Thursday, December 31, 2020

Original Pechanga Blog: #1 Post of 2020 on MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN





This post linked below on #MMIW and #MMIWG is the #1 post on Original Pechanga Blog for 2020.  It has over 827,000 page views, thanks to  many of you.  Your sharing means that the  disgrace of what's happened to our Sisters, Mothers, daughters, is being seen throughout  social media.

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Pechanga Resort Casino Covid Super Spreader Event for Pechanga Club Members ONLY

 


No, really,
there's a pandemic, so Pechanga Resort Casino near Temecula will close to the public starting at noon on New Year’s Eve. We reported earlier that the Pechanga Resort Casino cancelled its New Year's Eve entertainment

The resort announced the decision to close via its Facebook page, saying that it will give access only to Pechanga Club members and invited guests in an effort to reduce capacity amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.   After 8PM, Gold and above will receive priority access - Silver’s access will be granted based on occupancy levels at that time.

High Rollers will be able to take their chance with COVID 19 before all others.  Is that a WINNING COMBINATION?  Disregard for customer safety sends a message that tribal leaders don't care about the health of their community or the lives of their wealthiest patrons.  Unless keeping the riff raff penny slot players is the goal?

Saturday, December 26, 2020

Christmas 16 WITHOUT A TRIBE for Pechanga Descendants of the Manuela Miranda Clan, 14 for Hunter Clan Descendants

Christmas 2020 marks the 16th Christmas without a tribe for many Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians descendants, including young children, now, not so young, and the newly born will only be able to hear about their heritage in oral history, since the Pechanga tribe erased their history, via disenrollment, which is the stripping of tribal citizenship.

Pechanga Flag Flown at Standing Rock,
 Upside Down Showing Tribe Under Distress


Mark Macarro, Andrew Masiel, Frances Miranda, Bobbi LeMere and the tribal council CAUSED our children and our elders to suffer for their greed and to hide their subterfuge.  

It's NEVER too late to open your hearts and for the  council to DO THE RIGHT thing for the Holidays.  

Wednesday, December 23, 2020

San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Sponsors POWERFUL Message on Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women

 Please, watch, and share this commercial shown on local Los Angeles news today.  THANK YOU SAN MANUEL.




Read more on the #MMIW issue here

Please read the articles at the links below:
Kozee Decorah's MURDER by Boyfriend
Savanna's Act addresses the issue
MISSING/MURDERED
White Women in Jep  Gets all the media. No room for stories about Native women?
Nooksack Stalking of Native Woman  is how it starts
FOX NEWS leads with MISSING WHITE WOMAN

And take a look at this website:  Justice For Native Women

Thursday, December 17, 2020

Department of Interior HAS EMAILS on NOOKSACK Election Putting Their THUMB on the Scales to Thwart Justice

 



When the agency in charge of Indian Affairs, tips the scales AWAY from Justice, can their really BE JUSTICE in Indian Country?

Law 360 has the story up (payvwall) but essentially, former candidates for Nooksack council told the 9th Circuit that the Dept. of Interior illegally recognized a disputed group of Nooksack leaders, we wrote about that HERE in Aug 2018

The tribe, based in Washington state, has spent more than five years trying to kick hundreds of people off its rolls. The efforts were slowed by litigation and by the refusal of the Bureau of Indian Affairs to recognize the Nooksack government as legitimate.

But the tribe has turned the situation around, according to its recently-elected leader. Chairman Ross Cline said the dismissal of the lawsuit last week puts an end to a controversy that has attracted widespread attention in Indian Country and in the national media.

“On behalf of the tribal council and the Nooksack people, I am glad to report the successful conclusion of this dispute over tribal enrollment," Cline said after the decision was handed down on July 31. "Our people will now move forward on our journey of self-government.”

Attorney for the Nooksack 306 Gabriel Galanda has more details on his twitter account @ndnlawyer :

]changed department policy regarding Nooksack elections 'to accommodate inappropriate influence by a lobbyist,' [according] to emails between a DOI lawyer and the lobbyist in early 2018. The corruption at Interior seems stronger than that at Nooksack  Stay Tuned

Rep. Deb Haaland is FIRST NATIVE AMERICAN Secretary of the Interior

CONGRATULATIONS to REp. Haaland!  MOMENTUOUS 


 


A member of Pueblo of Laguna, the 60 year-old Haaland would become the first descendant of the original people to populate North America to run the Interior Department. It marks a turning point for a 171-year-old institution that has often had a fraught relationship with 574 federally recognized tribes.

