REGION: San Pasqual tribe could expel about 80 members
Questions of who belongs, who benefits from casino raised
By EDWARD SIFUENTES - Staff Writer | ∞
San Pasqual tribal member Ron Mast is challenging the enrollment of about 80 people in his tribe. (Photo by Edward Sifuentes - staff photographer) About 80 members of the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians, which owns Valley View Casino, will be expelled from the Valley Center tribe if an internal effort to "disenroll" them is successful.
It is the latest in a long-standing, bitter feud among factions of the 300-member tribe that calls into question what it means to be American Indian and who gets to benefit from the spoils of casino wealth.
A week ago, members of the tribe held separate meetings on the disenrollment matter. One was held at the reservation and another at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Escondido.
The group that met at San Pasqual voted to accept a consultant's report that concluded the 80 people whose tribal affiliations are in question do not belong and should not be listed as members of San Pasqual.
The other group contends that some of the information in the report is "unsubstantiated."
Ron Mast, a member of the San Pasqual tribe, filed a challenge in August saying the group does not belong in the tribe. He says the group is made up of descendants of Marcus R. Alto Sr., whom he contends was adopted by his aunt and uncle, Maria Duro Alto and Jose Alto, as a child, but was not their biological son.
"They are not my family," Mast said in a recent interview. "They have no blood of the band."
Ray Alto, one of the descendants of Marcus R. Alto Sr., declined to comment.
The term "blood of the band" refers to kinship among tribal members. It was a method of describing an individual's Indian heritage by U.S. census takers, beginning in the mid-1800s.
San Pasqual's constitution requires that people have at least one-eighth blood of the band to belong.
Mast says that because Marcus R. Alto Sr. was adopted, he does not meet the requirement and neither do his descendants. In his challenge, he submitted Alto's baptismal certificate as evidence. In it, Alto's mother is listed as Benedita Barrios, a non-tribal member.
Blood feuds
In recent years, questions of who legitimately belongs have plagued tribes across the country, including several local tribes.
In 2006, the Pechanga Band of Mission Indians, which owns a large hotel and casino complex near Temecula, voted to disenroll 130 members of the tribe.
Factions within the Rincon Band of Mission Indians, which also own a casino in Valley Center, led a failed attempted to oust its former chairman, John Currier, and about 70 members of his extended family.
There are no precise statistics, but there are similar disputes across the state and the country involving thousands of tribal members whose heritage has come in to question, especially among tribes that own some of the largest and most profitable casinos.
There are about 50,000 people officially enrolled in California's 108 federally recognized tribes. But before tribes began building their casinos, most reservations were desolate, isolated places, with high unemployment, poverty and other social ills.
Many members began returning to their reservations when casinos began producing jobs, rekindling old bloodline feuds.
In 2007, the Indian gambling industry took in about $26 billion, up from $24.9 billion in 2006, according to the National Indian Gaming Commission, which oversees the tribal casinos. California's tribal gambling industry has grown into one of the largest in the world, generating an estimated $7.7 billion a year.
Payments suspended
The hundreds of people across the state who have lost their memberships in the tribes also have lost their share of the casino pie.
In Pechanga, those who were removed from tribal rolls are ineligible for monthly payments reported to be about $20,000.
In San Pasqual, about 50 of the people whose membership is in question also lost their jobs at the tribe's casino. Their casino payments were suspended, according to a letter dated July 7 from the tribe's enrollment committee to the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The amount of the payments are not officially disclosed, but are said to be about $4,000 a month.
"The suspended payments are being held in escrow accounts until these matters have been finally resolved," according to the letter signed by three members of the tribe's five-member enrollment committee.
The two members of the enrollment committee who did not sign the letter, Joe Navarro and Robert Phelps, wrote a separate letter to the bureau questioning the authenticity of Alto's baptismal certificate because the names don't match.
The child's name on the certificate is listed as Roberto Marco Alto, according to the letter signed by the two members of the enrollment committee.
"There is no record that Marcus Alto Sr. ever used the name Roberto Marco, and we therefore cannot determine if Marcus Alto Sr. and the child listed in the baptismal record is the same individual," according to the letter.
