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Stand up and Be counted
A Census used to be a bad thing, now its very much a good thing
and key to a tribe's disbursement of federal monies. Many newspapers
decided to go with this story at the end of the week. We were not
really sure if they were looking for a new angle on the Census or
if they were really interested in counting Indians. At Indianz.Com,
we just appreciate the coverage.
We typically found stories about partnerships with tribes and the census.
(Unless you count the Blackfoot tribal member who allegedly threatened
Census counters, but that was two weeks ago.) Even smaller tribes such as
the Pueblo of Zia (approx 755 members) and the wealthier tribes in
Connecticut are making sure that all of their members would be counted...Another
reminder, if you haven't filled out your form, go ahead and send it
in. Make sure you put your correct tribal affiliation in the box.
Your tribe needs you!
Who Is an Indian and Who Is not?
And if I am not an Indian, I
will Sue!
This topic receives more and more coverage nowadays. This week, an article
about the Catawba Indians in South Carolina. Some members are appealing a
decision that rejected them from tribal membership. Decision Pending...In
Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Oklahoma does not appear to allow its Freedmen (for those of
you that may be unfamiliar with this topic, the Freedmen are descendants of former slaves
and runaway slaves who were granted membership into certain tribes in Oklahoma after the Civil
War) to receive certain monies from a large judgement. The suit is pending
and appears to be under negotiation. We'll keep you posted...Congress
has decided to investigate the enrollment practices of a certain tribe.
Granted this goes against all of our notions of sovereignty, but then again
the government has been interfering in tribal enrollment practices for quite some time,
so we are not surprised nor even quite curious as to the enrollment practices of the
Shakopee Mdwakanton. Judging
by the numerous lawsuits disgunruntled tribal and would-be tribal members have lost
against the tribe, we can only assume the tribe is being fair...Some
of you may be familiar that there are some tribes in Connecticut who have
just taken another step towards federal recognition. The communities around them (tribal and non-tribal)
are concerned and have a say in the federal recognition process
and we expect them to put up a fight. Also, some tribal factions
contest the genealogical information used in the BIA report.
Who needs the court system?
In the Kickapoo Nation of Kansas, it seems that if a tribal court decision does not
go your way, you do not appeal--instead you protest, write letters to the President,
Vice President, and the local news media. Luckily, an intrepid reporter at
the Topeka Capital Journal has been covering this daily and presenting both sides
fairly accurately. A Quick Recap: two people were elected to the tribal council
as president and treasurer. The tribal
court judge said they were no longer the president and treasurer, but still tribal
council members. Said two people make a plea to all branches of government for the
BIA to intervene and re-establish them as President and Treasurer. BIA makes no comment
except for that they stand by the decision of the court that the Kickapoo established
when gaming came into the picture. This past Saturday, the judge said that the same
two people can appeal the decision to the Kickapoo Supreme Court, but of course
we know that's not as glamorous as holding a demonstration or demanding an audience
with the President of the United States. We expect to hear the former tribal
officers complaining well into the coming weeks!
Can't they Just Decide Already!!!
We would have hoped that they would have come to a decision by now,
but the New Mexico legislature is still fighting about the compact with the tribes
for gaming in the state. The tribes have made some concessions, but the legislature...well,
who knows. Since the tribes
have shown that they can operate casinos without a compact, we fully
expect that will do so in the future if some sort of agreement is not reached.
Money, money, money, moneyyyy
So Donald Trump plans to develop and manage a new Native American
Casino in Connecticut. We know this new casino is contingent upon the federal recognition. (See above.)
The Trumpster is funding the tribes' legal fees during the recognition
process. We'd like to believe Trump is interested in the
future of Indian people, but given his past actions and statements...Conoco
settled a lawsuit on underpayment of Indian royalties for $26 Million...A
California Tribe decides to sell gasoline at $1 per gallon.
and finally...
A report about an anti-Indian movement in Montana. The report claims that
the movement is racist. (Note these are the article's words not ours--we
have much harsher words, but we also have a policy against vulgarities.)
We know that these movements are likely to increase as tribes appear to
acquire more wealth. But we also know that this perceived wealth is only
for the few, not for the many. Indianz.Com wants to know--
why can't we all just get along?
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