Posted on 10/27/2007 8:46:20 AM PDT by Brilliant
Dennis Champlain's grandfather helped win federal recognition for the Narragansett Indian Tribe. Champlain himself has danced in tribal powwows and teaches his children that they are Narragansetts. Yet the Narragansetts say he is no longer a member of the tribe. 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. 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...
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
The Cherokees have a casino in Cherokee, NC.
http://www.harrahs.com/casinos/harrahs-cherokee/hotel-casino/property-home.shtml
Dove is a commie.
Thomas does his best. He’s not a bad guy.
They have a lot of frauds and hangers on who are just troublemakers.
This, and the astounding victory of the Passamaquoddy in Maine, have given some hope to my local chief, whose claimed tribe has a treaty on record with both the Colony and state of Maryland. In fact, he just went up and applied for a loan from their tribal council to pay some legal expenses for his casino/recognition/reservation quest! He figured since they just won over $400 million on their treaty violations, they might be inclined to back-up a fellow red man. No dice!
At least this guy looks at least a little like the part in stature and profile, except for the red hair and a last name as Irish as Paddy's goat.
Would anyone have cared if you killed the robbers in similar fashion?
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