Banished tribal members file federal suit
June 2, 2008
Lynda V. Mapes - The Seattle TimesIssue date: 5/29/08 Section: Real News
In earlier written statements, the new leadership of the council said that some of the banished council members did not have the necessary blood quantum to be Snoqualmie tribal members, and that there were "serious irregularities" with the election in which the four took office last May.
Some 43 members of the tribe _ many related to those council members _ have since had their enrollment status "clarified" in letters sent by the tribal enrollment officer, stating they don't have the necessary 1/8 Snoqualmie blood to either hold office or vote, though they are still eligible for tribal benefits.
The Snoqualmie are a small tribe with fewer than 700 members. It was federally recognized in 1999 and obtained a reservation in 2006.
It intends to open what promises to be one of the most profitable casinos, located just off Interstate 90 _ an enterprise the banished were also accused of not supporting.
The dispute flared up after the banished went to the Bureau of Indian Affairs in March, declaring the tribe was in constitutional crisis because its government had been illegally taken over last September by the new leaders of the tribal council.
"They are the shadow government," said Sharon Frelinger, one of the banished council members.
"They are the ones who have acted illegally and inappropriately. We have continued to meet, and we are going to continue to look at what our options are. We don't have any intention of dropping it. They are an illegal government and acting as such. I think they should be stopped."
Frelinger said she felt she had no choice but to file suit. "It's kind of like a Third World country where you get new leadership, and they kill off the old. That is exactly what they have done, and I just find that horrid."
Some 43 members of the tribe _ many related to those council members _ have since had their enrollment status "clarified" in letters sent by the tribal enrollment officer, stating they don't have the necessary 1/8 Snoqualmie blood to either hold office or vote, though they are still eligible for tribal benefits.
The Snoqualmie are a small tribe with fewer than 700 members. It was federally recognized in 1999 and obtained a reservation in 2006.
It intends to open what promises to be one of the most profitable casinos, located just off Interstate 90 _ an enterprise the banished were also accused of not supporting.
The dispute flared up after the banished went to the Bureau of Indian Affairs in March, declaring the tribe was in constitutional crisis because its government had been illegally taken over last September by the new leaders of the tribal council.
"They are the shadow government," said Sharon Frelinger, one of the banished council members.
"They are the ones who have acted illegally and inappropriately. We have continued to meet, and we are going to continue to look at what our options are. We don't have any intention of dropping it. They are an illegal government and acting as such. I think they should be stopped."
Frelinger said she felt she had no choice but to file suit. "It's kind of like a Third World country where you get new leadership, and they kill off the old. That is exactly what they have done, and I just find that horrid."
Be the first to comment on this story