Law | National

Nooksack Tribe moves forward with disenrollment proceedings

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

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

The Nooksack Tribe of Washington is moving forward with disenrollment proceedings against 306 people.

The tribe plans to hold hearings over the telephone for each of the members facing disenrollment. They will be given 10 minutes to plead their case.

"We are people of oral tradition. We at least deserve the courtesy of speaking our piece to our accusers face to face," Ron Miguel, a spokesperson for the 306 who are being disnerolled, said in a press release. "This ‘process’ is a farce.”

The tribe restarted proceedings after the Bureau of Indian Affairs approved its enrollment ordinance last month. Membership is limited to descendants of people who received allotments and those whose ancestors appeared on a 1942 census.

The members facing disenrollment descend from Annie George, whose name does not appear on the census. Family members say she was full-blooded Nooksack.

The proceedings were on hold in tribal court but the tribe last week provided notice of the updated ordinance. Documents can be found on Turtle Talk.

Get the Story:
Interior Secretary approves Nooksack tribal disenrollment process (The Bellingham Herald 2/10)