The first-term House member, who hails from a top oil- and gas-producing state, has pledged to transform the department from a champion of fossil fuel development into a promoter of renewable energy and policies to mitigate climate change.
Interior, which manages roughly one-fifth of land in the United States, will play a critical role in delivering on Biden’s vow to combat global warming. The former vice president has pledged to halt all new oil and gas drilling on public lands and waters, a daunting task that faces both legal and political obstacles. The extraction of oil, gas and coal in these areas account for nearly a quarter of the nation’s annual carbon output.

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Rep. Deb Haaland Secretary of Interior Bid Lacking support by Freedmen of the Five Tribes



We wrote last week about Joe Biden balking at choosing Rep. Deb Haaland of New Mexico for Secretary of the Interior.  It's never easy, but any job with the responsibility for Native America absolutely shouldn't be  Our Freedmen of the Five Tribe friends has some issues with Rep. Deb Haaland and a petition is up here    There are 7,750 signatures already.  Read please.

 
We call on Representative Deb Haaland to publicly pledge her support for citizenship and equal rights for Freedmen of the Five Tribes in Indian Territory before being seriously considered for the position of Secretary of the Interior and to outline and commit to a plan for Freedmen integration and inclusion in Indian Territory. 

We demand accountability from Representative Debra “Deb” Haaland of New Mexico’s first Congressional district for her exclusion of legislative protections for Freedmen of the Five Slaveholding Tribes of Oklahoma while serving as New Mexico’s First Congressional District’s Representative.

Monday, December 14, 2020

Marilyn Vann Announces Candidacy for Cherokee Nation Tribal Council At Large Position

After leading the charge to victory for the Cherokee Freedmen in their landmark treaty rights case, Marilyn Vann has announce her candidacy for an AT LARGE Council position for the Cherokee Nation.

So happy to hear this news.  I've "known" Marilyn for over a decade online and I help support her fight for the rights of the Cherokee Freedmen.

Marilyn Vann  Cherokee

IF you are a Cherokee citizen and are NOT registered, there is still time, Registration closes in March. If you are a Freedmen descendant, is this NOT the perfect choice for you?

Stay Tuned for more information as it comes.

CALIF INDIAN LEGAL SERVICES (CILS) Has MAJOR POLICY SHIFT on Tribal Disenrollment

Gabriel Galanda has the GREAT NEWS on his blog that CILS (California Indian Legal Services) which has been little help for two decades to the THOUSANDS of CA Indians that have needed legal services regarding their disenrollment from primarily casino Indian Tribes, has a galactic policy shift.

Thank you to Chairman Mark Romero and his Board of Trustees at CILS for this major policy move.  Looking forward to seeing the press release on this and wondering if the FOUR disenrolling tribes  including Pechanga and Redding Rancheria will PULL THEIR SUPPORT.

On December 5, 2020, the California Indian Legal Services (CILS) Board of Trustees passed a new policy that forbids the organization from assisting tribal governments in disenrollment or similar scorched-earth controversies.

CILS has a longstanding police of assisting “people with enrollment in particular Indian tribes because of potential professional conflicts of interest,” but that did not prevent it from helping California Indian politicians and in-house lawyers disenroll countless tribal members over the last couple decades. CILS most recently counseled Rincon Band of Luiseno Indians politicians in regard to a disenrollment purge in 2019, and also afforded counsel to tribal politicians like Cayuga Chief Clint Halftown in internecine tribal controversies. 

This is big news, and hopefully the start of an avalanche.


NOT YOUR MASCOT Cleveland Indians to DROP Their Team Mascotry

Will they change their name to Honkeys?  That's not racist, right.  Or Overseers?

The New York Times:

PRESSURE WINS

After years of protests from fans and Native American groups, the Cleveland Indians have decided to change their team name, moving away from a moniker that has long been criticized as racist, three people familiar with the decision said Sunday.

 The move follows a decision by the Washington Football Team of the N.F.L. in July to stop using a name long considered a racial slur, and is part of a larger national conversation about race that magnified this year amid protests of systemic racism and police violence.
 
Cleveland could announce its plans as soon as this week, according to the three people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. It is not immediately clear what Cleveland’s exact steps will be beyond dropping the Indians name. The transition to a new name involves many logistical considerations, including work with uniform manufacturers and companies that produce other team equipment and stadium signage.

