Members of the St. Croix Chippewa Tribe of Wisconsin helped celebrate the Cumberland School District celebrate Native American Week in April 2016. Photo from Facebook
The St. Croix Chippewa Tribe of Wisconsin has been ordered to put five people back on the rolls. In a 21-page decision, Judge Candace Des Armo Coury said the tribe bears the burden of proof in disenrollment matters. In the case of five adults, she determined that standard wasn't met because Tony Ammann, Brooke Ammann, Seth Stoplman, Brady Lowe and Jordan Lowe satisfy the tribe's membership criteria. The tribal council in fact added the five adults to the rolls in 2013 only to see another group of leaders kick them out, Des Armo Coury noted. This kind of meddling "violates the basic tenets of justice and fairness," read the decision, a copy of which was posted by Turtle Talk. "Tribal governments and their administrative bodies must be bound to bring their causes of action in a timely manner; because an orderly and efficient operation of the tribal government requires it," the judge wrote. "To do otherwise will cause chaos, mistrust, rivalry and political in-fighting." All five adults were enrolled after they presented the council with documents that showed they meet the tribe's one-half blood quantum standard. According to the American Indian Enterprise & Business Council, St. Croix is just one of six tribes nationwide with such a high requirement. The tribe has a moratorium on enrolling adults but the council has been known to suspend it from time to time to consider certain membership applications. In the case of siblings Tony Ammann and Brooke Ammann, they were enrolled in the 1980s, then disenrolled and enrolled again in 2013. Evidence showed their mother is full-blood St. Croix Chippewa, according to the court's ruling. Seth Stoplman, Brady Lowe and Jordan Lowe also presented evidence showing they met the blood quantum standard before they were enrolled in 2013. The Lowes are siblings and Stoplman is their cousin. "This ruling is incredible," Phyllis Lowe, the grandmother of the trio, told The Inter County Leader. "Our Native American judge had set a new precedent in this landmark decision. This sets a precedent for all tribes across the nation who engage in the self-destructive practice of dis-enrollment. This is massive and makes a world of difference." Read More on the Story:
Judge orders reinstatement of St. Croix Tribe members (The Inter County Leader 8/17)
Related Stories
St.
Croix Chippewa Tribe defends effort to remove five from rolls (8/5) St. Croix Chippewa Tribe seeks to disenroll as many as 16 people (7/15)
St. Croix Chippewa Tribe ousts 10 people from rolls amid debate (6/28)
Join the Conversation