Under the San Pasqual tribe's constitution, the bureau must review the evidence and make a final ruling on membership matters, said Jim Fletcher, superintendent of the agency's Southern California office.
Fletcher said he reported the tribe's actions to the National Indian Gaming Commission because it may have violated federal rules by suspending the payments before the members were officially removed.
"They are considered members until the bureau completes the review process," Fletcher said in a phone interview Wednesday.
Many other tribes, such as Pechanga, decide such matters themselves.
Members of San Pasqual's enrollment committee appear to disagree with Fletcher over who has authority to expel people from the tribe.
"Under federal law, the tribe has inherent sovereign authority to govern membership in accordance with the enrollment criteria and procedures provided for in its constitution and by laws," according to the letter.
San Pasqual Chairman Allen Lawson declined to comment.
Pushed to the rocks
At San Pasqual, the question of who belongs is nearly as old as the tribe.
The tribe's members are descendents of the original inhabitants of the San Pasqual Valley, east of Escondido. The ancestors of the San Pasqual were removed from the valley in the 1870s, when non-Indians staked claims on the land.
The San Pasqual tribe remained landless until the federal government established the current reservation, a rocky patchwork of parcels north of Lake Wohlford. The land was considered so inhospitable that only one family moved there. The rest remained scattered in the area until the 1950s.
In 1958, tribal members formed an enrollment committee and hired anthropologist Florence Shipek to help them research and document tribal membership. The work was completed in 1966, establishing a base count of 229 tribal members who were alive as of 1959.
The tribe's enrollment committee repeatedly declined to let Marcus Alto Sr., who died in 1988, and his family into the band, according to a report by a consultant hired by the tribe to investigate Mast's challenge. Alto's son, Marcus Alto Jr., carried an appeal after his father's death.
The report, written by anthropologist Christine Grabowski, concluded that the bureau relied on documentation that "contained grievous discrepancies" when the bureau finally admitted Marcus Alto Sr. and his descendants into the tribe in 1994.
"The totality of the available information and how the facts fit together corroborate the long-standing position of San Pasqual tribal elders that Marcus Alto Sr. had been adopted by Jose Alto and Maria Duro and raised by them but was not a San Pasqual Band member by descent," according to the report.
Fletcher, the bureau's superintendent, said the tribe has given members of the Alto family time to respond to the challenge. Once the case is forwarded to the bureau, it will be reviewed and the federal government will make the final decision on the enrollment of the family members.
Contact staff writer Edward Sifuentes at (760) 740-3511 or esifuentes@nctimes.com.
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Money Money Money wrote on Jul 19, 2008 6:11 PM:It is all quit amusing, the tribes pretend to preserving their culture when in actuality the death of the culture has been accelerated by the "success" of gambling. SAD SAD SAD.
Oceanside Resident wrote on Jul 19, 2008 6:35 PM:Looks to me like money is still the root of all evil. Greed is nothing nice
Diane wrote on Jul 19, 2008 7:27 PM:Hey, maybe us 'Americans' can build a casino in Esco and all us white folk can reap the benefits. Oh that's right, we don't deserve any. Yeah, there's 'black heritage month'...why not a white heritage month. Scholarships for black kids, yet I wonder how I'll afford to send my white kid to college. All about race...again. Or still....and now bringing money into it? oh boy, what trouble we are in.
peggy wrote on Jul 19, 2008 7:48 PM:they should shut all the casno's in california!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Karl wrote on Jul 19, 2008 7:48 PM:How very interesting. If money was not involved there would be no question that the 80 were part of the family. With the amount of money these casinos are making it can only be greed that started this feud.
I tell ya', the person that had the forsight to start casinos on Indian land was a genius.
