Documentary tackles the rise of Native American disenrollments
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George Adams, an elder in the Nooksack tribe in Washington, looks over canoe paddlers before giving a ceremonial speech. Photo: Courtesy of "yourenoindian.com."
A new film looks into the growing trend of Native American tribes disenrolling members, which victims call "cultural genocide" but tribes say is necessary to weed out non-Indigenous people from its records.
Why it matters: Around 11,000 tribal members from 80 tribes have been kicked out of Native American nations over the last 15 years amid growth in casinos and intratribal fighting.
Zoom in: "You're No Indian," which is expected to premiere at a film festival this winter, explores how disenrollment is dividing tribes and affecting members across the country.
- The seven-year project by director Ryan Flynn examines how tribal members in California and the Pacific Northwest have used disenrollment to quash dissent and increase casino revenues for fewer members.
- The film shows how disenrolled members become isolated and rarely speak out in hopes of regaining their enrollment while the federal government seldom intervenes.
- Carla Foreman, a disenrolled member of the Redding Rancheria in California, said her father's health declined and he eventually died after their lineage was disenrolled despite DNA evidence.
How it works: Tribal governments can remove members for any reason since they are sovereign nations.
- Not only can they disenroll members, they can kick out deceased members, thereby ending tribal membership for all their descendants. Tribes can also reject documents and DNA tests with no comment.
- Disenrolled members then no longer have access to the federal Indian Health Service, Native American housing, tribal schools or a share of gaming revenues.
- They can no longer vote in tribal elections and can no longer claim they are Native American, in many cases.
- Tribal members who speak out on behalf of removed members can face disenrollment themselves, even if they are the last speakers of their dying tribe's traditional language.
What they're saying: "I think there's a weaponization of fear at play here," Flynn tells Axios.
- Flynn attempted to talk to tribal leaders, many of who refused to speak on camera, while some supporters of disenrollment decried interracial marriage.
- "Very few people who are proponents of disenrollment actually spoke to us because it's hard to justify."
Yes, but: Donna Featherstone of the Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians in California says in the film that it's not that hard to prove that you're a member of the tribe.
- "You shouldn't have to go...through a huge book to find some thread," Featherstone says in the film.
- "It's not a disenrollment problem. It's an enrollment problem."
- Featherstone supported a faction that, in 2014, attempted a violent seizure of the tribe's casino and documents in a dispute about tribal enrollment.
The intrigue: Flynn was set to premiere "You're No Indian" with two screenings at the Palm Springs International Film Festival this weekend, but the festival abruptly canceled the screenings due to "scheduling errors."
- The festival is in Palm Springs, California, near tribes that have practiced disenrollment. "It feels like censorship," Flynn said.
- The Palm Springs International Film Festival did not respond to an email from Axios.
What we're watching: "You're No Indian" is scheduled to appear on streaming services later this year, Flynn said.
- It's expected to draw opposition from some tribes and bring out disenrolled members who have yet to speak out.
