November 29, 2006

Indians Kicked Out Of Tribes Angry They Can't Sioux

The tribe giveth and the tribe taketh away, and there's no calling in the lawyers allowed:

Native American tribes are facing allegations of greed and racism as they purge members from their rolls and deny the applications of others.

The expulsions have sent tremors through Indian country. Thousands of Native Americans have lost their cultural identities and access to tribal benefits, such as medical care, housing and education. Certain gaming tribes divide casino profits among members, in some cases thousands of dollars a month per person. Those expelled lose their cut.

Tribal officials say they're protecting legitimate members by making sure everyone in the tribe is qualified.

As sovereign nations, tribes have the final say in who can — and cannot — join. Each tribe determines what degree of Indian blood is necessary for membership, a requirement that varies among the 561 federally recognized tribes.

Some of the people disenrolled were getting gaming cuts of $15 grand a month, so their pain and suffering is very real. Of course the loss of cultural identity is the truly hurtful thing, hence their attempts at the ancient Indian tradition of litigation.

Posted by floridacracker at November 29, 2006 11:49 AM

   



Comments

Nothing like a little greed when it comes to kicking people to the curb and exhhibiting zenophobic traits.

Posted by: Gmac at November 29, 2006 09:59 PM

Oh no! I bet Ward Churchill is nervous...

Posted by: Mr. Bingley at November 29, 2006 10:46 PM

Bingley, despite his prior claims, he's not a member of any tribe to get kicked out of.
http://www.aimovement.org/moipr/cherokee.html
http://www.aimovement.org/moipr/churchill05.html

I'm sure there's greed on both sides of this, G.

Posted by: Donnah at November 29, 2006 11:46 PM

I know he's really not an indian, but I thought he had gotten membership in one tribe or another.

Posted by: Mr. Bingley at November 30, 2006 09:46 AM

Nope, he'd been flashing an honorary card.
He also was never a LRRP in Vietnam, as he'd claimed.

Posted by: Donnah at November 30, 2006 10:24 AM

Inasmuch as I can trace my lineage to Chief Wild Eagle and Crazy Cat of the Hekawi tribe, I'm going to apply for membership in...Oh, wait a minute...that was "F Troop"...nevermind...

Posted by: ric ottaiano at November 30, 2006 11:04 AM

I can trace my lineage directly to Chief Big Shanty of the Glugalugging Brew tribe of Ireland.

Posted by: Mr. Bingley at November 30, 2006 12:50 PM

Ya, there probably is greed on both sides but the racial 'classification' bit bugs me.
I'm 2nd generation Scots/Welsh but I'll be damned if I use it to get an advantage over another group shades of George Orwell.
At the risk of stirring the pudding to much, IMHO they need to do away with all forms of 'preferential' treatment because it's blatant discrimination.

IMHO they need to disband the tribes and reservations and all become American citizens. As it is now they're second class citizens in most cases. Then there are the few that have figured out they can exploite the loophole of being a soverign state within a country where laws that apply to most don't apply to them.

And yes, Ward Churchill is probably worried about loosing his 'honorary' tribal status, among other things. ;p

Posted by: Gmac at November 30, 2006 06:26 PM

The last reservation story I heard was of a lady who
in relaying it to me, pointed out that "You have to creep out of the protected lands area, because the tribal members are notorious for stepping in front of your vehicle" The reason being, she explained:

"They sue...and you can't defend a lawsuit brought on by a Native American tribe...from an incident that occurs on their land"

All I recall about being on Cherokee land, was how far we had to drive to get a beer.

Posted by: csason at December 1, 2006 05:53 AM