Friday, December 11, 2020

ABC's BIG SKY IGNORES #MMIW Issue Instead Choosing White woman in Jeopardy Theme


 White women in jeopardy makes for good television and good press.  But ABC misses the chance to tell the stories of the thousands of MISSING and MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN (#MMIW)  Wake Up Montana has the story   The passing of Savannah's Act, should have been a beacon on the issue of #MMIW

Native American groups urged ABC Studios executives to end their silence and engage with them in direct dialogue, cautioning against making token gestures to try to brush off how their program “Big Sky” miscasts the threat of violence against women in the region where the show is fictionally set.

Pala Chairman Smith: Violations of the 14th Amendment In Pala Disenrollments? Who NEEDS Equal Protection, Right?

We see this in a lot of tribes that are looking to get rid of families to control votes, increase per capita and to inhibit discovery of corruption.  Take a look at the examples of how PALA rules are applied to SOME, but not ALL.  

Why Won’t Robert Smith Examine the Rest of the 1928 California Indian Judgment Roll Applications to determine Degree of Indian Blood?

Here are a few examples of 1928 Apps. If Robert Smith was to use his policy of unknown as non-Indian then all of the descendants of these Applicants would have to have their blood degree adjusted with most of them being disenrolled. So why did Robert Smith choose to only examine the blood degree of Margarita Britten and no other families? Here is a sampling of 1928 Applications of Pala residents. Attached is Robert Smith’s policy so you be the judge. It would truly appear that Robert Smith willfully and with malice decided to attack the heritage of the Britten family while ignoring similar evidence of other families to include his own.

App. 1089 Celsa Moro Apapas - I do not know who my father’s parents were. Page 4. So her father has to be non-Indian and therefore Celsa Moro Apapas is ½ Indian. 1913 Allotment Roll listed as 4/4ths Indian Indian.
App. 1090 Claudia Apapas - Daughter of Celsa Moro Apapas. Record shows that her grandparents had the same mother different fathers but that they were brother and sister. Page 4. Grandparents were Cahuilla so total Cupeño blood is ¼. 1913 Allotment Roll listed as 4/4ths Indian.
App. 1091 George Apapas - Grandparents Cahuilla. Mother Celsa Moro Apapas so George Apapas is ¼ Cupeño. 1913 Allotment Roll listed as 4/4ths Indian.
App 1092 James Apapas - Same as Apps 1090 and 1091. ¼ Cupeño Indian. 1913 Allotment Roll listed as 4/4ths Indian.

Thursday, December 10, 2020

WEEKS LATE, The Report to the President on LADY JUSTICE Has been Released After INDIANZ Questioned Its Whereabouts

 LADY JUSTICE REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT  was due Nov. 26 here it is. Is it just me, or does it seem like only.....FLUFF?


The Trump administration is holding an "off the record" call to discuss the Operation Lady Justice report that was due November 26. 

The call is taking place a day after Indianz asked about the missing #MMIW report, which has not been publicly released.



Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Dine Author Jacqueline Keeler's New Book STANDOFF Comparing the Standing Rock and Bundy Movements

 



We met Diné/Ihanktonwan Dakota author Jacqueline Keeler at a protest in Sacramento. 

She is a very interesting  person and I've learned a lot from her many columns and podcasts.   She has a new book coming out from Torrey House Press that is available for pre-order. Please support a strong Native woman and buy a couple as gifts.


Here are some links to Jacqueline's articles including one on #MeToo and Sherman Alexie

and
How Photography Shapes Our View of Native Americans

JOE BIDEN BALKING at Choosing Rep. Deb Haaland for Interior. Afraid She Might Go OFF THE RESERVATION?

                                    Rep. Deb Haaland (R) with NCAI
                                    President Fawn Sharp


According to this Huffpo article, some of Biden’s advisers have begun anonymously planting the idea in news stories that the Native American congresswoman, Deb Haaland, who chairs a House subcommittee with oversight of the Interior Department, is not qualified. (OP: Oh, like Xavier Becerra is qualified for HHS?)
What’s also puzzling is that these sources say a better candidate is a lesser-known man who is also Native, Michael Connor, despite dozens of tribal leaders telling Biden, publicly and privately, that they back Haaland.  Does Biden have "enough women" to satisfy his minority numbers?

We wrote about Rep. Haaland's support last month here   And as a site on tribal disenrollment, she's on record about the issue, thanks to Cam Foreman, a disenrolled Native American from the Redding Rancheria. 

HAS JOE Biden made ENOUGH HISTORY by choosing a Black woman as VP that he doesn't need to make more with a Native American woman in charge of Native American issues?   What do you think?

