tribal member disenrollments – Page 16

Thursday, December 22, 2011– Disenrollment Dividing Tribes:
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees American citizens the right to freedom of speech. Recently, seven members of a California tribe were banned from tribal lands for up to 10 years, allegedly for speaking out against the current tribal administration. Should a tribe be able to use its status as a sovereign nation to remove unwanted members from their tribal rolls, with no recourse? Does simply speaking out against your tribal leaders give them the right to kick you out of the tribe? Guests include former chairwoman Jessica Tavares (United Auburn Indian Community).

This will be my second time on the program (the first was about Carcieri).

News Coverage of Saginaw Chippewa Disenrollment Efforts

September 26, 2011Matthew L.M. Fletcher1 Comment

Here. An excerpt:

By MARK RANZENBERGER

TheMorningSun.com

A hearing officer has ruled that the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe cannot revoke the membership of an 87-year-old elder, despite the fact that she is not directly descended from a person listed on one of the Tribe’s base rolls.

But the disenrollment case of Anna Bell Atwell may not be over, according to her attorney.

“Tribal government officials, both certifiers and enrollment department staff, had a policy that collateral tracing to a constitutional base roll was sufficient to satisfy the tracing requirement for membership eligibility for enrollment,” said a ruling from the Tribe’s Office of Administrative Hearings. Continue reading →