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FEBRUARY 1, 2025
NATIVE
AMERICAN
WATCHLIST
Watchlist: ‘You’re No Indian’
(Editor’s note: It is estimated that there are approximately 149 billion videos
on YouTube, and the number continues to grow. Grand Ronde Tribal member
and Social Media/Digital Journalist Kamiah Koch sifts through those videos
twice a month to recommend a worthwhile Indigenous video to watch. Follow
her bimonthly recommendations and enjoy!)
By Kamiah Koch
Social media/digital journalist
“It was put in front of all the Natives that everyone would benefit
from Indian gaming,” the “You’re No Indian” trailer begins. “It hasn’t
turned out that way.”
A new documentary about Tribal disenrollment released its trailer
in the first few days of 2025. Within the two-minute trailer, a brief
overview of what disenrollment is and why it is happening in Tribes
across the country is described.
“Casinos play the biggest role in disenrollment,” a narrator said in
the trailer. “The accumulation of extreme wealth is what’s driving
disenrollment.”
The trailer uses interviews and animation to describe how disen-
rollment works. In one clip, a family tree is shown with red slashes
through six generations. A narrator said that Tribes are disenrolling
ancestors and therefore everyone behind them in the lineal descent
is also disenrolled.
“If we’re a Tribe of 1,000 and the number of Tribal members is re-
duced in half to 500, then the remaining Tribal members just doubled
their income,” one interviewee said.
The trailer shows the other side of the argument with Tribal members
supporting disenrollment. Interview clips are shown recounting disen-
rollment as not a bad thing, with some families called “counterfeit.”
The trailer explained this practice is Natives banishing other Na-
tives, and if it continues many Indigenous populations will cease to
exist generations down the line.
Lumbee Nation Citizen David Wilkins co-authored the 2017 book,
“Dismembered.” The book examines the unprecedented rates of
disenrollment in Tribal nations since the 1990s. Wilkins said in an
email to Smoke Signals that he was interviewed by the “You’re No
Indian” director and producer, Ryan Flynn, several times.
“It looks and feels quite emotionally powerful and I look forward to
seeing the full show when it’s made available to the public,” Wilkins
said. “I hope this documentary receives a lot of attention, though I
have heard that the leaders of some Native nations that are disenroll-
ing folks are not happy about the project and may well try to interfere
with its rollout for fear of the adverse publicity they might receive.”
On the “You’re No Indian” website it states that this documentary
is not just a film but a call to action,with hopes of urging viewers to
join the movement for truth and accountability of Tribal nations.
“I have no doubt that many of the disenrollees who were interviewed
for the documentary felt at least a sense of relief that someone was
paying attention to them for the disastrous way their own nation
has treated them,” Wilkins said. “It will, I hope, create a stronger
bond for all those who have been suffering and will enlighten those
who watch the show.
Smoke Signals will have more coverage on the documentary when
it becomes available to the public.
You can watch the “You’re No Indian” trailer at https://youtu.be/
DcrtdiDASUg?si=3knh2K1OeiymaU9S or see more about the film
at www.yourenoindian.com. n
13
TERO Worker of the Month
December 2024
Name: Tyee Russell
Employer: Kiewit Bridge & Ma-
rine
Position: Journeyman Carpenter
Tyee Russell joined the TERO
Skills Bank in 2018 and came with a
vast number of skillsets. He has been
a journeyman carpenter for 20 years
and has been a great asset to the
Abernethy Bridge widening project in
Oregon City where he was dispatched
Tyee Russell
to Kiewit Bridge & Marine through
our TERO program.
Tyee has utilized TERO in other job dispatches throughout the
Pacific Northwest with other Tribes and is a very passionate sup-
porter of its mission to help fellow workers and their families.
When asked how TERO has helped him, Tyee said that TERO
has always been a great supporter for himself and other Tribal
members in opening doors to the construction industry.
TERO is proud to award Tyee with the December TERO Worker
of the Month for his dedication and hard work, and also his sup-
port promoting and putting a good word out to recruit other Tribal
members to our program.
Tyee goes on to say he is thankful to the Grand Ronde TERO
program and those before him for their sacrifice and commitment
for the future for our native people.
Our staff here at TERO gives many thanks to Tyee for represent-
ing himself and our program in a great way! Congrats Tyee, keep
up the good work!
For more information on the TERO Skills Bank and
any other TERO opportunities, contact the
TERO office or the TERO director.
TERO Office: 503-879-1488 or tero@grandronde.org
Tribal nonemergency text
The Grand Ronde Tribal Police Department has a nonemergency
text line at 541-921-2927.
“If you have a nonemergency situation or question, feel free to con-
tact my officer via text through this line,” said Grand Ronde Tribal
Police Chief Jake McKnight.
McKnight said that emergency situations still require calling 911.
For more information, contact McKnight at 503-879-1474. n