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Blackfeet divided over enrollment proposal
G R E A T FALLS, M ont.
(AP) — A debate over whether
to expand the eligibility re
q u irem ents to enroll as a
Blackfeet tribal m em ber is
dividing the n o rth w estern
M ontana reservation.
Enrolled members qualify
for m ore health and social
service benefits, plus they get
to vote on tribal matters and
hold office within the nation.
But on both sides, the bigger
question is, whether expand
ing enro llm en t will create
greater unity or threaten the
tribe’s existence.
F o r th e p a s t 50 years,
Blackfeet tribal eligibility has
been determined by whether
a person is at least one-quar
ter Blackfeet, meaning that at
least one grandparent must be
a full-blooded Blackfeet. A
majority o f federally recog
nized tribes use that measure,
known as blood quantum,, to
determine eligibility, accord
ing to the Oklahoma Indian
Affairs Commission.
But an organization called
B lack fe et
E n ro llm e n t
A m endm ent Reform is col
lecting signatures for a peti
tion seeking to change that
standard. Its members want
enrollm ent eligibility to in
clude anyone who has pro o f
o f being the child, grandchild
or great-grandchild o f an en
rolled tribal member.
Supporters say the change
would lead to more tribal in
clusion and unity.
Those opposed to the p ro
posed lineal descent eligibil
ity include m em bers o f the
Blackfeet Against O pen E n
rollment movement, who say
b lo o d q u an tu m sep arates
those with a close affiliation
to Native American life and
cultural values from others
with little or no personal con
nection to their ancestral heri
tage.
There are about
105,000people who
identified themselves
as ‘Tlackfeet In
dian” on the 2010
U.S. Census.
T h e B lack fe et trib e in
2011 h ad 16,924 en ro lled
members, according to tribal
enrollm ent office statistics.
But there are about 105,000
people who identified them
selves as “Blackfeet Indian”
on the 2010 U.S. Census.
T h e B lackfeet’s original
constitution, written in 1935,
included a requirem ent that
tribal members be at least 1 /
16th Blackfeet. The constitu
tion was amended in 1962 to
raise th at requirem ent to a
quarter.
All Blackfeet children liv
ing on the reservation prior
to Aug, 30, 1962, were also
included as tribal members.
But in some cases their chil
dren do n ot m eet the blood
quantum requirement and are
excluded from tribal rolls.
R obert Hall’s parents are
enrolled members but with a
15/64 blood quantum, he is
not. H e grew up on the res
e rv a tio n ,
sp eak s
th e
Blackfeet language and iden
tifies with Blackfeet cultural
values.
Hall said he believes blood
quantum system is racist.
“We are literally living in a
caste system-—people w ith
certain'genetic qualities who
are denied access to resources
b ecau se o f th e ir racial
makeup. I f , any other group
in America was advocating
this type o f racial purity, they
would be condemned as rac
ists,” Hall said.
NY holding on to seized Indian cigarettes
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -
N ew York officials are hold
ing on to a truckload o f un
taxed Indian-made cigarettes
they, seized, challenging the
recent order o f a state judge
who said the state had to give
them back.
S tate p o lice a n d th e
C uom o adm inistration say
they are n o t changing their
enforcement practices despite
the court ruling N ew York
A tto rn e y G e n e ra l E ric
Schneiderm an has filed an
appeal notice that temporarily
halts the order o f state Su
prem e C o u rt Justice D avid
Demarest.
D em arest ruled on June
18 that there was no tax due
on the 26,000 cartons o f Sig
n al-brand cigarettes going
from the St. Regis Mohawk
Reservation to H CI Distribu
to rs, a subdivision o f the
W in n eb ag o T ribe o f N e
braska, finding no legal basis
under current New York tax
law o r regulations to hold
them. They were taken from
a tractor-trailer stopped Jan.
23 at a U.S: B order Patrol
checkpoint at Waddington in
northern New York.
Last November- adminis
tration officials said state law
subjects unstamped cigarettes
to seizure regardless o f the
origin or destination.
R ich ard
A z z o p a rd i,
spokesman for Gov. Andrew
Cuomo said: “This adminis
tration is enforcing the law
and we will continue to do so.”