I have one question that has bugged me for awhile and I mean no disrespect, I am just curious. Since the Indian Reservations are a "sovereign nation" why are they allowed to vote in all US elections? Does anyone know the anser to this?
anotherview wrote on Jul 19, 2008 8:40 PM:Unfortunately, in writing about tribal membership disputes, journalists join money with the controversy. Of course, this technique naturally gains more audience. Yet, the facts of tribal membership or lack thereof have nothing at all to with money. Moreover, the implication that tribal greed motivates tribal disenrollment has no foundation. After all, before the advent of tribal casinos, some tribes engaged in disenrolling individuals with inadequate membership credentials, to correct errors in the tribal roll. Facts and hard information supported by research and investigation typify the tribal government process of determining tribal membership. Afterward, a careful judgment then takes place, sometimes resulting in a disenrollment. Yes, the advent of tribal casinos does generally coincide with a rise in tribal disenrollments. Part of the impetus for disenrolling individuals now, lies in their simply not deserving tribal rights, benefits, and privileges. For a long time, the tribes have tolerated these undeserving individuals. The jig is up. The moment has come to address and resolve the longstanding questions associated with these undeserving individuals and their false claims. Their disenrollment, where appropriate and justified, accomplishes this desirable end.
Tax Payer wrote on Jul 19, 2008 9:07 PM:Hmmmmm,
Very interesting,
They now want to minimize their membership but,
Remember when they received Federal funds/assistance based on their population,(pre-casino).
If they're going to play that game,maybe the feds need to audit their books for the last 20 years. Then pay the Feds back for the 80+ members that didn't qualify.
Tax Payer wrote on Jul 19, 2008 9:10 PM:Hmmmmm,
Very interesting,
They now want to minimize their membership but,
Remember when they received Federal funds/assistance based on their population,(pre-casino).
If they're going to play that game, the feds need to audit their books for the last 20 years. They should pay the Feds back for the 80+ members that didn't qualify.
I Too wrote on Jul 19, 2008 9:15 PM:I too, have Indian blood. My great great grandmother was a full blood plains Indian, and yet the Great Spirit does not smile on me at any of the Indian Casinos. They take my money and give me a free chit at the buffet is all. Yet, I take pride in the fact that nobody, nowhere, no how, should have the gall to say that, by any criteria, that I am not an American or that I am not supposed to be here. Holding my ear and listening down toward Mexico way.
Karl wrote on Jul 19, 2008 10:38 PM:anotherview
[-] wrote on Jul 19, 2008 8:40 PM:
I don't trust most lawyers. This means that I more than likely don't trust you.
Karl wrote on Jul 19, 2008 10:40 PM:Tax Payer
[-] wrote on Jul 19, 2008 9:10 PM:
Excellent point. Let's see how "anotherview" the attorney spins this one.
MJ wrote on Jul 20, 2008 12:23 AM:It is time to release the past into the pages of history and simply declare the (increasingly distant) descendants of the displaced Native Americans US citizens, no more, no less. Let all the current "members" become equal shareholders in their businesses and move forward.
what about wrote on Jul 20, 2008 1:30 AM:What about when the 1/8th bllod lines runs out? Like the parent with 1/8th marries a non-indian and the tribe is dying off, they will then want the laws to change to benefit their children in the next 15-20 years. So that the the can preserve there people and heritage.Give me a break!!!!
clm wrote on Jul 20, 2008 2:17 AM:Anotherview, when you talk about undeserving individuals, apply the same standards to any other group and see how it flies. Maybe we should only allow descendents of the original Pilgrims (and they had better do alot of inter breeding if they want to keep their 1/8 blood status) or only the desecendents of Christopher Columbus to own non Indian land. And if you want to adopt a child, forget it. It ain't gonna count. Apparently spouses don't count either. Nothing could be more racist or communist, let alone taking billions of dollars from mostly poor people with gambling addictions. All that land and almost no commerce or productive use, even though they aren't taxed like other, non-special American citizens. It is a pathetic way to model a society. But let's keep romanticizing that way of life anyway and work hard to get all those undeserving adopted kids and life long spouses out.
Silver wrote on Jul 20, 2008 7:23 AM:To Tax Payer: Excellent point!
Patriot wrote on Jul 20, 2008 7:46 AM:Is this the same Ron Mast who went to Orange Glen back in the 70's?
Why is everything about race wrote on Jul 20, 2008 8:26 AM:To Diane...
Your ancestors (white folks) have always had the opportunities that no other races have had - your kids should just take advantage of their skin color. I have never lived anywhere quite as racist as North San Diego County, California. Is this 2008 or 1958?
