I'll start at the beginning. With the Kaweah Indian Nation. Which isn't.
You see, the Kaweah Indian Nation isn't an actual Indian tribe. The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs denied the Kaweah group recognition in 1985 because it was not a real tribe. Well, a Kaweah tribe DID exist at one time, but it is completely unrelated to the one that applied for recognition. Okay, so now that we're up to speed on the illegitimate nature of the tribe itself, let's see what it decided to do.
In an attempt to profit, it started selling tribe memberships. Think about that: they started a process where you can APPLY to become a member of the tribe. This isn't a matter of proving ancestral heritage, this is an application and a signup fee - like a club. So who would be interested in purchasing membership in an Indian tribe that isn't really an Indian tribe?
Illegal immigrants.
That's right, those leeches on America are the ones being pulled in by the scam. Because the tribe's high chief makes claim that one could use the Indian tribal membership papers as legal paperwork to prove citizenship. Seriously, a tribe of Native Americans (named that because they were here before WE all emigrated) are selling that status to illegal immigrants (named that because they come in illegally and are destroying OUR "native" status).
Here's what makes it all worth it: It means nothing!
That's right - paperwork from an Indian tribe (legit or not) is no proof of citizenship or nothing that advances you anywhere in the direction of citizenship! Iimmigration authorities insist becoming a tribe member gives no protection against being deported - contrary to the claims being made by Manuel Urbina, the tribe's high chief who says, "We are not going against the law, we're with the law," and claims that membership papers can help illegal immigrants avoid being detained by authorities if they are asked for documents. It's all false. "You can't just decide to become a member of a tribe and all of a sudden legalize your status," said Marilu Cabrera from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
So basically, it's a scam. But it's a scam I can sit back and be proud of! This is nothing like the whole Nigerian prince thing that feeds on the naive, the incompetent and the elderly. This is a brave new world of scamming - designed to play on one group in particular and doing a great job of using that group's ignorance against themselves! I'm just glad that the group being taken advantage of is ironically a group that takes advantage of real U.S. citizens - AND BONUS that the group taking advantage of them is ironically a group that's long been taken advantage of by U.S. citizens!
Seriously, how hilarious is this??
And if you're thinking either 1) no way that this could possibly be working effectively or 2) no way that illegal immigrants have ill-gotten money enough to fall for this hook, line and sinker - GUESS AGAIN! Manuel Urbina, the tribe's high chief, acknowleged his group has sold at least 10,000 tribal memberships to illegal immigrants for about $50 each. That's over half a million dollars!! And that's just the Kaweah tribe, who had Nebraskan illegal immigrants paying up to $1,200 to join their fake Indian tribe! Let's not forget the fact that one good turn always deserves another...
A Florida man said he sold about 2,000 memberships to the North Dakota-based Pembina Nation Little Shell tribe through a Web site. Each cost $150. That's another $300,000 right there! And to make matters worse (did I say "worse"? I meant "much better") - the illegals are falling for it COMPLETELY. They're even trying to use these tribal memberships to try and get passports and Social Security cards - and obviously getting caught and indicted for being illegal immigrants!!
This is the perfect system. The scammed get to scam, they're scamming the criminals, and the scam itself leads to the criminals who fell for the scam getting ARRESTED for being criminals!
Fake Indian tribes selling bogus membership to illegal immigrants - I salute you!
(Proof that I'm not making this crazy scenario up!)
1 comment:
The problem is that most people do not understand about American Indians and American Indian Recognition. This is evidenced by the ignorant, but well meaning, comments that I have read on other sites and have heard on talk programs like that of Michael Reagan's.
American Indians are unlike other racial/ethnic groups in the U.S. in that they are the only ones that have to prove, by pedigree, to be the race/ethnic group that they claim. Recognition of tribes is based on federal guidelines. Sometimes, some states will recognize tribes at the state level. There are over 500 recognized tribes in America. There are nearly 100 state recognized tribes in the U.S. that are not federally recognized. There are over 3,000 non-recognized tribes in America that are left out in the cold by both the federal government and the states that they inhabit. ONLY the federally recognized tribes have reservations and receive any federal aid for educational, medical, or other benefits/uses.
The Kaweah Indian Nation and the Pembina Little Shell Tribe are both non-recognized “tribes”. They received no benefits and have NO RESERVATION LANDS or POLITICAL POWER. These two groups go against the very nature of what a tribe is supposed to be about. Moreover, they make the true non-recognized tribes look like scam artists as well.
It is my hope that these two groups suffer greatly for trying to harm not only America but also their Amerindian brothers.
It is also my hope, that my words will be understood by the majority reading this article and that no one will use the actions of these two scam “tribes” as an excuse to perpetuate bigoted racial/ethnic slurs like that I have been reading and hearing with great frequencey as of late.
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