Meanwhile, groups in New Mexico are still sending letters to Biden backing Haaland. On Saturday, 50 Indigenous, environmental and social justice organizations in the state wrote to Biden saying Haaland is “uniquely qualified” to be interior secretary. This was a day after the All Pueblo Council of Governors formally urged Biden to nominate Haaland, and two weeks after the Eight Northern Indian Pueblos Council wrote a similar letter.

Tuesday, December 8, 2020

BOYD GAMING BUYS ELK GROVE "GHOST MALL" Property. Works With Corrupt Wilton Rancheria for Casino

 

Half of these Wilton Rancheria people
are disenrolled. Can you spot the difference?


Boyd Elk Grove LLC purchased the 64-acre site off Highway 99 and Kammerer Road on the southern fringe of the city from Texas-based Howard Hughes Development Corp. in a deal that effectively ended Hughes’ bid to turn the moribund mall project into reality.
Read the Full Article here

Wilton Rancheria is the only federally recognized tribe in Sacramento County and has some 700 members. More than half are jobless, tribal officials told The Sacramento Bee in 2019.  

We've written about the Wilton Rancheria numerous times.  They have disenrolled their people and you can find those stories at these links.a

HRVMI Chairwoman Lisa Jimenez Speaks To City ON BIA Corruption and Wilton's Subterfuge

Wilton Rancheria Elk Grove Subterfuge

The Story of Disenrolled Longtime Members of Wilton Rancheria: ELK GROVE BLUE



Saturday, December 5, 2020

Restorative Justice and Tribal Disenrollment: Bring the People Home, Give the Ancestors Peace, REPAIR the Injustice



Pechanga Elder Lawrence Madariaga
Died While Disenrolled - Too Late for Justice

Our Ancestors were disgraced by tribal disenrollment, our elders abused, lives ruined, our children separated from their history, their culture and our future generations wiped out, by simple paper transactions.

RESTORATIVE JUSTICE is repairing the harm of unjust behavior.   Chairman Macarro, Chairman Robert Smith, Chairman Jack Potter we are speaking to YOU

Is restorative justice what's needed to heal the wounds, salve the pain and bring honor back to tribes that have harmed over 11,000 Native Americans over the last decade?

The theory of restorative justice is from the criminal arena.  While tribal disenrollment in many cases is not illegal, in some cases it runs contrary to tribal constitutions, or against tribal laws.

Friday, December 4, 2020

Truth & Healing Council: Mark Macarro and Calleen Audrey Sisk Speak at California Native American Heritage Commission



Interesting what came up at the 
Truth and Healing Conference on Thursday December 3. The 16 member Native American Heritage Council was set up to give Californian's a view of the historical wounds CA's Native Americans have experienced over the centuries.  

VIDEO:
   

The diversity of experiences of the "victim population" must include the victims of tribal disenrollment of THOUSANDS of Native Americans THIS CENTURY by tribes such as Redding, Chukchansi, Pechanga and Pala to name just a few. There are 50 links on tribal disenrollment here

Chief Caleen Sisk, WINNEMEM  Wintu near Shasta, CA activists gave the opening prayer for the meeting.   She also spoke on unrecognized Indians and disenrollment.  "There should be NO California Indian who fits into an
anunrecognized category" which is what disenrollment does, moves natives into an unrecognized category.  Macarro seems to be okay with his tribes actions.

Chief Sisk stated:"We shouldn't also  have disenrolled Indian tribal members"    We need to address that, she said.   The committee needs to work on the people for survival.    THANK YOU  Chief Sisk.

The topic of restorative justice came up. we wrote about Restorative Justice early last year.  Mark Macarro chairman of the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians from Temecula, CA and which, under his tribal leadership, unjustly disenrolled hundreds of California Native Americans from his tribe.   He admitted he was not a practitioner of restorative justice.  He should read the article on restorative justice linked above.  You, my readers can help others learn by sharing the article to your social meeting.   

Chief Sisk also says any landback restoration should promote TRIBALISM,  Her tribe lost their land when Shasta Dam went up and block the way home for the Salmon.  Now Natives can't go home due to disenrollment.

9th Circuit TOSSES 3 Tribe Lawsuit VIEJAS, SYCUAN and Yocha Dehe Wintun LOSERS vs Card Rooms



The Ninth Circuit on Thursday upheld the dismissal of a suit by three Native American tribes seeking to compel California to protect what they claim is their exclusive right to offer card games like blackjack and baccarat, saying the court couldn't make the state enforce its laws against nontribal card rooms.

Uh, CALIFORNIA is SOVEREIGN TOO... Too Bad, so SAD...


