THIS PICTURE IS HORRIBLE Yes, so is TRIBAL DISENROLLMENT AND ABUSE OF ANCESTORS

Sovereignty Is Not a Shield for Abuse yet, tribal leaders claim it is.  South Africa was a sovereign country, we stood against the apartheid system there.  
  
Disenrollment, Silence, and Power: Why Native Youth Should be Demanding Accountability

Ethical governments and businesses are expected to uphold basic human rights. History shows that when institutions abuse power, the world eventually responds—through boycotts, divestment, and public pressure.

Pechanga’s actions and those of all disenrolling tribes—denying civil rights, silencing dissent, and punishing families—are not meaningfully different from other systems of exclusion the world has condemned. Sovereignty was never meant to be a shield for injustice.  

You live in a time where silence is no longer neutral.

You understand transparency.
You understand accountability.
You understand that mental health, identity, and belonging matter.

You also understand influence—how conversations, social pressure, and moral clarity move change faster than petitions ever did.

Your elders may not hear this message online. But they will hear it from you.

Ask them:

• Why were families erased instead of reconciled?

• Why was dissent punished instead of addressed?

• Why was culture treated as a privilege instead of a birthright?

Respect does not mean obedience.
Tradition does not mean silence.

If Pechanga is to have a future worth inheriting, it must first confront the truth about its past.

More than a decade ago, Pechanga Chairman Mark Macarro stood before the people of California asking for support—support for Native American self-reliance. Most Californians understood that message clearly: gaming revenues would be used to strengthen Native communities, protect families, preserve culture, and ensure that no one was left behind.  Oh, yes, they promised to help California's budget, how'd that work out?

That promise helped pass referendum after referendum. Pechanga leadership became the public face of California’s Native nations. Voters trusted that self-reliance meant taking care of one another.

But at Pechanga, self-reliance came to mean something very different.

It came to mean shrinking the tribe by excluding rightful people.
It came to mean silencing dissent.
It came to mean: cash your check and don’t ask questions.

Power Without Accountability

Pechanga’s Constitution and Bylaws guaranteed open enrollment every January. Yet in 1997, the Tribal Council approved a moratorium on enrollment, claiming it was temporary—just long enough to “catch up” on applications. That moratorium never meaningfully ended.  Kind of link temporary taxes our government promises us, that we're still paying for.

When the Pechanga people exercised their right to self-governance in 2005 and passed a valid petition to halt disenrollments, the Tribal Council dismissed it—arguing that the General Council had no authority over enrollment matters.

So let’s be clear about what that means:

• The people can vote to keep people out

• But the people cannot vote to keep people in

That is not sovereignty. That is selective power.

The Human Cost of Disenrollment

Over time, Pechanga leadership eliminated nearly 25% of its own citizens.

My Cousin Kent Appel  "Amo'kat to many wrote and sings this song, with music to the tune of Indian Reservation.  You can here it here on YOUTUBE

 A PAPER GENOCIDE (LAMENT OF THE DISENROLLED INDIAN) WORDS BY 'AMO'KAT: To the tune of Indian Reservation, originally by Paul Revere and the Raiders  

 PART THREE of THREE

How Justice Can Still Be Restored

The path forward does not require new law, outside intervention, or loss of sovereignty. Justice can be achieved through lawful, internal means. At least four options exist:

1. Immediate reinstatement of those disenrolled in violation of the 2005 law

2. Formal acknowledgment by the Tribal Council that the 2006 disenrollment lacked legal authority

3. Referral of the issue back to the General Council, where authority properly resides

4. A corrective resolution reaffirming the validity of the 2005 petition and restoring wrongfully taken rights

Each option respects tribal sovereignty, honors Pechanga law, and restores confidence in governance.

A Question for the Community

After the illegal disenrollment, assurances were made that “things would be made right.” Others stated they were not afraid of those who orchestrated the disenrollment.

If that is true, the question remains:
Why has tribal law still not been enforced?

This is not about revisiting the past for its own sake. It is about whether justice, law, and accountability have a place in Pechanga’s future.

Tribal law provides the solution. All that is required is the will to follow it.

