Members of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe are tired of attempts to kick them out and protested Saturday. Sun photo by Linda Gittleman By Linda Gittleman, The Morning Sun Posted: 07/26/14, 4:56 PM EDT | 1 Comment When attempts are made to kick you out of the family, it hurts. It’s also frustrating and wearying when it continues year after year. Dis-enrollment from the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe brought protesters out Saturday just as the tribal powwow took place a few blocks away. At the corner of Broomfield and Leaton in Mt. Pleasant. about 50 tribal members carried signs and chanted, “Warn to a member, you’re next.” Others carried signs that read, ”Stop dis-enrollment,” and, “Dis-enrollment is Indian termination.” It’s the third time around for Josephine Carranza, Twice before attempts were made to kick her and her family out, but they were unsuccessful. Now, she’s battling again. Historical documents play a role in determining who is a tribal member. But the rules regarding who is really a member of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe and who isn’t keep changing. An ordinance number 14 is the one that keeps changing. It was changed again last week. Carranza’s late mother was 100 percent Chippewa but the tribal council is attempting to “dis-enroll” her too, along with 78 other dead people. Attempts are now being made to also kick out 169 living ones, said Don Lown, who is originally from Saginaw. One of Lown’s great grandfathers, named Kawkaykezhick, signed the peace treaty in 1855 with the federal government, but Lown is one of those who might be disinherited. A Chippewa tribal chief, he said, stated that he had his mother’s sisters dis-enrolled. “Is he proud of that?” he asked. Lown was asked if the reason for all of it is money. “Money is all it is,” he said. “They think they can fix their financial problems by dis-enrolling members and in that way, they can continue to pay the same amount to members.” He was careful to point out that not all tribal council members are trying to do this. “But a majority of them are,” he said. Carranza’s son, Juan Carranza said he thought the issue was settled in 2009, but clearly it’s not. “They’re breaking the federal law,” he said. Cathy Wheaton is not a member of the tribe, but her husband and children are. It’s the third time around for them too. Her husband’s grandfather is in the tribal history books, she said. “I guess they’re going to rip that page out,” she said. “(My husband) was a member of the tribe before the casino. He’s had more prejudice at the hands of his own tribe than any others.” The Saginaw Chippewa Tribe has about 3,000 members.
Posted on: Sun, 27 Jul 2014 00:23:47 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015