Tragic news: disenrollment has spread like a wildfire
'You're No Indian' examines why tribes are disenrolling thousands of Native Americans
Nearly 11,000 people have been disenrolled from 80 different Native American tribes around the country in the last decade-plus. And that means a lot of things. People are disconnected from their community, their identity, their history and their tribal benefits — including what can be major casino revenue.
A new documentary called "You're No Indian" exposes the practice of tribal disenrollment and just how big of a problem it’s become.
The Show spoke more about it with director Ryan Flynn and producer Santana Rabang, who was herself disenrolled from the Nooksack Tribe in the Pacific Northwest.
Full conversation
RYAN FLYNN: I found out about this issue of disenrollment when I was trying to understand how much an individual tribe member gets from their casinos, and you know, that that number changes, sometimes it’s nothing, sometimes it’s $100,000 a month.
But that’s where I came across disenrollment. And there were there were people saying they had empirical evidence, i.e. DNA tests, anthropological records, saying that they did belong, and being kicked out anyway. And the motivation being the fewer members in the tribe, the bigger piece of the pie those that remain get from casino and other revenues.
LAUREN GILGER: Right. OK, so describe what that disenrollment process looks like because, as you mentioned, you know, many folks will say they have, you know, very clear evidence of belonging to a certain tribe but still be disenrolled.
RYAN FLYNN: We went to conferences that are set up to teach people how to disenroll their own tribal members. And the mechanisms are often different, you know, but one of the things that we hear from people that haven’t been disenrolled yet, will say, "Oh, well, it could never happen to me."
And one of the things that we hear from people that have been disenrolled, they say, "Oh, I thought it could never happen to me. You know, I know who I am. I grew up on this reservation. Everybody’s known my family for generations."
Disenrollment can happen regardless of evidence, regardless of empirical truth that you belong. It really seems that in some of these tribes, if they want you out, you’re out, regardless of the information we have. You know, one family was forced to exhume their ancestors, take DNA tests, they passed those tests, and they were still kicked out anyway.
LAUREN GILGER: Wow, exhuming their own ancestors, that’s wild. So, I mean, obviously the implications of this are large, and we want to talk about those in a moment.
But let me turn to you, Santana, and talk about your own experience being disenrolled. Like, this happened to you. Tell us about the process and what this felt like.
SANTANA RABANG: So, my disenrollment started back in 2012, and I was about 17 at the time, and I’m going to be 31 here in a couple of weeks, so I was really raised throughout this political fight within my community.
And, you know, at first, I think for me personally, I didn’t believe it, you know. I couldn’t believe something like this was possible, and it really took a long time for it to settle in, like this is real, this is, this is happening, because, you know, in such small-knit communities, you have people that, you know, aren’t necessarily blood related but you still consider them your relatives, you know, your friends, your family.
And so I didn’t think that the people that I grew up with that were on the opposing side were capable of doing something like this. And so it took a while for it to kind of dawn on me, and then once it did, it kind of like hit me like a ton of bricks. You know, as I got older, I became, you know, more vocal in the fight and I just did everything that I could to be vocal about, you know, belonging and this is who I am and and this is where I come from.
But it was definitely one of, and is still, the most traumatic experience I have ever gone through in my life, and it still, you know, impacts me till this day. It’s still something that I struggle with, for sure.
LAUREN GILGER: Yeah. So, I mean, this is not just you though, right? Like, this turns out to be a very big problem that’s happening within Indigenous communities within tribes across the country, right? Tell us a little bit, Ryan, about the context here and the motivation for tribes to do this.
RYAN FLYNN: Yeah, disenrollment has spread like a wildfire. It’s only 20% of tribes have done it, but any tribe is one election away from the tribal council shifting gears. We start hearing it as, you know, membership audits, enrolment audits. These are the whisperings that start.
But, you know, at first glance, it looks like it’s 11,000 people that have been disenrolled. But then it's their children and their children’s children. In addition, you know, disenrollment takes other forms. There are enrollment moratoria where you are not allowed to get into the tribe because enrollment is closed. You can be a rightful member, have all your paperwork, but because you missed the deadline in 1989, they won’t let you in.
You know, what crime can you commit that would justify a punishment that affects your grandchildren? You know, so being disenrolled is a generational thing. The thing that really strikes me about disenrollment is if you are wrongfully removed because you have all the objective evidence that you belong, you can’t go to a state court, you can’t go to a federal court, because the tribe itself, as an entity, is effectively its own nation. If you were to appeal your disenrollment, you’re going back to the people that just kicked you out and are now benefiting from it.
LAUREN GILGER: Right. So, in terms of protections or legal remedies, was there anywhere that your family could go, Santana?
SANTANA RABANG: No. I mean, we tried our best to, you know, fight it through the court system in Nooksack. But like Ryan said, we ended up having to face the people that, you know, made the decision in the first place. And so it didn't feel like there was any anywhere we could go
LAUREN GILGER: Yeah. So, when it comes to casino revenue, how much can a tribe benefit by disenrolling even just some of the people in the tribe?
RYAN FLYNN: So, if you have 1,000 people and everyone is getting a check for $1,000 a month, if you kick out half of the people, those that remain, everyone doubles their income. You know, that’s the sick math of disenrollment.
And these are, in many cases, they’re cousins. You know, in some cases, it’s a civil war, sometimes armed, of cousins, of family members, of kin against kin, fighting each other over, you know, these resources.
But every tribe is different, every casino is different. And, you know, I want to be clear, the casino isn’t inherently a bad thing. But when you see a large population density and that can support, you know, a multibillion-dollar casino operation, that’s where the data shows where these disenrollments are happening.
LAUREN GILGER: Yeah. So, let me ask you lastly, Santana, about I guess the big picture here. Like, what do you think this does to not just your family, not just your tribe, but to Indigenous people in general in this country? Like, there was a quote in the film about going extinct basically if we continue to do this to each other.
SANTANA RABANG: Yeah, I mean, I really think it just takes us back, you know. I feel like we’ve made so much progress as a people in terms of protecting who we are and where we come from. Our culture, our way of life has constantly been under attack due to the impacts of colonization, and we’re still under attack even till this day.
And with Indigenous people, it just feels like we’re doing it to each other. We’re basically just doing what the colonizers did to us.
LAUREN GILGER: All right, we’ll leave it there. Santana Rabang, Ryan Flynn, producer and director of the new film “You’re No Indian,” joining us to talk about disenrollment. Santana, Ryan, thank you both so much for coming on The Show. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me about this. I appreciate it very much.
RYAN FLYNN: Thank you so much.
SANTANA RABANG: Thank you.
(LINK: https://www.kjzz.org/the-show/2026-06-02/youre-no-indian-examines-why-tribes-are-disenrolling-thousands-of-native-americans)
THIS ISSUE is an end-product of colonization and the US and Canada's repeated and successful efforts to keep Indian people poor. When that changed, this happened. It's a pattern that won't end until WE SAY it ends ... right now... Trace
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