Swan v. Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde

13 Am. Tribal Law 80
CourtGrand Ronde Tribal Court
DecidedSeptember 1, 2015
DocketNos. C-14-095, C-14-096
StatusPublished

This text of 13 Am. Tribal Law 80 (Swan v. Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Grand Ronde Tribal Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Swan v. Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, 13 Am. Tribal Law 80 (grrondect 2015).

Opinion

[82]*82ORDER DENYING APPEAL

DAVID D. SHAW, Chief Judge.

This matter came before the Court upon an appeal by Petitioners of a September 5, [83]*832014 final decision by the Grand Ronde Enrollment Committee (“Enrollment Committee”) to remove Petitioners from membership in the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon (“the Tribe” or “CTGR”).

Oral arguments were heard on this matter on March 3, 2015. Petitioners represented themselves, pro se. Respondents appeared through its counsel, Tribal Attorney Deneen Aubertin Keller.

Introduction

The Petition is denied. ■ The related analysis of the parties’ claims, defenses, and arguments are discussed further herein. However, prior to engaging in the analysis, the Court is compelled to comment that this judicial opinion speaks only to a legal proceeding and does not intend to unnecessarily comment on the personal issue of the Petitioners’ sense of self and personal identity.

Procedural Background

Petitioners have been members of the Tribe for several years, and all originally assumed to be based on lineal descent from Chief Tum-walth (also known as Chief Tumulth). Chief Tumulth is a leader of the Cascade Indians and a person of historical relevance to Tribal history. Petitioners claim descent from Chief Tu-multh through his daughter Isabel, the offspring of Chief Tumulth and his wife Wah-dei-gah. Record Ex. 49. Isabel had a daughter named Georgiana as her only child. Id. Georgiana was born at the home of her aunt Virginia Miller and lived there her entire life. Id. Virginia Miller lived in Washington, applied for membership with the Yakama tribe (currently the Yakama Nation) in 1909, and became a Ya-kama allottee. Id.; Record Ex. 46. Geor-giana also became a member of the Yaka-ma tribe. Record ex. 75.

The Treaty of Kalaupya, Etc., finalized on January 22, 1855 and ratified on March 3, 1855 (‘Willamette Valley Treaty”) was one of several attempts by the United States government to address Western Oregon bands and tribes of Indians. Record Ex. 28. Chief Tumulth signed the Willamette Valley Treaty. Id. After Chief Tu-multh signed the Willamette Valley Treaty, several Cascade Indians relocated to the Grand Ronde Agency area and subsequently became members of the CTGR. Chief Tumulth did not subsequently move to either the Coast Reservation or the area which became the Grand Ronde Reservation. Record Ex. 34. This lack of relocation to the CTGR area, and the intertwined membership requirement of a “pseudo-residency element” form a material portion of the substantive part of this appeal.

In April of 1856, Chief Tumulth was wrongly executed along with several other Cascade Indians. Id. Immediately before his capture and execution, Chief Tumulth sent his wives and offspring down the Columbia River to Fort Vancouver, where they eventually made it to the White Salmon temporary reservation. Subsequently, most of Chief Tumulth’s family relocated to the Yakama Reservation and a minority of them relocated to the Warm Springs Reservation. Record Ex. 30.

By 1857, the United States attempted to establish two reservations for Western Oregon Indians—the Coast Reservation and the Grand Ronde Reservation. Record Ex. 35. Chief Tumulth and his family did not relocate to either of these Reservations. Record Ex. 34.

In 1936, the Tribe established a Constitution to govern in part the membership and related government (“1936 Constitution”). The 1936 Constitution provided that membership in the CTGR shall con[84]*84sist of all persons of Indian blood whose names appear on the official census rolls of the CTGR as of April 1, 1935 and all children born to any Tribal member who is a resident of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community at the time of the birth of said children. 1936 Constitution, Article III, Section I. In 1954, Congress officially terminated federal recognition of the Tribe. 25 U.S.C. § 691, et seq. On April 6, 1956, a related final membership roll of the Tribe was published. 20 Fed.Reg. 3636 (April 6, 1956) (“Termination Roll”).

In 1983, Congress restored federal recognition to the CTGR. 25 U.S.C § 713 et seq. (November 22, 1983)(“Restoration Act”). The Restoration Act defined membership in the Tribe on a conditional basis, and until the Tribe’s subsequent Constitution would control, as follows: (i) any living individual listed on the Termination Roll; or (ii) any living individual entitled to be on the membership roll on August 13, 1954 but not listed; or (iii) any living individual descended from (i) or (ii) and having at least one/fourth degree blood of members of the Tribe or who would have been eligible to be members under this provision. The Restoration Act further provided that after election of the Tribe’s governing body, the Tribe’s Constitution would control membership.

On June 22, 1984, the official Tribal membership roll pursuant to the Restoration Act was published. 49 Fed.Reg. 256888 (June 22, 1984) (“Restoration Roll”). On November 19,1984, the Tribe’s Constitution was adopted by Tribal voters, with an effective date of November 30, 1984. The effective date of the Tribe’s 1984 Constitution, and its role as the sole source of membership requirements for subsequent membership applicants, and the timing of Petitioners’ relevant ancestors’ membership applications, form a material part of the substance of this appeal.

The Tribe’s 1984 Constitution provided that in addition to other membership elements not relevant to this appeal, a person could only be eligible for membership if validly listed on the Restoration Roll, or possessing l/16th Indian blood and descending from a member of the CTGR. Constitution, Article V, Section 1. Further, and of critical importance to this appeal, descent from a Tribal member was defined to include descent from a person named on any roll or record of Grand Ronde members prepared by the Department of the Interior prior to the effective date of this Constitution. Id. Competing theories concerning what could or could not form a relevant “roll or record of Grand Ronde members prepared by the Department of the Interior prior to the effective date this Constitution” and in relation to the Willamette Valley Treaty captured much of the debate in this action.

Petitioner Karen Reynvaan was the first member of Chief Tumulth and Petitioners’ family to become a member of the Tribe and achieved this status in 1997 at a moment in time after restoration of the Tribe’s federal recognition and after adoption and approval of the Tribe’s 1984 Constitution. Individual Record Exs. A, G. The Enrollment staff and Enrollment Committee found at that time that Karen Reynvaan had an “uncle” that was previously enrolled, and also that Karen Reyn-vaan was a descendant of a treaty signer. Individual Record Ex. F. In 1996, the Tribe’s enrollment standards did not provide for enrollment based on either descent from a treaty signer or on the basis of lateral verses lineal descent. Constitution, Article V. The remaining Petitioner subsequently entered an application for Tribal enrollment relying upon the membership status and enrollment information [85]*85of Karen Reynvaan. Individual Record Ex. F.

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13 Am. Tribal Law 80, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/swan-v-confederated-tribes-of-grand-ronde-grrondect-2015.