Saginaw Chippewa Tribe resumes disenrollment process for elder

Monday, August 22, 2011  

An 87-year-old woman is facing disenrollment from the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan.

Anna Bell Atwood became a member of the tribe in 1988. She is a descendant of Edmund Chatfield, whose brother, Lyman Chatfield, appears on one of the tribe's accepted base rolls.

The tribe argues that Atwood doesn't qualify for membership because she is a "collateral" descendant rather than a "direct" descendant. But her attorney says the tribe has long allowed other collateral to be enrolled.

A decision from the tribe's Office of Administrative Hearings could come within a month, The Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun reported.

Get the Story:
Disenrollment effort resumes on Reservation (The Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun 8/21)