Pechanga Jeopardy Questions

As in JEOPARDY! The answers are in the form of a question

From JAGJR at: Pechanga.info

Click on Message Board when you get there. Here's a sample:

ANSWER: Pechanga, CNIGA, and the Native American Caucus of the California Democratic Party.

QUESTION: Which three (3) groups in California Indian Country share common membership among their governing bodies?

ANSWER: Pechanga and the Native American Caucus.

QUESTION: Of the three groups listed above, which two groups who have denied membership to eligible individuals in violation of their governing documents.

Paulina Hunter's Blog Asks....

For a little help from our friends.

Paulina Hunter's blog

Take a look. Pass her page on to your friends and family.

Have you checked out:

Pechanga.info

Help us in our struggle, with some simple links, and communicate with your friends.....

PECHANGA: Indian Tribes Fight Employee Rights

Pechanga Chairman has already called the unions corrupt. He should know...

http://www.calitics.com/userDiary.do?personId=1018

Feb 2008 Ballot: Indian Tribes Fight Employee Rights (+)
by: Elliott Petty
Mon Nov 12, 2007 at 16:34:46 PM PST

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(This is going to be a major battle and February is just a few months away, so this is a good rundown of what's at stake. Full disclosure: I have done some video work for UNITE HERE. - promoted by David Dayen)

If you don't follow the daily happenings in Sacramento, you can easily be confused about four ballot initiatives slated for the February 5th Presidential Primary Elections. In four separate propositions, voters will be asked to approve state gaming compacts with four individual tribes looking to expand their casino fortunes. If approved, worker rights will continue to be non-existent at the Las Vegas-styled resorts.
Elliott Petty :: Feb 2008 Ballot: Indian Tribes Fight Employee Rights
At issue is the lack of basic worker rights that were passed into the California constitution generations ago, but don't apply at Indian gaming casinos and hotel resorts because of their official sovereignty. California penal code doesn't apply in France, nor does it apply at Pechanga's resort just outside of Palm Springs.
Thus, Indian tribes and the American companies managing their properties don't have to honor anti-discrimination, sexual harassment or workers' compensation laws. Imagine that.

This is only complicated by the fact that nearly 99 percent of employees and management of these resorts are non-Indian, California citizens.

Seems unusual, but since the tribes are raking in a reported $7 billion a year in revenue with residuals going to tribe members in the form of direct cash payments, college scholarships and the like, members don't exactly need to work there.

But the Californian citizenry who make up almost their entire workforce are afforded no basic civil rights on the job.

Of course, their jobs wouldn't exist if the State of California didn't reach gaming compacts with specific tribes which allow them to operate the gambling cash cows in return for a share of the revenues.

Chukchansi: One of the most OFFENSIVE Tribes

Read the article at: One Little Indian

Even though the Chukchansi are now listed as one of the most offensive Tribes in American history by percentage of their own people terminated from their membership, they are by no means alone in their aberrant behavior. Tribes across California and the Nation have had similar purges of their memberships, especially when casino gaming income is in the mix.

Bryan is talking about Pechanga for one...

Pechanga Veterans: Thank You

The Hunter Family, recently disenrolled from the Pechanga Band after over 200 years of living in the Temecula area have many veterans who served in our military.

Pechanga Veterans

We salute our Pechanga Veterans for your courage, honor and commitment.

· Cuevas, Felipe - Army
· Cuevas, David - Army
Cuevas, Thomas - Army
· Harris, William A - Air Force
· Miller, Durio - Army
· Miller, John D - Navy
· Miller, Louie - Army
· Poole, Mary Ann - Navy
. Poole, Gregory - Navy
· Smith, Maltilda - Army
. Smith, Frank - Air Force
. Smith, Ernest - Navy
· Tavison, Ernest - Army

I'm sure I've missed a few. Thank you to all Pechanga people who have served. And shame on the Pechanga Tribal Council for staining the memory of these fine people above. We should honor their memory (and,for those still living) with our courage to maintain this fight to regain what is rightfully ours.

Paulina Hunter of Pechanga's Blog

Over at Paulina Hunter's Blog, they have reached 25,000 blog views. That's a pretty good accomplishment. And that means that a lot of friends are keeping up with what the greed and corruption has wrought on 25% of the Pechanga Band.

If you look at my counter, I'm way behind at 1850. Please tell your friends that there is another blog to look at.

Paulina Hunter’s Blogis on my blogroll on the right.

