The Nooksack Tribe of Washington is trying to remove 306 people from the rolls. Photo from The Nooksack 306 / Facebook
The Nooksack Tribe of Washington continues to retaliate against an elder who has criticized the removal of hundreds of people from the rolls, Indian Country Today reports. George Adams is a staunch defender of The Nooksack 306, the group threatened with disenrollment. At a meeting in February, he spoke in the Lhéchelesem language as he accused Chairman Bob Kelly and other leaders of forgetting about their traditions “I told them in our language, ‘You folks put your head down.’ That’s how our ancestors would admonish somebody who’s out of line. ‘Put your head down. Shame on you.’ And that’s when I was summarily escorted out the door," Adams told ICT. Before he was removed from the meeting, Kelly started yelling at Adams to "Talk in English!" ICT reported. But that wasn't the only time the elder was punished for his views -- when he ran against the chairman in an election in 2014, he was fired as the tribe's language instructor. “Three days before the election they fired me ‘at will,’“ Adams told ICT. “They were trying to intimidate other employees. I was an employee of the tribe with the Nooksack language program.” As a result, the tribe's after-school language program has ended, according to ICT. Adams is one of the very few speakers of Lhéchelesem, one of the Coast Salish languages. Get the Story:
Disenrollment Kills Nooksack Language Revitalization Program (Indian Country Today 6/29)
Join the Conversation
Related Stories
National
tribal judge group questions firing in disenrollment case (05/11) Nooksack Tribe fires judge and loses attorney in disenrollment crisis (05/04)
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)
