Opinion

Broadman and Miller: Disenrollment is bad for tribal economies






Members of Nooksack Tribe of Washington protest disenrollment. Photo from Facebook

Attorneys Anthony Broadman and Jared Miller explore how disenrollment hurts tribal economies:
Tribal governments that disenroll members do it for the money. Or at least it appears that way in many cases. Tribal councils who engage in disenrollment turn their members into non-Indians in exchange for a bigger slice of tribal gaming profits.

Ironically, while some tribal members may benefit from larger per capita payments, at least temporarily, political strife caused by disenrollment controversies can eviscerate tribal economies, shrinking the pie itself.

This idea isn’t new, of course. We wrote about it in an Indian Country Today Media Network piece in 2013 called “Disenrollment is Bad for the Bottom Line.”

The difference now is that we have better examples of how disenrollment destroys tribal businesses and harms communities. The damage seems to happen chiefly in four ways.

Get the Story:
Anthony Broadman and Jared Miller: Disenrollment Is Bad For The Bottom Line: Redux (Indian Country Today 12/14)

Join the Conversation

Related Stories:
Eastern Cherokees consider disenrollment law for drug dealers (12/09)
Gabe Galanda: The tide keeps turning against disenrollment (11/16)
Gabe Galanda: A growing chorus against disenrollments (11/13)
Disenrollment from Pala Band affects children in ICWA case (11/12)
Joseph Hamilton: Tribal leaders must talk about disenrollments (10/05)
Saginaw Chippewa Tribe starts disenrollment proceedings again (09/24)
Turtle Talk removes briefs in Grand Ronde disenrollment dispute (09/10)
Grande Ronde Tribes take another shot at descendants of chief (09/08)
Gabriel Galanda: Banish drug dealers but don't disenroll them (09/08)
Appeal planned in Grand Ronde Tribes disenrollment dispute (09/03)
Grand Ronde Tribes to disenroll 86 descendants of treaty signer (09/02)
Steve Russell: Indian fighters take aim at tribal disenrollments (08/24)
Saginaw Chippewa Tribe wins decision in disenrollment dispute (08/20)
Steve Russell: Disenrollments represent modern termination (08/11)
Steve Russell: Small tribes get even smaller with disenrollment (08/04)
Steve Russell: The hypocrisy of race and Cherokee citizenship (07/28)
Nooksack Tribe disenrollment proceedings placed on hold again (07/14)
David Wilkins: Honor Seven Generations by ending disenrollment (06/19)
Documentary about Freedmen struggle premieres in Oklahoma (06/18)
Spokane Tribe bars disenrollment in amendment to constitution (06/09)
Gabriel Galanda: The tide is turning against tribal disenrollments (05/26)
David Wilkins: Disenrollments aren't about tribal sovereignty (05/12)
Gabe Galanda: Even Hollywood is taking on tribal disenrollment (04/27)
Saginaw Chippewa Tribe won't comment on disenrollment case (04/21)
Matt Remle: Disenrollment is a tool of colonialism and conquest (04/20)
Indian attorneys take a stand and denounce tribal disenrollment (04/13)
David Wilkins: Tribal leaders can't stay silent on disenrollment (04/06)
Judge approves disenrollment within Saginaw Chippewa Tribe (03/23)
David Wilkins: Even the dead can't escape tribal disenrollment (03/20)