What Defines an Indian?

Central New York State may seem like an odd place for a war over the heart and soul of Indian country, but that is what is taking place on 32 acres known as the Oneida Indian Nation territory, where dozens of American Indian claim they’ve been wrongfully expelled from their ancestral tribes.

In states from New York to California, individuals are being involuntarily dis-enrolled from their ancestral American Indian tribes, as tribal authorities rule that certain groups of people are not entitled to tribal membership. This has resulted in bitter disputes over heritage and the definition of Native American.

“The Oneida people live in a state of fear that you can be disenfranchised at a whim,” says Vicky Schenandoah, 46, who lives on those 32 acres.

Schenandoah accuses the tribe’s leadership of robbing her family of its birthright. “I am still a part of the confederacy. I still live on my ancestral homeland.”

Recently, the issue has expanded to include African-Americans who claim membership in the Cherokee nation. Also at stake are hundreds of millions of dollars in casino gaming revenues. In a 2007 referendum vote, the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma asked its voters to decide whether descendants of black slaves could maintain citizenship in the tribe. Voters said no.

In California, former members of the Pechanga band of Luiseno Indians are fighting a 2004 decision to expel 130 adult members from the tribe’s census rolls.

“It seems to be an epidemic,” says Laura Wass, head of the Fresno branch of the American Indian Movement, who wants the federal government to approve legislation establishing clear guidelines for tribal membership.

Advocate groups such as the American Indian Rights and Resources Organization (AIRRO) say there is a growing trend in which Indians and non-Indians are being stripped of their status and denied member services such as health benefits and income from gaming operations. Thousands nationwide have been kicked out of their tribes, including more than 2,000 in California alone, according to group leaders.


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