INJUSTSTICE for THEE, But NOT FOR..US
What happens when the people who have long harbored disdain for your family become not only your accusers but also your judge and jury? This is the heartbreaking reality faced by descendants of Paulina Hunter, a recognized member of the Temecula Indian tribe, who have been subjected to disenrollment under dubious circumstances.
Paulina Hunter was an Indian who lived in the original Temecula Indian village. Her membership in the tribe was acknowledged through documented and certified testimonies from her contemporaries from the 19th Century. When the tribe was evicted from their ancestral village, she moved to the area now known as Pechanga, living alongside her fellow tribal members. Even decades later, her standing as a tribal member was affirmed by one of the most revered and respected members of the tribe, who declared in a signed and witnessed document that he personally knew her as a member.
Historical accounts support her tribal membership. Individuals alive during the creation of the Pechanga Reservation provided signed, witnessed statements affirming their recognition of her as a tribal member. Tribal elders during the disenrollment hearings also confirmed that the Hunters had always been regarded as part of the tribe.
Yet, more than a century after her death, detractors now claim she was not a true tribal member but merely an Indian who coincidentally lived among them. These assertions challenge historical facts, suggesting that Paulina Hunter was mistakenly identified as a Pechanga Indian—despite being evicted with the tribe, receiving a government-allotted reservation plot, and being listed year after year in official records as a Temecula Pechanga Indian. They even dismiss the testimony of Dr. John Johnson, a curator of anthropology, who initially reported being 90% certain—and later 100% certain—that Paulina Hunter was a Pechanga Indian.
The disenrollment process itself has been deeply flawed and unjust. A small faction, known as the CPP, has claimed exclusive authority to determine who qualifies as a "real" tribal member, disregarding historical records and testimonies. One disenrollment committee member openly stated that the Hunters would be disenrolled regardless of the evidence presented. Another member reportedly slept through the hearings. Basic rights, such as the ability to take notes, have legal representation, or obtain transcripts of the proceedings, were denied.
For context, Pechanga is the name of a place, not originally a tribe. The Temecula Indians moved to Pechanga after their displacement and later established the Pechanga Reservation. According to Dr. Johnson’s findings, Paulina Hunter’s father, Mateo Quasicac, was born in Pechanga before the establishment of the reservation. He is the only Indian recorded in mission archives as being born there, making him—and by extension, his descendants—Pechanga Indians.
Attempts to halt this injustice were made. Years ago, in the largest tribal meeting in recorded history, the tribe overwhelmingly voted to stop all disenrollments and remove the disenrollment process from tribal law. However, this victory was short-lived. The ruling faction, shocked by the vote, suspended all tribal meetings and secretly overturned the decision, guarded by armed personnel. The Hunters were disenrolled anyway, further consolidating the faction’s control by eliminating a significant voting bloc.
This disenrollment is not merely a personal affront to the Hunters but an affront to justice, history, and the principles of tribal unity. It raises a troubling question: how can a tribe deny the very history and identity that bind its members together? By erasing the Hunters from their ranks, the Pechanga disenrollment committee has rewritten history to suit its agenda, undermining the integrity of the tribe as a whole.