 Part TWO of THREE

Pechanga's Illegal Disenrollment of 2006

Despite the repeal of disenrollment procedures effective June 19, 2005, the lineal descendants of Paulina Hunter were disenrolled on March 16, 2006.

By that date:

• The disenrollment procedures no longer existed

• The Enrollment Committee had no lawful authority to investigate or act

• Tribal law explicitly protected those already on the membership roll

Any action taken under repealed procedures is legally void. As a matter of basic governance, decisions made without lawful authority cannot stand.

This is why the 2006 disenrollment was not merely unfair—it was illegal under Pechanga’s own laws.

Why This Matters Beyond One Family

This issue is not just about one disenrollment case. It raises fundamental questions:

• Does Pechanga law mean what it says?

• Does the General Council’s authority matter?

• Are elected officials bound by tribal law, or only when convenient?

A tribe’s sovereignty is strongest when its laws are followed. Ignoring duly enacted law weakens governance, erodes trust, and harms the entire community.

Part one of three in this series 

How Pechanga Tribal Law Was Ignored — and How Justice Can Still Be Restored

In June and July of 2005, the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Mission Indians took a decisive step to end disenrollment and restore unity within the Tribe. Through a duly noticed process, the Pechanga General Council—the highest governing authority of the Tribe—passed a petition into binding tribal law. That law repealed all disenrollment procedures and reaffirmed the membership status of all enrolled members as of June 19, 2005.

Less than a year later, that law was ignored.

What follows is not a matter of opinion or political disagreement. It is a matter of tribal law, constitutional authority, and governance—and how those principles were violated.

The 2005 Petition: A Lawful Act of Tribal Sovereignty

On June 19, 2005, the Pechanga General Council voted to justify a petition with a clear and limited purpose:
to repeal disenrollment procedures and to bring harmony and peace back to the membership.

That petition was then voted into law on July 17, 2005. Its provisions were explicit:

• Disenrollment procedures were repealed effective June 19, 2005

• All individuals on the membership roll as of that date were declared qualified members for all purposes under tribal law

• Lineal descendants of those members likewise met membership qualifications

• The Enrollment Committee was prohibited from investigating members for disenrollment purposes

During debate, the Pechanga legal department confirmed that the General Council had full authority under the Tribe’s Constitution and Bylaws to enact this petition as law. No constitutional conflict was identified.

This is significant. Tribal sovereignty includes the power of a tribe to govern itself according to its own laws. In Pechanga, that authority rests ultimately with the General Council.

“All Means All”

Oh yes, WE ARE

This weekend, my family and I sat together in a dark theater in Temecula, just miles from our ancestral home, to watch You’re No Indian. Around us were other families like ours: people who carry the same wound of disenrollment, the same fight to be seen, the same love for who we are and where we come from. Through this community, we are all one family.

For three nights in a row, the theaters were full. Sold out. The energy was different—heavier, yes, but also full of hope. The truth about “today’s” Indian Country corruption showed up right here in Temecula. No filters. No fear.

When the film started, I felt the air change. You could hear quiet gasps as stories we’ve lived were told out loud and the stories of people stripped of their citizenship, our land, and our voice. By the end, we were holding hands. Some cried. Others sat in silence, just taking in what it meant to finally be seen.

My chance to talk with Producers SantanaRabang and Ryan Flynn led me to his essential phrase: “Put yourself on the record.” His call to share our stories is rare in our community, and the open invitation to do so allows us to revitalize our Indigenous cultures. So that’s what I’m here to do, and encourage you to do the same.  If we don't tell our stories, who will?

Ryan Flynn’s direction was powerful, but what moved me most was seeing the generations of families sitting side by side realizing they were not alone. At points, Santana Rabang and Che Jim spoke beautifully during the Q&A, and Dina Gilio-Whitaker reminded everyone that disenrollment isn’t just a tribal matter. It’s a human rights issue.

Earlier that day, many of us walked through the Pechanga Pow Wow. The drumbeats carried the same rhythm that once guided our ceremonies, our gatherings, and our stories. Being there not in protest, but as a presence, empowered us. We are still here among our people. We are still Pechanga.