Karl wrote on Jul 20, 2008 8:46 AM:Why is everything about race
[-] wrote on Jul 20, 2008 8:26 AM:
You lead a sheltered life. Go to Atlanta sometime.
Rick wrote on Jul 20, 2008 10:08 AM:Will San Pascual immediately reimburse the Federal Government for all the grants, assistance and money the tribe has received while 80 members where enrolled? After all, it was a mistake to give them the money correct?
Correct all mistakes, give us our money back.
to Why is everything about race wrote on Jul 20, 2008 10:12 AM:Are you serious! You think NO. Co. is racist. Go to Georgia or Alabama, then you'll know racism. Mean while just shut up!
Remember Folks wrote on Jul 20, 2008 11:05 AM:Being a part of a tribe does not mean you are not part of the American society. Probably most tribal members live off the reservations. They work, own property and houses in your community and pay all the taxes you do and probably more than most!
esteban wrote on Jul 20, 2008 11:07 AM:Greed, on both sides. The fact that they get tax free money from the casinos is the biggest racket ever concocted. The fact the white man took their land over 100 years ago shouldn't matter today. It's more "white guilt". The best thing that could have happened to indians was the white man making them a part of United States.
clm wrote on Jul 20, 2008 11:23 AM:Why is everything about race, you seem to forget about all the minorities who actually do better than white people, including many Asian cultures whose people look very similar to many Indian cultures. If it was about excluding based on race, those minority groups would also be suffering at the hands of the evil white people.
To begin, there never was some mythical Whitelandia where white people came from. Whites are made up of many disparate cultures with different foods, different dances, different languages. White really means nothing more than mainstream.
It seems like the only cultures that fall behind are the ones who put bloodline in front if ideas, ideals and individuals and make excuses about other cultures having advantages. No group could have more inherent advantage than a group that gets to have and keep land without paying taxes. Now they get exclusive rights to plunder money from gambling addicts.
That isn't enough. They feel a need to exclude anyone who doesn't inter-marry enough with other Indians, to exclude spouses, to exclude adopted children.
Yes Yes Yes wrote on Jul 20, 2008 12:01 PM:yes yes yes, it is always about race if you are not white, no one would have anything to talk about then. Because we always owe everyone if u are not white, Instead of everone taking Responsibility for themselves and their children. Get Educated and Work Hard And Raise your Children to be Good People and Things will be Great, No Matter what color u r..... And Someone need to check or do an audit on all casinos........
Scorpion wrote on Jul 20, 2008 1:18 PM:End the sovereignty charade already! The idea that Indians should have their own government within the U.S. is preposterous and completely unworkable. Either go all the way and make them completely independent nations, where you need a passport to get back and forth and they are responsible for all of their own economies, security, etc., or do away with the idea that they are somehow separate from the rest of us. They already have citizenship, so give them title to the land that is now their "reservations" but make them subject to the same laws as the rest of us. (Of course that means either they have to close their casinos, or other people have to have the right to open casinos.) But doesn't the Constitution prohibit the idea of "separate but equal"? Yet isn't that what Indian "sovereignty" is all about?
yumankind wrote on Jul 20, 2008 1:38 PM:the tribe could expel 80???
then the article says 50 family members lost thier benefits,sooo?
are they going to disenroll another 30 people???
maybe its another family
Greed
Greg in Oceanside wrote on Jul 20, 2008 2:50 PM:Whenever money is involved it brings out the worst. I've seen white people who've claimed to have indian blood. Ok, maybe they do. But they're too diluted to really claim this as a part of their heritage. My wife has a smidgen of indian heritage, which means my kids have even less. I'm not going to run over to the nearest indian tribe and try to get into the money grab.
tribal wrote on Jul 20, 2008 10:43 PM:ITS NOT ABOUT WHO BELONGS ITS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY GREEDY GREEDY GREEDY....!