And also, make sure you check out: www.pechanga.info

Giago: Rep, Watson, Clean up Pechanga First

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tim-giago/congresswoman-watson-atta_b_71072.html

Tim Giago write in the HUFFINGTON POST:

Congresswoman Watson hails from the mighty State of California. If she had bothered to look around in her own backyard she would have noticed that some of the most notorious actions of disenrollment of tribal members by sitting tribal governments is happening right under her nose. OP: Like Pechanga, which has eliminated 25% of their tribe. Several hundred former members of California tribes have been kicked out in the cold without apparent comment or action by Ms. Watson. Why then is she making herself such a thorn in the side of the people of the Cherokee Nation? I am pretty certain that there are a few thousand Indian people in her own state that wish she would pay attention to their state of disenrollment.

Disenrolled vs. Pechanga = Goldmans vs. OJ?

Fred Goldman has waged his war against the murderer of his son, OJ Simpson for over a decade. Why didn't he give up the fight and quit? "You'll never collect from Simpson" they told him. "He got away with killing your son." "Move on with your life" Mr. Goldman never wavered in his fight to make OJ Simpson pay for what he did. And now, he has won, after a decade of struggle, he owns the right to OJ's book, which will make money that OJ will NEVER see. He got OJ's admission in print. Similarly, the disenrolled Pechanga people, ancestors of the noted headman of the Pechanga people Pablo Apis, and descendents of Original Pechanga Temecula Person, Paulina Hunter, have been told, by those that disenrolled them no less, to "give it up" and "go get a job" or "move on with your life". This is our life. Fighting for our rightful place in the sun, where our family has resided for centuries is our life. Why should we give up trying to regain what is rightfully ours? Why should those who have been kept out of the tribe via an illegal moratorium stop fighting for what is theirs? Many of our family have been sitting on the sidelines for a while. Not all want to be part of the struggle. Many of us came to the table a little late. Some have carried the load for quite a while. John Gomez, both Senior and Junior have been at the forefront of the struggle since they were disenrolled in 2004. Hunter family members fought the struggle from the inside, forcing the disenrollment committee (actually, they are called the enrollment committee, but since there is an illegal moratorium on new members, they have only disenrolled people, not enrolled people. Well, except for some select family members of the committee.) We are continuing to get our story in front of politicians, friends, their families and supporters across the country. Powerful blogs have mentioned the corruption and there is traction gained in that area. Rep. Diane Watson has added the disenrolled to her issues with the Cherokee Freedmen, and the Congressional Black Caucus has their ears open. Pechanga is spending a fortune trying to get some good PR in Southern California. Incredibly, only 52% support them right now. And this is after a few million spent. They wouldn't have to try so hard if they did the right thing: Bring those disenrolled back into the family where they belong, and allow those in the moratorium in the tribe where they belong. Our family, the Hunters have ancestors that were family to the chairman's family. He knows Paulina Hunter was Pechanga, just as the people who gave depositions in 1915 KNEW Paulina was Pechanga. Pechanga Tribal Council, do the right thing. Do not let the Splinter Group continue to lead you down the wrong path. As Mr. Goldman did not give up, neither will we, the disenrolled. Pechanga will have to spend millions more convincing Californians that they are not driven by greed. It would have been simpler had they not acted against the will of the tribe. What will happen to the next family? Pechanga is acting just as OJ did, thinking he got of scot-free. Many of our family are dead now, knowing that Pechanga had ruined their lives. Here are some links for the readers: Original Pechanga’s Blog John’s Disenrollment Blog Tribal Corruption Pechanga Disenrolled website

PECHANGA: Genocide In Indian Country Part One

Genocide in California Indian Country

Below is a list of places in California Indian Country where tribal officials are participating in actions to decimate their own people.
The incidents at each has happened since the passage of Props 5 and 1A which legalized Indian Gaming in California. As a result, California Indian Gaming has grown into a multi-billion dollar business where even non-gaming tribes share in revenue generated by California tribal casinos.

The actions taken by the tribal officials are exactly the types of "arbitrary and capricious" acts that were the catalyst for the introduction and passage of the Indian Civil Rights Act. The acts to strip or deny individuals of their basic human and civil rights have been taken in violation of both tribal and federal laws which are intended to protect these rights and privileges of tribal members. The victims have been denied access to fair and impartial forums in which to have their grievances heard, and the tribal officials have invoked immunity from suit to protect themselves from prosecution.

In most instances, individual members have been denied the due process and equal rights protections provided in the Indian Civil Rights Act, as well as language in their Tribe's governing documents which mandates that tribal officials uphold the individual rights of each member without malice or prejudice.