Background: 

Friday, November 27, 2020

Former KNBC reporter MARY PARKS, who reported on the BEATING of PECHANGA CASINO Patron by Security Guard PASSES

 

MARY PARKS

Former KNBC Reporter MARY PARKS, who did report on the Richard Swan incident at the Pechanga Resort and Casino, has succumbed to cancer after a long fight.  Her daughter posted this on Facebook:

To the beloved friends of Mary Parks,
It is with the heaviest of hearts that I share the passing of my mother, Mary Parks, who died peacefully at home this afternoon.
My mother was an angel in every sense of the word, so after a year long, tremendously difficult battle with brain cancer, it is only fitting that she spend her eternal days with God and His Angels, including her mother and father who she loved so dearly.
My mother was the most giving, loving, warm, welcoming, fun loving, vibrant, beautiful woman with endless talents and an unmatched enthusiasm for life and love. To say she will be missed by many is an understatement. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your love and support of our family through her cancer journey, and through her entire life.


I had some interactions, news wise with Mary Parks and of course watched for work for years.   This is a BIG loss to news fans...

Thursday, November 26, 2020

HAPPY THANKS GIVING! I am NOT Celebrating Pilgrims, but THOSE WHO SUPPORT NATIVE RIGHTS

 I'm thankful for those who continue to fight for justice for Native Americans that have been harmed by their tribes. Each one of you that remains in the fight, are helping those who have given up, or lost interest. I'm thankful that young social justice warriors are picking up the mantle... Each SHARE of this blog on social media, INFORMS more people. EACH tag of government representatives puts them ON NOTICE. PLEASE, remain involved, stay active.


Sunday, November 22, 2020

Are Tribes like PALA the Correct Authority to Determine DEGREE OF INDIAN BLOOD

 


Kevin Washburn, this happened under YOUR WATCH with the leaders of the Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians.  WHY did you turn a blind eye?

The Britten Descendants arbitrarily had their Degree of Indian Blood LOWERED by the Executive Committee of the Pala Band of Luiseno Mission Indians of the Pala Reservation, California.   They were seeking their disenrollment, but the two issues can be separated.

THIS IS AN ISSUE OF WHO HAS THE AUTHORITY TO DETERMINE DEGREE OF INDIAN BLOOD.

The allowing of a Tribal authority to determine Degree of Indian Blood is not only a serious matter but one that will have serious consequences for the United States, State Governments, Indian Tribes and Individual Indians.

The United States is, as a matter of its sovereign power and under the Doctrine of Pre-Emption, the entity with the sole authority to determine the Degree of Indian Blood of an individual Indian.

THE PALA MATTER

Saturday, November 21, 2020

President Elect Biden Chooses KEVIN WASHBURN to Head his Dept. of Interior Transition team

I know, let's choose the guy who was so ineffective in protecting the civil and human rights of over 11,000 Native Americans harmed by corrupt tribal leaders!!

Joe Biden Transition Team announcement


We've had some issues with former Secretary Washburn... read the links here

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell today announced that Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn, after more than three years of leadership, will conclude his service to the Department and will return to the faculty of the University of New Mexico School of Law in January. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Lawrence “Larry” Roberts will lead Indian Affairs for the remainder of the Obama Administration.


SEE THESE LINKS ON WASHBURN and DISENROLLMENT:

Washburn Can't be Serious Part ONE
Washburn Can't be SERIOUS Part TWO
Washburn Can't be SERIOUS Part Three
Washburn Can't be Serious Part FOUR

Friday, November 20, 2020

NBC DISCOVERS DISENROLLMENT! CREEK FREEDMEN Treaty Rights Issue Recognized

 This is great news.  NBC uses the term, unenrolled, but it's disenrollment in fact.  We've had many stories on the Creek Freedmen

When Rhonda Grayson was growing up in Oklahoma, summer visits to her grandparents' house in Wewoka meant time spent in the kitchen with her grandmother. Together they cooked peach cobbler and traditional Native foods like wild onions, poke salad and hominy, the corn used to make grits.

Cooking was just one way Grayson learned about the rich history and culture of the generations of Black Native Americans who came before her.

"I was always keenly aware of my African ancestry," said Grayson, 51. Part of her lineage was Native, too. "I always knew that we were Creek."'

Will President Biden Choose an Indian As Interior Secretary? Deb Haaland is the choice for 50 House Democrats


Deb Haaland 
(D) New Mexico

More than 50 House Democrats are making a formal push for President-elect Joe Biden to select Rep. Deb Haaland as his Interior secretary.  Haaland spoke on tribal disenrollment earlier this year.  We that story here

The New Mexico Democrat, who is already being vetted for the position, would be the first Native American Cabinet secretary in the nation’s history.  It's a long time coming and will help make the empty promises of Presidents a thing of the past.
You can make history by giving Native Americans a seat at the Cabinet table for the first time,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter, obtained by POLITICO on Thursday.

