Attorney Gabe Galanda discusses disenrollment in Indian Country. Photo from Facebook
Gabe Galanda, a member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes, explains why the federal government must do more to address the disenrollment epidemic in Indian Country:
In this era of tribal self-annihilation and self-termination, it is no longer easy to answer fundamental questions of tribal existence, like: Who's the tribe (qua tribal council)? Who's a tribal member? Two centuries of federal laws designed to dispossess Indians of land and terminate tribes (i.e., Treaties, Dawes Act, Burke Act, IRA, P.L. 280) have converged to greatly confuse such questions. In particular, the federally prescribed dissolution of tribal cash assets on a "pro rata" or "per capita" basis over the last 110 years (Lacey Act of 1906, IGRA) has been especially destructive to tribal governments and communities. Federal officials remove their hands---as if to say "not it"---when such questions are posed to them by persecuted tribal members. They cite FN. 32 to Santa Clara v. Martinez, 436 U.S.C. 49, 70 (1978), or tribal self-determination as justification. They refuse to acknowledge that as a result of federal laws that span the last two centuries, the indigenous capacity of many tribes to be self-determinative has been destroyed---by and through the United States. The result: an increasing number of tribes---as many as 15% of all federally recognized tribes---are destroying themselves and taking the lives of their own people. In particular, the Trustee seemingly fails to appreciate that its trust responsibility to protect and ensure the well-being of Indian people, is a moral obligation---per federal law.Get the Story:
Gabe Galanda: The United States Moral Trust Responsibility to Indian Peoples (Galanda Broadman Blog 4/27)
Join the Conversation
Related Stories
Bree Black Horse: An 'Indian'
is still an 'Indian' under federal laws (04/18) Washington rally draws attention to tribal disenrollment epidemic (04/18)
Peter d'Errico: Nooksack Tribe fuels bad stereotypes about courts (03/25)
Nooksack Tribe slammed by judge for disbarring lawyer and firm (3/22)
Nooksack Tribe moves to disenroll even more people amid fight (3/17)
Nooksack Tribe interferes with judicial branch and disbars law firm (3/9)
Al Jazeera program focuses on tribal disenrollment controversies (3/4)
Chase Iron Eyes: Real sovereigns don't disenroll their own people (02/10)
National campaign launched to stop tribal disenrollment epidemic (02/09)
Nooksack Tribe loses bid to prevent some from voting in election (01/27)
Gabe Galanda: The tide keeps turning against disenrollment (11/16)
Gabe Galanda: The growing chorus against disenrollments (11/13)
Gabriel Galanda: Banish drug dealers but don't disenroll them (09/08)
Nooksack Tribe disenrollment proceedings placed on hold again (07/14)
Indian attorneys take a stand and denounce tribal disenrollment (04/13)
Judge tells Nooksack Tribe to delay disenrollment proceedings (02/24)
Nooksack Tribe moves forward with disenrollment proceedings (02/10)
Gabe Galanda: The legal consequences of tribal disenrollments (2/3)
Gabe Galanda: Tribes are carrying out the wishes of the colonizer (01/16)
Gabe Galanda: Disenrollments are bankrupting our tribal nations (01/15)
Court tells Nooksack Tribe to stop disenrollment proceedings (06/13)
Nooksack Tribe attempts to resume disenrollment proceedings (6/4)
KUOW: Nooksack Tribe election shows divide on disenrollment (03/18)
Disenrollees of Nooksack Tribe to seek recount after election (3/17)
Opinion: Nooksack Tribe engages in deadly disenrollment trend (3/14)
Opinion: Nooksack Tribe's election affects disenrollment dispute (03/03)
Michelle Roberts: Open letter on Nooksack Tribe disenrollment (2/27)
Nooksack Tribe heads into election amid disenrollment dispute (2/18)
Court puts hold on disenrollments within Nooksack Tribe (01/23)
Michelle Roberts: Nooksack Tribe persecutes its own people (12/17)