Real Native wrote on Jul 20, 2008 11:57 PM:It's all about power & greed!! They say they're preserving blood lines, but in reality they're eliminating families willing to stand up so they can go back to the old ways of cheating, manipulation and stealing from their own elders. I'm embarrassed to say I'm a member of this tribe.
its all about greed wrote on Jul 21, 2008 7:04 AM:greed and political power struggles it what it is all about. the fewer the members, the more political power and more $$$$ for the rest of the enrolled.
entire extended families that have been members of the tribe for decades, are being tossed out. now that it appears they may have something$$$$$$$
another view wrote on Jul 21, 2008 7:13 AM:Tribes are not the harmonious band of people that non Indians think they are. There are always schisms and factions that do not get along with one another. What happens when one small group gains complete control of the Tribe with the added incentive of millions of dollars in their pockets. What happens when your accusers become your judge and jury (this is what happened to us). Pechanga has no mediation from the BIA.
Before the Tribe had anything they were happy to have us as members, it wasn't until it looked like they were going to get something that memberships were questioned. Our family has been recognized as members of the tribe for over 100 years according to the records on file with the BIA. Simply greed and more money!
Gee thanks Greg wrote on Jul 21, 2008 7:35 AM:We should all follow you exemplary example. You're what America is all about!
esteban wrote on Jul 21, 2008 7:48 AM:I dont see what the big deal is. Its an internal issue with the tribe. IN fact I think it is a excellent idea to base citizenship on blood lines. I think that should be implemented for US citizenship and keep the illegals out.
mike wrote on Jul 21, 2008 8:46 AM:they need to stop all gaming in california!we need to stop going to there casinos and giving them money!!
Educated Tribal Member wrote on Jul 21, 2008 9:23 AM:To Remember Folks:
Thanks for the support first off. As a tribal member of this tribe, I would like to educate the people that think we just get money from the Goverment. In fact we as members do not. All profits that we recieve is based on revenues from the casino after Taxes and Bills have been payed. Also we are taxed on all money we recieved. In my case I do live off the rez and work in the IT field, and because of this I probably pay more taxes than you think. All that asside, tribes are not as sovereign as they think. We (San Pasqual) have the BIA involved with our enrollment process. Long story short, there is a process that has to be done and in this situation it has not been followed. Some individuals in our Enrollment committee have not followed all procedures. The sad part is it has taken our tribe years to get to where we are with a beautiful establishment and in a matter of 2 weeks, currupted individuals can bring it all down. I dont know about you but if the casino shuts down, that would mean no per cap. Hey Real Member, dont be embarrased be sad. As I am as well. Im proud to be Native American and part of the tribe, its just sad that greed and hate can drive people to doing in humane things. Also no offense, but this would not be an issue if we had a real chairman that really cared for the people. It hurts me to know that lies and slander have been said about my FAMILY! But hey we are strong. Anyways thats my 2 cents.
-Peace.
GFN wrote on Jul 21, 2008 9:39 AM:It's great to see the Spiritual, land protecting Indian is just as greedy and selfish as the bad, bad White Man!!!
Greed wrote on Jul 21, 2008 10:03 AM:Economy bad, gambling down, money to go around less, kick folks out so I don't lose my share.
Only one solution, legalize gambling in the state so we can all invest and make a few bucks. Remember the old term, California makes Nevada and Reservations green!
The Bottom Line wrote on Jul 21, 2008 10:18 AM:is that you either have the blood or you don't! If you have the blood, bring your proof, if you don't then STEP BACK! It is not racist or greed, it is about eligibility. What is so hard to understand about that?
vc resident wrote on Jul 21, 2008 10:55 AM:hey real native...if you're so embarrassed to be a member of this tribe, does that mean you don't accept your per capita check? Or maybe you're not that embarrassed after all.
anotherview wrote on Jul 21, 2008 11:19 AM:Subtract money from the conversation about tribal membership disputes. Doing so brings in focus the existence of plain facts. The smokescreen of assertion, accusation, and innuendo goes away. Sentiment and social ties remain, but do not sway the process of tribal membership determination, or govern its outcome. Instead, tribal membership criteria apply to the known facts. Bitter, angry, and disappointed, the disenrollees (or the individuals subject to disenrollment) attack the process, and sling mud at individuals and tribal leadership. The disenrollees follow this negative path because they do not have the facts on their side. Instead, they want a return to their tribal membership status, along with its rights, benefits, and privileges, despite the facts to the contrary. The disenrollees want a falsity to prevail. Worse, the disenrollees want others to close their eyes to this falsity. The disenrollees lack scruples. The quest for money prompts the disenrollees to disregard facts and to blacken others. Thankfully, the tribes have begun at last to remove these undesirable, undeserving individuals from their membership rolls.
jon wrote on Jul 21, 2008 1:55 PM:i agree with diane, these indians are just lucky to be alive, we (white people)should of just wipped them out in the first place then we could keep all the money for white people ONLY!