The letter, led by Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, was delivered to the Biden transition team this week. Grijalva also endorsed Haaland for the post this week in a letter to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Read the Politico article here

Department of Interior INVALIDATES Redding Rancheria MOU of 2016. CASINO Plans HALTED




The Redding Rancheria, a disgraceful tribe that violated the civil and human rights of 20% of their tribe, is again a LOSER.
In a critical announcement , the Department of the Interior has officially invalidated the Rancheria Restored Lands “Memorandum of Understanding” (MOU), which was enacted in 2016 between the Department of the Interior and the Redding Rancheria. The Redding Rancheria cannot proceed as previously proposed with their Casino relocation and expansion at Strawberry Fields in Shasta County.

Saturday, November 14, 2020

Google HONORS Native American Ballerina Extraordinaire Maria TallChief of Osage Nation

 

Thank you Google, for recognizing Maria TallChief of the Osage Nation of Oklahoma.   The cloak of invisibility for Native Americans is lifted a bit.

Maria TallChieft is America's first Prima Ballerina.  




At age 17, she moved to New York City in search of a spot with a major ballet company, and, at the urging of her superiors, took the name Maria Tallchief. She spent the next five years with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, where she met choreographer George Balanchine. When Balanchine co-founded what would become the New York City Ballet in 1946, Tallchief became the company's first star.[5]

The combination of Balanchine's difficult choreography and Tallchief's passionate dancing revolutionized the ballet. Her 1949 role in The Firebird catapulted Tallchief to the top of the ballet world, establishing her as a prima ballerina. Her role as the Sugarplum Fairy in The Nutcracker transformed the ballet from obscure to America's most popular.

Friday, November 13, 2020

NCAI FINALLY RECOGNIZES the RIGHT to BELONG, After Ignoring the Individual Indians for DECADES

THE Spirits of our ancestors and find a bit of hope today, from an unlikely source, The National Congress of American Indians. 

Today, for the first time in its 76 years,  resolved to affirm the inherent sovereign right of Native Nations to decide who belongs as citizens, and to recognize the Indigenous human/civil right to belong, free from discrimination. NCAI will form a Task Force.

Recognition of the right to belong, needs to HAPPEN.  We can't have a one term enrollment "committee" decide who is Native or not.

READ THE RESOLUTION


GET OVER DISENROLLMENT? F**K YOU! Says Hopland's Michelle Hammock:

Michelle Hammock Hopland Disenrolled

My friend Michelle Hammock, one of the HOPLAND 74 disenrolled has a powerful piece up on her webpage .  I was proud to share a podium with her in Sacramento as we shared our stories of disenrollment, I wrote about that here.  I ripped my speech up after hearing hers..

The act of disenrollment is an act of genocide, whether the Genocide Convention recognizes it as such or not. It removes the living and deceased identities of federally recognized individuals and strips them of their treaty rights, their tribal constitutional rights, and their legal identities. It breaks families apart and expires the identities of a group of people. It strips them of the federal protections afforded to only Native tribal people uniquely agreed upon with our dominantly white government.

And we are called hateful for decrying the acts. For calling it out and never letting it be forgotten. We are the hate filled ones that need to shut our mouths for the sake of other people’s reputations. We are told to get over it. We are told that because of “our” hate that no one would want us back. We are told that we are so blinded in hate that we cannot offer anything to our tribes.    And to that I say Fuck You!


NCAI Marketplace 2020 Truth and Reconciliation Convention Passes Resolution PDX-20-001

Report from NCAI Marketplace 2020 from Gabriel Galanda:

Led by  @NCAI1944
President Emeritus and Jamestown S'Klallam Chairman Ron Allen, Resolution PDX-20-001 was unanimously passed out of the Jurisdiction and Government Subcommittee and now heads to the Litigation and Governance Committee.

Still waiting on a progress report, but here are some sponsors and supporters that we need to thank.  Please, do so



 PRESSURE only works if it is APPLIED...

Sunday, November 8, 2020

After DECADES of Disenrollment Avoidance, NCAI Finally Brings Resolution on Protecting Tribal Citizenship


We have written for years about the National Congress of American Indians avoidance of the question of tribal diseenrollment, which strips the rights to belong of over 10,000 Native Americans  Read Pechanga Casino News Report.... to see video of what's happening.   Now, indigenous attorney Gabriel Galanda writes that NOW, after hundreds of elders have walked on without justice, the NCAI is bringing the issue up.

