Tribe disenrolling members

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The Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Council recently voted to begin a disenrollment process for members who did not meet criteria set forth by the council.

An official statement released by the council in late March asked tribal members to “respect the tribe in its governmental process.” The statement also made clear that the council would not comment on the issue until the council addressed its membership on the issue.

“It would be irresponsible for us to discuss this very private and internal matter with anyone before we have the opportunity to discuss this with the Tribal Membership affected and the community as a whole,’ the release stated.

Mailings were scheduled to go out March 26 informed the tribal community of the situation and Public Relations Director Joe Sowmick, said that the mailings contained further information about the situation

“The mailing let the tribe know that the action is proceeding and included the Tribal Council minutes from the meeting that took place,” Sowmick said.

The council voted 6-5 to approve the motion and it is unclear who or how many tribal members the disenrollment process will affect.

In the Mount Pleasant Morning Sun last Friday, one tribal member spoke out against the disenrollment process, accusing the tribe of striking members in response to a saturated Michigan gaming market.

Sowmick said that enrollment has been an ongoing issue for many years and that the council felt that the process needs to be examined.

The current process deals with a blood quantum, which calls for any person claiming to be a Native American, to have at least one-fourth Native blood and that some of that blood is required to be of Saginaw Chippewa descent.

The council does not know the definitive number of members that will be affected, but the process of determining who will be affected is expected to take at least a month. The council is working with the Legal Department and the Office of Administrative Hearings.

metro@cm-life.com