In the last 20 years or so, close to one billion dollars has been stolen from Native Americans! So what’s new?  “Whitey” has been stealing from “Indians” since they arrived on these shores.  Well, what’s new is that this time the thieving is being done by other Native Americans and the theft is achieved through a device known as tribal disenrollment.  Disenrollment is the term used when some members of the tribe decide that other members of the tribe are no longer members of the tribe.  Sometimes disenrollment occurs when members can’t provide proof of their lineage, or membership in the tribe prior to some specified date.  However, disenrollment also occurs when one faction of a tribe takes power and rewrites rules, thus excluding opposition factions.  Previous tribal chairmen or board members have been disenrolled simply for being on the wrong side of a political issue or daring to buck the system.

As you might suspect, much of this theft is related to the boom in gambling and resorts on many reservations.  Disenrollment has the benefit of reducing the number of folks lining up for a piece of the gambling pie.  Gambling revenue is not the only benefit the disenrolled miss out on.  Tribal members who are disenrolled are excluded from all benefits of the tribe, which means healthcare, educational benefits.  The total of the theft, that is the cash and benefits stolen by tribal members from other tribal members, (while the U.S. government stands by and watches), is upward of one billion dollars!

Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians: $550 MILLION Includes additional $25 Million in Health Insurance.   Per capita losses are $200,000 PER DAY. These totals do not include lost education assistance, tribal jobs, nor does it account for family members that  attained the age of majority since extermination and moratorium people.   New total would be $660 MILLION!

Picayune: $ 154.0 MILLION Money is from share of dollars casino sends to tribe per person will grow with 200 just receiving ejection letters..

Redding Rancheria: $ 46 MILLION Totals being tabulating but includes tribal JOBS lost.

Mooretown Rancheria: $14 MILLION   Housing, benefits

Enterprise Rancheria: $4.2 MILLION No Per Capita. Tribe gets revenue allocation. Losses include housing help.

Pala Band of Luiseno Indians: $40 MILLION. Per Capita loss for 160 members ejected

United Auburn $4 MILLION per year projection is for 2 years. and growing by 180 K per month

San Pascual    $22 MILLION in losses for three years of Alto family’s ouster.

Shingle Springs Miwok  $1 million  lost

Laytonville Rancheria $2.6 million lost over 20 years.

Nooksack Tribe: $400,000 so far, not included wasted attorney’s fees.

For more on this issue, I encourage you to read HERE