But, is it to protect tribal citizens from the abuse of their own corrupt leaders?  WHO PROTECTS THE DISENROLLED from the ABUSES of disenrollment? At Pechanga, their own hired expert confirmed that MY ancestor had more right of belong to Pechanga than ANY OTHER FAMILY.

NCAI will convene its annual meeting on Monday and consider a Tribal citizenship protection Resolution, at the urging of a broad coalition of former NCAI Presidents, Native Nations, inter-Tribal organizations, and Indigenous leaders, educators, and advocates.

Thursday, November 5, 2020

Pechanga Casino News: New Years Eve Celebration CANCELLED

Pechanga News  New Years Eve is cancelled at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, CA. Additonally Events schedule for the first quarter of 2021 have been postponed.  Continuing concerns over the Chinese coronavirus which has affected our nation for eight months has led to this decision



Previously, Pechanga officials had hoped to bring back entertainment early in 2021. Chaka Khan, Hotel California – A Salute to the Eagles and Pitbull were among the shows scheduled for the first three months of the year. Those shows have been canceled according to Pechanga’s website, but new show dates may be announced for them in the future, according to the release.

People who have tickets to postponed shows may keep their existing tickets to be honored for the rescheduled events, but those who have tickets for canceled shows should seek refunds before Dec. 31, 2020, the release said.

Monday, November 2, 2020

Tribal Leaders, Our Children Suffer From Lack of Belonging After Disenrollment

                                               Mark Macarro washes hands of responsibility 

                                              Image created by Pechanga descendant Sophia C. 
 

Children who were newborns when Pechanga disenrolled the first family in 2004 are now 16 year olds, no longer able to be part of the tribal community, that even adopted members children enjoy. Blood members stripped of their rightful place in the tribe.

Leaders bring their tribes together. Sadly, tribal strongmen like Mark Macarro, Robert Smith of Pala, Allan Lawson of San Pasqual don’t think a larger tribe is a good thing. Macarro still has a moratorium on membership, including his own cousin 

The Indian way means nothing to them.   The CASINO INDIAN WAY, IS ALL THEY KNOW.

Monday, October 26, 2020

Indigenous Belonging & Tribal Citizenship Resolution Circulating Through NCAI

 Indigenous Attorney Gabriel Galanda of the prestigious Galanda Broadman law firm had this message on his twitter feed.   Let's hope for some good discussion, and resolution the recognizes the abuse of over 11,000 living Native Americans.

Remember, SOVEREIGN RIGHT does not make the action right.

Friday, October 23, 2020

PAMUNKEY Tribe of VA: SOVEREIGNTY GIVES US THE RIGHT TO BE RACIST

 

Should we ignore the racism of the Pamunkey Tribe of Virginia because of tribal sovereignty?  Should we accept it because of "tribal sovereignty"  This is a story not told and I'm sorry I'm just learning more of it.  The Richmond Free Press did the deep dive. My own tribe, Pechanga took my black cousins out of the tribal school, but I don't believe it was racism, just greed.

The exposure of the tribe’s racist past is largely the work of 30-year-old Essex County resident Jasmine N. Anderson, who has spent more than five years quietly working to gain recognition for herself and her relatives. They are members of the Dungee family that was banished from the tribe between 1865 and 1871 after a member opened a free school for newly freed slaves near the reservation.

“I have undisputed, direct ancestral ties to four Pamunkey Indian lines,” Ms. Anderson said.

That includes her six-times great-grandfather, Joseph Dungee Jr., and his brother, Jesse Dungee (also spelled Dungey and Dungy), a farmer and minister who represented King William County in the General Assembly from 1871 to 1873, and gained recognition as both a Pamunkey and as an African-American legislator.

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

President Trump SUPPORTS Federal Recognition of the LUMBEE TRIBE of North Carolina

 President Donald Trump released a statement indicating his support for full federal recognition of the Lumbee Tribe in southeastern North Carolina.


“As President, I am committed to looking out for the needs of every American, including those of Native American heritage.  For more than a century, the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina has sought federal recognition, but has been met with indifference and red tape,” Trump’s statement reads. 

 


The president said he supported S.1368, the Lumbee Recognition Act, a bill sponsored by Sen. Richard Burr and Sen. Thom Tillis to extend services and benefits provided to members of the recognized tribes.