Another commonality exists- each of the tribes listed benefits in some form or fashion from Indian Gaming. Tribes such as the Pechanga Band and Table Mountain Rancheria have highly successful gaming operations, while others enjoy moderate success. Other non-gaming tribes are paid money from the Special Distribution Fund. In total, hundreds of millions of dollars are paid out each year to individual tribal members.
Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians- 300 adults and children
In 2004, 130+ adult members and their immediate families were disenrolled from the Pechanga Band. The members were all descendants of Chief Pablo Apish, a historically significant leader of the Pechanga/Temecula people. None of the members were allowed to participate in the 2004 tribal elections as a result of their disenrollment.
An additional extended family of approximately 100 adults was disenrolled in March 2006 when tribal officials determined that the ancestor from whom they are lineally descended from was not an Original Pechanga/Temecula person. This determination was made despite the fact that a report prepared by a well known anthropologist hired by the Band's Enrollment Committee concluded she was a Pechanga/Temecula person.
The most recent disenrollment of 100+ adults and children was especially egregious as the General Membership, the Tribe's governing body, had previously passed a law which (1) repealed the Tribe's disenrollment procedures and (2) made it illegal for the Enrollment Committee to disenroll members.

The Fight to Expose Pechanga Corruption WILL NOT STOP

Greeting Readers,

This blog was created to help communicate what has gone on at the Reservation of the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians in Temecula, CA.

The story of the first family to be disenrolled en masse,descendents of Pablo Apis, in the history of the tribe, can be found here: Pechanga’s Paper Trail of Tears

Please take the time to read it to familiarize yourselves with the inner workings of the Tribal Council and Enrollment Committee.

The second family, The Hunters, were disenrolled en mass, almost two years later. This story can be found here: WITHOUT A TRIBE Now, amazingly, this family was PROVEN Pechanga by the expert hired by the TRIBE!, yet maddeningly, the enrollment committee chose not to use the work that they bought and paid for. A news article is linked here: Pechanga Expert

Please help us get the word out. Send the web address out for my blog, if you have your own blog, please point this site out.

We will not go quietly into the night.....

Steven Haze for Assembly.

http://www.electhaze.com/home.html


Steve Haze is helping Native Americans who have had their civil rights violated. Please support his candidacy.

PECHANGA: Windfall Profits Narrows Members

Boycott Pechanga


Windfall profits from casinos narrows down members of 'Tribes'

By Karyn Chenoweth
Oct 27, 2007, 16:46 GMT

America's latest group of millionaires and billionaires are winnowing their tribal herds, in efforts to keep the money all in the family.


Case in point, Rhode Island's Narragansett Indians have ejected some "dubious" members.

CNN reports that Dennis Champlain and his extended family are among thousands of people removed from American Indian tribes in recent years, often amid tribal squabbles or when a casino comes to town.

In Rhode Island, the Narragansetts' removal of about 140 of roughly 2,400 members has become an issue in Saturday's election for the tribe's chief sachem, or leader.

CNN reports that Tribal officials say they have the right to decide who is a member and to prevent fraud by people angling for a share of gambling money. But many of those kicked out complain they have little recourse to fight what amounts to an attack on their identity.

"We're in the process of a redefinition of tribal identity at its core," said David Wilkins, a political scientist at the University of Minnesota and a member of North Carolina's Lumbee Tribe. "It's ramping up in a way that's really quite frightening to a lot of Native people."

Wilkins traces most purges to four factors: internal political squabbles, stricter racial requirements for membership, punishment for gang or drug-related crime and, most often, during debates over sharing casino profits.

A 1978 U.S. Supreme Court ruling said the federal government should not intervene in most tribal membership disputes, leaving appeals up to the tribes.

Tribal casinos generated $25 billion in revenue last year, according to the National Indian Gaming Commission. Tribes often split the profits by making payments to members.

Fewer members can mean a larger paycheck for those left.

The windfalls of cash lure people with dubious claims of ancestry. The Pechanga Band of California said it was deluged with membership claims after it opened its casino in 1995.

John Gomez Jr., 39, a Pechanga member since childhood, was kicked out in 2004. He said gambling profits were one factor: He lost free health care and a $15,000 monthly payment. But he said he and others had questioned leaders before a tribal election.

"I think a lot of it has to do with the money, but there's a lot of it that's also about the politics," said Gomez, who co-founded the American Indian Rights and Resources Organization, a group that lobbies against expelling tribe members.

The Pechanga council has said it cut members who should never have been let in. OP: The tribe also voted to STOP all disenrollments and the Council went forward with disenrollments.

It's not clear how many people have been removed from tribes in the last few years. There are 562 federally recognized tribes, and tribal governments are not required to report citizenship decisions. But the number is in the thousands.

Gomez's advocacy group counts at least 1,500 people ousted from 13 tribes in California.

