from attorneys purportedly working on the San Pasqual enrollment issue, and from their hired genealogist, who came at ME trying to smear him.    She works with the Kizh of San Gabriel Valley, a federally unrecognized tribal group.

GOOD LUCK Emilio.  And my readers can see the filing at the link above.

NCAI DENOUNCES PRESIDENT TRUMP for INVOKING WOUNDED KNEE MASSACRE

NCAI denounces President Trump's invoking of Wounded Knee Massacre and Battle of Little Bighorn in political attack and encourages increased public education on tribal nations and Native peoples

Things NCAI DOESN'T Denounce

• Apartheid on tribal reservations
• Tribal Disenrollment
• Elder Abuse
• Civil rights violations
• Segregation of Indians on reservations
• Child Abuse by disenrolling tribes
• Moratoriums
• Ex Post Facto Laws to make disenrollments  possible
• Abuse of DEAD ancestors, who are stripped of citizenship

President TRUMP Thinks Wounded Knee Massacre Would Be POPULAR for Fake Elizabeth Warren

This IS partly Elizabeth Warren's doing.  Had she not FAKED her ancestry and refuse to come clean for decades now, that BLOWHARD Trump wouldn't be able to tweet abhorrent things about Native Massacres.
 

If Elizabeth Warren, often referred to by me as Pocahontas, did this commercial from Bighorn or Wounded Knee instead of her kitchen, with her husband dressed in full Indian garb, it would have been a smash! pic.twitter.com/D5KWr8EPan

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2019

Call them out on social media.... BOTH OF THEM

Voice Of America Gives Native Americans A Chance to Speak Out on the SHUTDOWN

Cecily Hilleary, who did excellent work on the tribal disenrollment story last year ( Native American Tribal Disenrollment Reaching Epidemic ... ) has a story up today about how some Native's feel about the shutdown. 

Cecily herself is affected by the shutdown...a government employee, working without a paycheck

Pechanga Tribe is protected BY GUNS

I'm lucky to be quoted in the article...please...read it and share.

Rick Cuevas, a Pechanga Indian from Upland, California, who blogs about tribal enrollment issues, sees the wall as an important component of U.S. immigration policy.

"My Pechanga tribe in Temecula, California, has armed guards at the gate to protect those on the inside, and nobody disagrees with that," he said.

Cuevas said the government should crack down on illegal immigrants already inside the U.S. and take action against people smugglers, so-called "coyotes."

The Native American Journalists Association Calls Huffington Post Reporting on Elizabeth Warren IRRESPONSIBLE

The Native American Journalists Association expresses concern about the Huffington Post’s “Mainstream Media Is Blowing Its Coverage Of Elizabeth Warren’s DNA Test” article by Jennifer Bendery and its impact on Indigenous communities and tribal citizens.

It is the job of journalists to analyze and contextualize information for audiences, and as per the SPJ Code of Ethics, it is a basic tenet of journalism to “take special care not to misrepresent or oversimplify in promoting, previewing or summarizing a story.” The Huffington Post, however, has not followed this established guideline and has oversimplified a complex topic that is critically important to Indigenous communities.

9th Circuit Hears Agua Caliente Tribe of Cupeno v. Michael Black (BIA)

Our friends at PALA WATCH had this video up last week, while I was on vacation and couldn't get to it from the computer available. Remember when the BIA director's NIECE Sara Dutschke Setshwaelo threatened the tribal attorney for the Cupeno?

Attorney Andrew Twietmeyer does a great job presenting the case and 2 of the 3 judges were well informed of the issues. The 3rd judge may have been playing video games on his IPAD.  Very interesting points, the opposing attorney's circular argument made no sense.

Disenrollments at Chukchansi Tribe Rears It's UGLY HEAD AGAIN

After more than a decade from the first tribal disenrollments at Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians (PRCI), word is coming out that more disenrollments are on the horizon.

Back in 2008, I tried to put into graphics what the original disenrollments looked like. Click on the picture to enlarge.

Facebook pages from Chukchansi people report that the tribe's  newly proposed enrollment ordinance dedicates fully one-quarter specifically to procedures for disenrollment?

The Incredibly shrinking PICAYUNE tribe seems to be more interested in self-decimation, rather than self-determination, of the Chukchansi people.  Are more mass disenrollments coming?  We put a FACE to their earliest disenrollments here

There is a document sent out for 30 day commentary to general membership by PRCI tribal council on December 17, 2018, with very probable implementation after tribal council vote, by January 16, 2019. This happens more easily when you ELIMINATE votes via disenrollment.

Anyone surprised that the next meeting of the tribe falls after the comment period?  It's almost like they planned it that way.

Word is that they've replaced their attorneys, law firm Fredericks, Peebles and Morgan. Is that a good thing?

Read MORE about Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians

Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians Unrecognizable
Picayune Rancheria ejects hundres
Chukchansi thuggery unleashed
Nancy Ayala
Chukchansi disenrollments
Chukchansi Council Dispute

Two Strong Native American Women Sworn Into The U.S. House of Representatives

On this day, the FIRST TWO Native American Women, Debra Haaland and Sharice Davids are sworn into Congress.  

On this day they give Indian Country and their constituents so much hope.  Here is a link to their hug in congress...  the embed code is not working, I'll put in one that works when I can find it.

#SheRepresents #NativeVote

Trump's Interior Dept Seeks to Operate In Secrecy in WAR on TRANSPARENCY

Makes us wonder if the work researcher Emilio Reyes is forcing the Interior Department, and the BIA's losses to him in court have something to do with this effort to relax rules on Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) responses.  We discussed the BIA's OKIE DOKE in July 2017

"Interior current political appointees prefer to operate in secrecy and regard the Freedom of Information Act as a nuisance, not a responsibility," Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), said in a statement. "These changes are designed to facilitate more official stonewalling and delays in producing public records, especially on fast developing news stories."'

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE

The Department of Interior and it's Bureau of Information have MANY SECRETS to keep.  The mistakes they've made, some deliberate, are too big to avoid scutiny.  Emilio Reyes is exposing them to the Justice Department.