Dry Creek band follows neighbors at Robinson Rancheria

Dry Creek tribes seeks to oust 73 members


More than 70 members of the Dry Creek Rancheria, which owns Sonoma County’s only Indian casino, were notified last week that they are being removed from the tribe.
In a controversy increasingly played out with tribes that operate casinos, the members are being pushed out because they were unable to document their lineage or were affiliated in the past with other tribes.
Critics contend the ousters are about power and greed — the fewer members in the tribe, the larger the share each receives in casino profits. The expulsions, including the ones at the Dry Creek Band of Pomo Indians, often surface during a tribal election when the legitimacy of candidates is questioned.

Leaders of the 965 member tribe, however, say it is not just about money, but preserving identity.


T'eetilawuncha: These problems continue, long standing members being questioned only after Casino money is introduced to these reservations. Many tribes wanted as many members as possible to gain federal recognition and funding. Lineage was never questioned until casino money was at stake and who was going to control it. Greed and power struggles, but we all know the truth.

A similar battle over tribal membership has erupted in neighboring Lake County. Leaders of the Robinson Rancheria Pomos, who operate a casino on the north shore of Clear Lake, approved the “disenrollment” of 50 people last month. T'eetilawuncha: It's like wildfire, one fire starts and the winds blow.

Since 2000, when the passage of Proposition 1A legalized Las Vegas-style gambling at Indian casinos in California — which has grown into a $7.8 billion annual industry — more than 2,200 members have been purged from about 20 tribes, according to an activist who tracks the issue.