In Michigan, the Saginaw Chippewa want to remove about a tenth of their 2,700 members due to rules that require them to be at least one-quarter Indian.

Critics said it's an attempt to cut casino payments.

The Cherokee Nation voted in March to deny citizenship to an estimated 2,800 descendants of tribal slaves.

In the Narragansett election, Paulla Dove Jennings, a historian, is running an underdog campaign against the incumbent, Matthew Thomas, saying it is unfair to take people's identities as Narragansetts away.

CNN reports that the tribe began a review of its roster about three years ago amid a failed push to build a casino -- but there is a dispute over why. Thomas said a tribal assembly, similar to a town meeting, voted to verify all tribal membership before adding several children to the roster.

But Leslie Champlain, a cousin of Dennis Champlain, said she attended the meeting and believes the tribe did not approve an audit. She suspects tribal leadership wanted to root out dissent after her sister, a tribal councilwoman, demanded a detailed audit showing how the tribe spent millions of dollars, some of it from the gambling company Harrah's Entertainment Inc.

Thomas called Champlain's claim "ridiculous" and said he is bound by the decisions of the tribal assembly and cannot be held responsible for someone else's ancestry.

Members were asked to prove they descend from ancestors listed on an 1880 census using birth, death and marriage certificates. CNN reports the Champlains had used other documents as recently as 1994. This time, it was not enough.

Dennis Champlain said he learned his family was kicked out by reading about it in a newspaper, according to CNN. Thomas said members can appeal to a tribal court, but the Champlains say no one ever told them how to appeal.

AIRRO will present Pechanga's Dishonor at the 22nd Annual CA Indian Conference

The American Indian Rights and Resources Organization ("AIRRO") will be presenting this Saturday, October 27th, at the 22nd Annual California Indian Conference.

The conference is being held at the University of Califronia, Davis. Presenters from throughout California Indian Country will present papers and host panel discussions on topics ranging from sacred sites protection to native language issues.

AIRRO's presentation, The Struggle to Maintain Identity in an Era of Dishonor, will be given by Board Chair Carla Foreman-Maslin and Vice Chair John Gomez, Sr.

Over the course of the last 7 years, a growing number of California Indians have had their identity scrutinized and questioned as tribes reap the financial benefits from Indian gaming. As a result, nearly 3000 California Indians have been stripped of their tribal citizenship, and many more have been denied their right to identify themselves as “Indian”. This
discussion will focus on why this is happening, how it is affecting Indian Country, and why everyone should be concerned.

Those who find themselves without a tribe now face a battle to re-claim their Indian identity in an arena where the rights of the individual Indian are often trumped by the sovereign rights of the Tribe.

However, efforts on the State and Federal levels are gaining momentum in the battle to ensure that the individual Indian is afforded the same basic human and civil rights other United States citizens are guaranteed.

In addition, the media is beginning to take a harder look at the issue and publish stories, both on the local and national levels, which tell the tales of those who were once considered Indian or tribal but who now find themselves disenfranchised.

In the end, Congress and the Courts may play roles in further defining Indian identity and tribal sovereignty. How far they go will depend on the actions of the Tribes and individuals to address the issue.


About the Presenters:

Carla Foreman-Maslin is of the Achumawi band of Pit River Indians
through her Great Grandmother, Virginia Timmons, who was one of
the 17 original Indian distributees of the Redding Rancheria Tribe.

Mrs. Foreman-Maslin served on the Redding Rancheria Tribal Council
for a number of years and was employed as the Tribe's Health
Clinic Director. She also served as the Redding Rancheria’s Tribal
Representative to the California Rural Indian Health Board and
served on various tribal committees.

Mrs. Foreman-Maslin and her family were unjustly disenrolled from the
Redding Rancheria Tribe in January 2004, and they have fought for
basic rights for Indian individuals ever since.

John A. Gomez, Sr. is a direct descendant of Chief Pablo Apish,
headman of the Pechanga/Temecula Indians during the 1800’s. Mr.
Gomez retired in 2002 as a Facility Captain from the California
Department of Corrections after nearly 25 years of service.

Mr. Gomez has spent many years participating in Tribal activities and programs as a member of the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians in Temecula, California. Mr. Gomez currently works on Indian rights issues and has presented to local and national organizations regarding human and civil rights.

Along with Mrs. Foreman-Maslin, Mr. Gomez was elected to the
inaugural Board of Directors for the American Indian Rights and
Resources Organization and is serving his second term as Vice-Chair.

Pechanga's Paper TRAIL OF TEARS

http://eee.uci.edu/clients/tcthorne/Hist15/disenrollmentatpechanga2000.htm

Please read this article to familiarize yourselves as to what Pechanga has done to it's people....