TEMECULA -- A family of about 100 adults with the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians disenrolled by the tribe have lost their appeal of that decision.

The ruling on the family's appeal, reached this month by Pechanga's enrollment committee, marks the second time in as many years tribal leaders have ousted large families formerly considered descendants of the Pechanga Band, established in 1882.

The ruling not only strips the extended family of their membership in the tribe, but it also takes away health insurance, college scholarships and other benefits provided by the tribe, including thousands of dollars in casino profits tribe members get each month.

The tribe and its 1,000 members own and operate the Pechanga Resort & Casino, southeast of Temecula and one of the most successful Indian gaming ventures in California.

The family most recently disenrolled was the Hunter family, a group of nearly 100 adults who trace their lineage to Paulina Hunter, who was listed on tribal rolls in the late 19th century.

Another 130-plus adult members formerly with the tribe who can trace their lineage to Temecula pioneer and Luiseno Indian Pablo Apis were ousted from the band in 2004.

The two disenrollments center around disputes over the legitimacy of the Hunter and Apis clans' heritage with the Pechanga band, according to tribal documents regarding the procedures.

In the case of the Hunter family, there is dispute over whether Paulina Hunter is of Temecula descent. The enrollment committee asserts that "Hunter was not an original Pechanga Temecula person." An anthropologist hired by the committee states she very well could have been, however, according to documents used during the disenrollment procedures.

Pechanga Tribal Chairman Mark Macarro would not comment in person, but issued a written statement Friday, stating the decision to deny the appeal was reached after months of investigation and hearings.

"This is a very complex intertribal matter involving Pechanga history and genealogy," he wrote. "Questions about citizenship, therefore, are resolved by the Pechanga enrollment committee, the government body with the proper authority and ability to determine if a person meets criteria for Pechanga citizenship.

"The insinuation that these actions are motivated by politics or profits is reprehensible. The fact is that disenrollments occurred long before Pechanga ever opened its gaming facility," he stated.

Former Pechanga members see it differently.

"It's all about greed and political power," said a member of the Hunter family who asked not to be named. "We have been labeled as non-members, and so we are treated as outcasts, and that's pretty devastating in your own community, where you have lived your whole life for generations."

The ousted members of the Apis family have turned to the courts to plead their case, but victory has eluded them. Their first lawsuit was recently declined by the U.S. Supreme Court, terminating the case. Another more recent suit filed by the ejected members that seeks tens of millions of dollars in damages is winding its way through the court system.

The suit alleges that tribal members are trying to decrease the number of adult members in the band to increase their own clout within the tribe and thereby enlarge their share of casino revenues.

Indian sovereignty and disenrollment have taken on a new significance around the nation, with the rise of Indian casinos and the money and political clout that accompany them. Pechanga is not the only tribe to disenroll some of its members. Others in the state and across the nation have, too.

"It's not about a check or money," said John Gomez Jr., a spokesman for disenrolled Apis family members. "They are dealing with our tribe's history, who we are and who we have always been."

For one of the Hunter family members, the recent disenrollment has been devastating, he said.

Lawrence Madariaga, 89, is the oldest male living on the reservation. In a written statement, he recounts the endless days he volunteered his time to work to build the reservation irrigation system.

"Just three months (after I was honored by the tribe at a Christmas party) for my lifelong service to the tribe and the reservation, I was disenrolled," Madariaga stated. "I have been stripped of all my rights and privileges. … Since the disenrollment, I have been told the same reservation clinic that I have worked so hard to build will no longer care for me or provide me with medical service."

Medical insurance for his wife, Sophia, 86, has also been revoked.

"My wife and I have been together for over 69 years; we are at a loss as to what to do," he said.

Several members of the Hunter family continue to live on the reservation. It is unclear whether they will be asked to leave. That decision may involve the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

- Contact staff writer Jennifer Kabbany at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2625, or jkabbany@californian.com.