I’ve said this before on this blog, and it rings louder now than ever: disenrollment is the modern form of cultural genocide. But what You’re No Indian showed us in Temecula was something even deeper: storytelling is survival.

Temecula was just the beginning. The film moves next to Fresno on January 24 and 25, in the shadow of Chukchansi,  ahead of a national release in the coming months. If you haven’t seen it yet, keep your eyes open. You’ll see yourself, your family, and your people in it. And you’ll know what I mean when I say:

We’re still here. We’ve always been here.

Respectfully,

Rick Cuevas

Descendant of Paulina Hunter Owner Original Pechanga's Blog

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Follow Original Pechanga on X for ongoing updates and reflections. And you can find the blog on FACEBOOK
Learn more at youreNoIndian.com.
#YoureNoIndian #StopDisenrollment #IndigenousRights #TribalUnity

 Many of us had written to Presidents asking for Leonard Peltier to be freed over the last decade but NCAI President Mark Macarro, who is also tribal chairman of The Pechanga Band of Indians is credited with a big push to make it happen, see below the rest of that at the bottom of this post.  We thank him for that, and we ask him to follow the advice and teaching of Leonard in this meme.

Disenrollment is WRONG, and you know it Mr. Chariman.  Sir, you were scorned today in the showing of You’re No Indian.  You’ve had a difficult election with the National Congress of American Indians.  There is a way to get your honor back.  And that is to right the wrongs done to your tribe, by those who you know to be unscrupulous.   Simply get your council to follow tribal law, and the will of the people when they voted to END ALL DISENROLLMENT.

Imagine being the leader who restored his tribe!  Sure there’s a financial issue with current members, but remember, they have had a windfall for 20 years.    Showing the nation how to do the right thing, is not difficult.  It is honorable.   Make it happen and good thing will happen for you.

       RIGHT WHAT IS WRONG, BRING JUSTICE TO Native America 

December 10, 2024

While aboard Air Force One, NCAI President Mark Macarro had a powerful conversation with President Biden regarding Leonard Peltier, a Turtle Mountain Ojibwe elder and one of the longest-incarcerated Native American political prisoners. During the flight, President Macarro urged President Biden to grant clemency to Peltier, who has spent nearly 50 years in prison for a crime the U.S. government has acknowledged it could not prove.

In an op-ed by Native News Online recounting this pivotal moment, Macarro shared his direct appeal to President Biden: "Mr. President, we are flying to Phoenix where you will apologize on behalf of the government for its role in Indian boarding schools. You need to know that there is an 80-year-old named Leonard Peltier, one of the oldest surviving Indian boarding school survivors, who is in prison. He attended the Wahpeton Indian School in North Dakota...Peltier has served five decades in federal prison for a crime that the government has admitted it could not prove.”

At 80 years old, Peltier’s health is rapidly deteriorating, and he continues to suffer under harsh conditions that no elder should endure. His case is a painful symbol of the systemic injustice faced by Indigenous Peoples, not just in the U.S., but around the world. With only 41 days left in the current administration, we encourage you to read the full op-ed and join us in calling for Leonard Peltier’s release as a necessary step toward healing for Indigenous communities everywhere.  

Manuela Miranda The DEAD aren't Safe from Disenrollment

 The first of three sold out showings of the documentary the Palm Springs International Film Festival didn’t want you to see, was a huge success.

Our cousin Destiny Lear sent me a prayer for the event, that we didn’t have time to give so I wanted to share it with you:

Creator,

Great Spirit who walks with us in the seen and unseen,
We come before You with humble hearts and open hands.

We give thanks for the breath in our bodies,for the strength of our ancestors whose blood runs through us,
and for the sacred bond of family that no paper, policy, or decision can erase.

We ask You to be present with us tonight as we gather in truth, remembrance, and hope.
Bless all our relations , seated together in love, and bless this story being shared a story long silenced, now finding its voice.

We lift up those who have been disenrolled, displaced, and denied—
not only names on a roll, but living people, carriers of culture, language, and spirit.
May justice walk beside truth,
and may healing begin where harm was done.