R epresentatives o f ciga
rette m anufacturers on the
Akwesasne Mohawk Reser
vation in northern New York,
whose businesshas been hurt
by seizures this year includ
ing some o th er truckloads,
m et with administration offi
cials last week in Albany but
declined afterward to com
m ent. N o progress was re
ported.
H CI sued state police, St.
L aw rence C ounty D istrict
A ttorney N icole D uve and
h e r a ss ista n t, J o n a th a n
Becker, arguing it had legally
bou g h t the cigarettes from
O h se ra se M a n u fa c tu rin g
LLC on the Mohawk reser
vation and that it had accu
rate paperwork that specified
its d e s tin a tio n as th e
W innebago reserv atio n in
Nebraska.
State police seized the to
bacco., D em arest concluded
no taxes were due and said
no criminal or civil proceed
ings were ever begun, so the
cigarettes should be returned.
Calls to Duve and Becker
were n ot returned.
“Here, the New York State
Police; at the specific direc
tio n o f th e St. L aw ren ce
County District Attorney, has
seized property owned by the
petitioner, w ithout a warrant
and w ithout com m encing a
crim in al
c o m p la in t,”
Demarest wrote. H e rejected
the state’s argument that the
cigarettes needed tax stamps.
Under New York law, ciga
rettes can be sold to tribe
members without the state’s
tax o f $4.35 p er pack b u t
should be taxed when sold to
no n -In d ian s. T h a t has re
sulted in a booming discount
cigarette business for some
tribes who say that as sover
eign nations they shouldn't
pay state tax at all.
The state has renewed en
forcem ent efforts following
nearly two decades o f failures.
R ecent m easures in cluded
crackdowns on Internet sales
and requiring cigarette whole
salers to prepay the sales taxes
before supplying réservation
sto re s w ith n o n -N a tiv e
brands.
. So far this year, troopers
h av e seized m o re th a n
260,000
c a rto n s j o f
unstamped cigarettes.
The state D epartm ent o f
Taxation and Finance said it
h as tak en p o ss e ssio n o f
180,000 cartons this year and
has so far returned 108,500.
Indian Head Casino
----- Employee of the Month —
Tanaya Hunt
—
I. -
ll
Tanaya Hunt earned the Indian Head Ca
sino Employee of the Month Award for
June. Tanaya works in the Cottonwood
Restaurant.
“She is a very dependable employee with
a positive attitude,” said Margie Tuckta,
casino Human Resources director. “She
is very creative with great suggestions,
and is an awesome team player!”
Congratulations Tanaya!
Guard soldiers study
Little Bighorn Battlefield
F O R T M E A D E , S.D.
(AP) — South D akota N a
tional G uard soldiers from
the 196th Regiment traveled
to the Little Bighorn Battle
field near Garryowen, Mont.,
on July 4 to study the suc
cesses and failures o f battle
k n o w n as “ C u s te r’s L ast
Stand.”
The G uard says an analy
sis o f b oth sides o f the his
toric battle is one o f the m a
jor events required for stu
dents to graduate from the
58-day comm issioning p ro
gram and become 2nd lieu-
tenants. •
In 1876, Lt. Col. Colonel
George A. Custer and his 7th
Cavalry were w iped out by
Sioux and Cheyenne Indians
in the batde.
N um erous studies in re
cent years have uncovered a
g reat deal o f in fo rm atio n
about the locations, allowing
tactics to be studied,
i Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Wall says
stu d y in g m ilitary h isto ry
teaches junior military lead
ers to think in terms o f ter
rain and tactics.
Monastery closure affecting
Indian cultural center
M A R V IN , S.D. (AP) -
The upcoming closure of the
Blue Cloud Abbey monastery
in northeast South D akota is
leav in g th e fu tu re o f its
American Indian Culture Re
search Center in doubt.
C en ter d irecto r Colleen
Cordell says that the planned
August closure will also close
the center, w hich houses a
collection of photographs and
artifacts that docum ent the
history and culture o f the
D akota people.
Parade on the Fourth
The Warm Springs Fourth of July Parade was one of the bigger ones in recent
years, with many tribal organizations and community members joining in.
Spilyay photos.