Response to Marino and Lynch Articles

Jim Marino’s recent articles in the Valley Journal on anything and everything having to do with Indian’s reveals his true bias against Native Americans in this country.

One sentence in particular sums up how he feels.

Marino says, “Perhaps it is too simple a solution, but if one is more than 50 percent of a non-Indian ancestry, then they are not Indian for any legal purpose.”

Well, that would certainly solve his “Indian problem”.. no more Indians…done… kaput…adios and sayonara.

The close knit Valley Journal clique (POLO, POSY et al) has repeatedly claimed that it’s not about the people and that anyone who says that they are racist are just playing the race card. There are members in this small circle of like minded people who are not biased against Native Americans, but unfortunately, are linked by association with those who are.

The blood quantum article and the racist attack on Vince Armenta and his family by Marino’s buddy James Lynch published in Valley Journal leaves not doubt in my mind that there are racists in this small circle and the first place to look is the authors and the owner of the Valley Journal.

The Valley Journal states that, “…it is the SYV Journal’s policy not to publish personal attacks,…”

Allowing this vicious personal attack to be published in her “paper” is unforgivable. There is not a legitimate paper in this country that would publish such a personal frontal biased attack like the one by Lynch. I guess “legitimate” is the key word here.

Hitler used the United States treatment of Indians and the US government’s invention of blood-quantum as a model to police the purity of the Aryan race and we all know what happened there… genocide. Marino’s statement quoted above about 50% or less Indian blood and Lynch’s attempted dissection of Mr. Armenta’s bloodline leaves no doubt about it... these are racist comments.

The Chumash, thus far, have not responded to these ugly articles and perhaps the right thing may be to not respond to such garbage, but these articles go beyond the small scope of our valley and are being read and responded to elsewhere.

The following are comments on the articles by Marino and Lynch from a forum at Indianz.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From a Tribal Chairman:

“More smokescreens by non-Indians, and they're still at it, using words which most people don't understand. That's how treaties with Ndns were initiated - using words to create an artificial and false issue advantageous only to themselves. Native tribes, before the IRA era, always practiced traditional ways to accept those who will be recognized as members of the community. Everyone knew the member's lineage back to generations, and everyone was related, by blood and by extended family, so by that time everyone in the village or community were related! This is still true today in most clans, tribes, kinship systems. With the adoption of the blood quantum requisite initiated by the feds, the b.q. is still used along with lineage system. Granted, there are some problems with the b.q., some member identified as 1/2 when actually they should be 4/4, etc. but for the most part, tribal members know who they are, where they came from, who their ancestors were. No matter how much smoke-screens are put up by disgruntled euros and wannabees, our traditions live on. Hokahe!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From and Elder:

“And one thing that non-natives like Mr. Marino the professional, fail to understand is that it was the alien governments and subsequent administrations who decided who went onto the rolls, and who messed with the BQ to suit their records.

After all, fewer Ndns meant fewer treaty annuities/gifts and later payments/fiduciary obligations, and above all, LAND.

And this Mariner is all that at the end? Hah, I highly DOUBT he's been among the ppl he's even studied. That's the status quo for these "experts."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another Elder:

“Nothing he (Marino) says is relevant except maybe in the academic sense.

When tribal law designates a base roll, it is generally the rule that the contents of the roll cannot be impeached by extrinsic evidence.

He says somebody's claim of ancestry was "unsubstantiated." Hogwash. That is not a claim that needs to be substantiated except by reference to a base roll.

Rolls were, until recently, taken by white people for their own purposes.

In the allotment years, Indians tended to UNDER report Indian blood so they could get their land unrestricted.

In my tribe, the older rolls tended to OVER report because if somebody was asked "Is so-and-so Cherokee" that was taken in reference to so-and-so's mother. If she was Cherokee, so was her offspring, and the idea that having a white father made somebody less Cherokee took a long time to get accepted.

So, yes, Indian rolls are full of "errors," caused by both the counters and the counted. So what?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An Elders response to Lynch’s article. Quotes from Lynch are italicized and the Elders comments in bold follow unedited:

quote from Lynch article: "In his recent Santa Ynez Valley Journal essay “Who is a Native American Indian,” Attorney Jim Marino addressed the vagrancies of “blood quantum” and “blood requirement” in determining claims to Indian tribe or band, membership and its benefits"

Thats wierd because I didn't know this was up for debate.
The author ought to know better. This is borderline racism. And what the author/ and publisher are really trying to do here folks is call into question tribes right to self-determination and self-governance. As is established by current federal law.

