Researcher claims Washington Indian roll from 1919 is unreliable

Monday, January 7, 2013  

An anthropologist claims a Washington Indian roll from 1919 is unreliable.

Indian agent Charles Roblin compiled the Schedule of Unenrolled Indians to ensure unenrolled Indians received treaty and other benefits. The list has been used by the Snoqualmie Tribe to determine membership.

Anthropologist Jay Miller, however, claims the document has been corrupted over the years. Some families that are enrolled -- including that of Chairwoman Shelley Burch -- do not qualify for membership because Roblin supposedly put a red line through non-Snoqualmies that doesn't show up in copies, according to Miller.

"Most records after 1920 are inaccurate, messed up, corrupted or intentionally falsified," Miller told The Seattle Times.

According to the tribe's constitution, members must have an ancestor on the Roblin Roll and must have at least 1/8 degree of Snoqualmie blood. The base roll, however, was never certified after the tribe gained federal recognition, according to the Times.

Get the Story:
Who belongs to Snoqualmie Tribe? 'This is a mess' (The Seattle Times 1/7)