“After consultation with Sen. Thom Tillis, Rep. Dan Bishop, and other members of the North Carolina congressional delegation, I am announcing my full support for S.1368, the Lumbee Recognition Act, which would make qualifying members of the Lumbee Tribe eligible for the services and benefits provided to members of federally recognized tribes,” Trump’s statement continued. “Lumbee Nation is forgotten no more!”

Members of the tribe residing in Robeson, Cumberland, Hoke, and Scotland counties would be deemed eligible within the delivery area for the federal services.

Covid 19: Tribal Sovereignty Allows Casino Tribes to Withhold Information on Covid 19 Contact Tracing Leaving Patrons without





When CA tribal Casinos opened up against the wishes of Gov. Gavin Newsom. Tribes put their concerns for cash, over the health and safety concerns of CA's health experts.  

Since the casinos reopened, San Diego county public health officials say 112 employees and 196 patrons with confirmed COVID-19 diagnoses visited a local casino within 14 days of their illness. The 308 cases are as of Oct. 5 and include three people who died.


From a report by KFMB news San Diego  but here is a video on how Coronavirus (COVID 19) attacks our bodies

Monday, October 19, 2020

Joe Biden, Kamala Harris Both Accept APARTHEID Tribal Nation Leader's Endorsement PECHANGA

 Mr. Biden, DO YOU DENOUNCE the APARTHEID system that your endorser, Mark Macarro of the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians oversees in Temecula CA?

                     Agencies photo

ANSWERL  NO

We've posted many times on Kamala Harris NOT being good for Indian Country  

It's funny that since 2016 Presidential campaign, our current President has denounced whit supremacy, yet not one media outlet will ask the simple question to Biden or Harris.  "WHY do you think APARTHEID is okay in America?"

Sovereign right doesn't MAKE it RIGHT.  Otherwise, the Untied State would never have interfered in the sovereign nation of South Africa's right to have an apartheid system.

If you don't think it's APARTHEID and Segregation in CA... what would you call it?

Sunday, October 18, 2020

Saginaw Chippewa Disenrolled Say DOI VIOLATED FEDERAL LAW..

 




Thank you to Law 360 for providing the details  and all should subscribe and follow..

Law360 (October 15, 2020, 8:13 PM EDT) -- Disenrolled members of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan have asked a D.C. federal court to restore their status in the tribe, alleging U.S. Department of the Interior officials violated federal law by refusing to step in to protect their rights.

Julia Cavazos and dozens of other disenrolled members of the Saginaw Chippewa tribe in their complaint Wednesday challenged a Jan. 30 decision by Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Tara Katuk Sweeney, in which Sweeney said the DOI didn't have the authority to help resolve the membership dispute.

The ex-members claim they were all disenrolled from the tribe between 2016 and 2017 and cut off from receiving tribal services and cash payments owed under the 1986 Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan Distribution of Judgment Funds Act, which established an investment fund for tribal members to settle land claims against the federal government.

The Judgment Funds Act, or JFA, has a provision that bars the tribe from discriminating against members like the plaintiffs who are descendants of the Swan Creek, Black River and Saginaw Bands of Chippewa Indians and whose families had previously been denied membership in the tribe, according to the complaint.

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Win River Casino Tribe, the Redding Rancheria Looking for New General Manager to Replace GARY HAYWARD


Now former GM Gary Hayward of the Redding Rancheria's Win River Casino has be relived of duty because of a "domestic violence" issue.  Sadly, his arraignment and charges will be out on local news soon.


Sources say other information has been found during Hayward's absence. We expect that will be detailed to tribal members soon.

Gary Hayward is grand nephew of Barbara Mruphy,  one of the architects of the Foreman family disenrollment circa 2004.

Monday, October 12, 2020

President Trump SIGNS SAVANNA's ACT! And the Not Invisible Act IT IS NOW LAW


Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding the Signing of Savanna’s Act and the Not Invisible Act


President Donald J. Trump was the first president to formally recognize the tragedy of Missing and Murdered Native Americans, when he issued a Proclamation in May of 2019 drawing attention to this issue. Today, he proudly signed into law S. 227, Savanna’s Act, which directs the Department of Justice to develop law enforcement protocols to address the issue, and S. 982, the Not Invisible Act of 2019, which directs the Department of the Interior and the Department of Justice to establish a joint commission on violent crime within and against the Native American community. These two bills reinforce many actions the President has already undertaken to fulfill his promise that Missing and Murdered Native Americans are no longer forgotten.


 One study found that Native American women in certain tribal communities are ten times more likely to be murdered than the average American.