Simple Math wrote on Jul 21, 2008 2:15 PM:when you deal in distribution coupled with exponential reproduction, the fortune is lost very quickly. With the greatest spoil going to the breeders.
little john wrote on Jul 21, 2008 4:09 PM:If money was subtracted from the conversation about tribal membership disputes, there would be no disputes. It clearly brings into focus that tribes ignore the existence of plain facts,instead choosing greed & power!!
Anotherview, is a leader from a faction that removed 2 large families from another tribe using THE smokescreen of assertion, accusation, and innuendo rather than FACT. Greed was their motive not the other way around as he infers. The disenrolled provided thousands of pages of documentation confirming their tribal lineage & were backed up by the tribes own"HIRED" expert. Tribal enrollment committee & tribal council ignored the facts! They then violated their own bylaws, constitution , & the will of the people, to stop All disenrollment("ALL MEANS ALL").
The quest for money & power prompted the faction & leaders to disregard facts & to blacken Original tribal people. Disenrolling them with no facts at ALL, just hearsay.
Anthony wrote on Jul 21, 2008 4:13 PM:In regards to the person who asked Why Native Americans are allowed to Vote even thought they are a "sovereign nation"?
We are still American. I am damn proud to be an Amercican Indian. I still get taxed on everything I buy. I serve in the U.S. Navy protecting our waters. So that means that I shouldnt be able to vote?
clm wrote on Jul 21, 2008 6:04 PM:anotherview, maybe you could go back to your tribe and try to change rules that base tribe membership on bloodline only. If someone marries into the tribe, spends a lifetime with their spouse and the Native American spouse dies, isn't it pretty disgusting to say they don't belong? That they never did? If someone adopts a child and raises that child as their own, shouldn't a caring tribe also adopt that child as their own? Your way sounds more like Nazi Germany or other societies that believe in ethnic cleansing than a "deserving" society. Also, how can a tribe justify disenrolling families who have been enrolled for a hundred years?
Why should the rest of society give you an exclusive right to make billions on gambling, especially when your tax free land already gives you an advantage over anyone else in society, if you are more interested in racism and greed than building a strong, supportive community?
james wrote on Jul 21, 2008 6:20 PM:i wish people will stop going to the casinos,all you are doing is giving free money to the indians if i can vote on those casinos again i will be against it!!!!
Jim wrote on Jul 22, 2008 8:52 AM:I have always said "RIGHT ON" to getting your casinos. It is about time you got some of the spoils - you are owed it. However, with those spoils comes the bad. Welcome to "Only in America". Personally, I think there would be enough to go around. After all, don't casinos make a sizable amount of money?
DNA wrote on Jul 25, 2008 2:09 PM:do a DNA test of the members.. if they dont have similar markers... expel them... but do it to the whole tribe... bet someone down the line strayed and the blood line was cut off...science can tell...
Lineal wrote on Aug 6, 2008 5:40 PM:I am a lineal descendent of san pasqual but don't have the 1/8th required to be enrolled so why should someone who has none be allowed to stay enrolled? No one says they can't stay in the family but if others that actually are descendent's aren't able to be enrolled and have land and per capita then I don't feel they should either.
jealousy and hatred... wrote on Aug 7, 2008 8:32 PM:from many races!
PONTA wrote on Nov 27, 2008 2:37 AM:Its about time some one like Ron Mast is challenging the enrollments in San pascual tribe, Theres to much :hush hush: and secrets in this tribe especially among the elders" school census Documents were recently found by a lineal,while cleaning an elders home from 1920 which are also being kept hush'hush' the lineal is afraid to come forward due to persecuting of its tribal family.
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