Creator, guide our hearts away from anger that consumes
and toward strength that endures.
Let this moment plant seeds of understanding, accountability,
and restoration for future generations.

We ask for clarity for leaders,
courage for those who speak,
and unity for families divided by systems not of the spirit.

May our ancestors stand with us.
May our children feel pride, not shame.
May our identity remain rooted, unbroken, and alive.

We offer this prayer with respect,
with love, and with hope that our rights, our voices,and our place among our people will be restored.

Aho.

Thank you, cousin 

It is deeply disheartening to witness current council members disregard over twenty years of injustice.  It is equally dismaying that they seek to erase the oral depositions recorded by several Ancestors of the Pechanga band’s people in 1915.  BRING ALL our PEOPLE HOME.

We owe it to our shared Ancestry, including those we ADOPTED INTO THE TRIBE, to uphold the honor and dignity of ALL band members, from our predecessors to the present day.

The fact that Allotted Indians at Pechanga can be stripped of their voting rights, water rights, and their rightful share in casino profits is a travesty. It is a dishonor to our Ancestors and their federal and band recognition. Are they the same tribe that was federally recognized?    We cannot remain silent in the face of such injustice.

Our Ancestors deserve the truth, and it is our duty to honor it, ALL OF US. Let us stand together in solidarity and fight against any faction that seeks to undermine our shared heritage and dishonor the legacy of our forebears. 

The time has come to demand that our rights be respected and our voices heard.  We will not rest until justice is served, and the truth prevails.  Our ancestors DEMAND it.

READ:  Mark Macarro's Legacy: Harming Indians, Lying to Congress and APARTHEID at Pechanga

The reason why the truth about Pechanga's disenrollment remains unchanged is that the tribe refuses to allow it to be openly discussed in an unbiased forum such as a court of law (The Pechanga General Council, THE PEOPLE) where both sides could present their case. Despite what Pechanga claims about courts, this has never happened.

If you think that our appeal, and that of the Manuela Miranda descendants were fair and unbiased, consider this: the people who ruled and voted against us during our disenrollment were also on the tribal council, and our appeal was heard by the same council. This is a clear conflict of interest and would never be allowed in any court of law or other impartial panel.

When we asked that those who ruled against us from the enrollment committee recuse themselves from participating in our appeal, it was met with ridicule and a refusal to step aside. Can we honestly say that we received a fair hearing? It is akin to asking a thief to sit on the jury of their own case.

This is just one example of the unfairness that the enrollment and tribal council engaged in. There are several by-laws that were not considered and were outright broken. Pechanga is clearly afraid of the truth and is unwilling to face the consequences of their actions.  So much so, the Chairman Mark Macarro wanted a cease and desist order on the film You’re No Indian, showing this weekend in Temecula.

You can watch the trailer on You Tube.  I’m too old to figure out how to link it on this IPad.  You can easily find it at You Tube.

 We are reprising a set of posts from 2008, from the Manuela Miranda Family of Pechanga, when fewer people understood what disenrollment was doing to Native people.   People say, "why don't you ask the Native American Rights Fund for help?   Well, we have, they told me the "didn't do Indian vs. Indian". Shamefully, NARF has the leader of a disenrolling tribe, Pechanga Chairman Mark Macarro on their board.    Read on.....   GOEBBELS would be PROUD of the Splinter Group

Pechanga Chairman Mark Macarro

That's the word coming from the Rez.   At a recent meeting, the reported request from Chairman Macarro was to have the tribe provide attorney representation in his attempt to halt the screenings of the documentary YOU'RE NO INDIAN.   The response to this film on the shameful practice of tribal disenrollment was so great, the producers had to add a THIRD SCREENING at the Temecula IMAX theater.  

This is a powerful film and one that should be seen by EVERY NATIVE AMERICAN.   Pro Tip for the Chairman and President of the National Congress of American Indians:    THIS IS NOT A FILM about YOU sir.  You are a small part of the TRUTH.   If you want to join me to view it, I'll give you a ticket.

VIEW the TRAILER for You're No Indian here   and to learn more about Chairman Mark Macarro, there are links on the left sidebar.   


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