Why the hell are euro-americans concerned with this in the first place, its pretty clear they are simply biased against the indian community are rummaging around trying to find every little fault, no matter how innacurate, and blind of tribal rights to self governance, and ignorant of tribal histories obviously at their disposal. This is a disgusting article that deals with personal information about families and family members both alive and deceased from a tribe in Cali, and I wish there was a confidentiality law against using someone elses information like this. It si wrong and immoral. And a blatant example of continued inequalities perpetuated upon indians everywhere, and particularly focusing, extreme bias, on one small group of Chumash that are descended from the Mission at Sana Ynez. Hi pete!

Lynch quote: "Attorney Marino spoke of “vague and incomplete historical records” based upon century-old BIA “Indian census taking” and “field surveys” that oftentimes form the basis of validating contemporary membership in the aforementioned Indian organizations."

Thats right field surveys. Their called California Indian Rolls. Held all over. I'm not sure if this guy is calling into question the fiedl methods of the BIA. I agree with him here. The BIA was crappy at locating indians in CA after the 1849 goldrush, most rolls are military reservation rolls, where injuns were herded around like moo cows aight. Like my family, accept we bailed the rez in about 1860 as a result of everyone was dying anyways and we wernt even gettin flour, I dont blame grams for splittin 400 miles back home. 1 st example of removal by white people. I'll exsplain more in a few paragraphs.

Lynch quote: "With Marino’s comments in mind, let’s take a look at a local example of the use or misuse of blood quantum in regard to the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, in particular the blood lineage of the band’s current leader Vincent Armenta.

On April 1, 1934, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) conducted a census of the Indians residing on lands allowed for their use at Santa Ynez.

The total enumerated Indian population was 90. Later that year, on Dec. 15, 1934, a vote was undertaken by the adult members of the Santa Ynez band to decide whether or not to come under the aegis of the Indian Reorganization Act (IRA).

The purported results were, out of a total 90 adult registered Indian voters, 48 voted yes, and 20 voted no."


These facts are not petinent to the story and merely filler, I guess the editor was surprised indians voted on their own lives, or ought to have that right maybe?

Lynch quote: "If the total BIA enumerated population at Santa Ynez was 90 — men, woman and children — how could there be 90 registered adult voters 21 or older?

Such a discrepancy leads to deeper enquiry."

Unlikely, the writer used the aforementioned as filler, this is not a case of her reciting her "finds" thru research chronoloigically. (bad writing)

Lynch quote: "When the names of those who voted were compared to the 1933 BIA census, after-the-fact hand-written alterations to individuals’ blood quantum were noted on this census concerning at least nine of the voters.

Previous to the 1934 census, these individuals were listed as having less than one-half blood quantum.

This change was subsequent to the April 1, BIA census and prior to the December 18, 1934 IRA vote.

According to the Indian Reorganization Act, in the case of non-recognized bands or tribes, such as Santa Ynez, a voter had, in part, to have to had at a minimum one-half Indian blood quantum to vote.

Two of those named, whose blood quantum raised by BIA in the months preceding the IRA vote, were Florencia and her daughter Eulialis Armenta.

Both women, as well as others so altered, were apparently satisfied during the three preceding BIA censuses to be identified at a lower one-eighth to one-quarter blood quantum level.

These hand-written “claims” were to assume an unsubstantiated reality of fact.

In the 1930 census, both women were cited as having one-quarter blood quantum.

The same appeared for both in the 1931 and 1932 BIA census.

However when the April 1933 census is reviewed, both mother and daughter now had one-half blood quantum."

Obviously an allowance made by the indian agent to comply with federal regualtions that have not, and continue to not, fit california indian tribes. beacuse of our unique history of having been almost entirely annhilated by emmigrants to our land.

Lynch quote: "Of interest to note was that on the April 1, 1934, census, Florencia was again cited as having one-half blood quantum, but a handwritten notation on the census document states she “claims F” (full).

Upon what evidence was her claim based? Why wasn’t she aware of this situation in the preceding years?

Did she suddenly have an epiphany of sorts that she was a full blood?"

Propbably not. Did you feel like you had an epiphany when you thought you found these "facts"?

Lynch quote: "It was certainly not based upon the existing BIA historical and genealogical records held by the National Archives.

Florencia Armenta was now considered a full-blood Santa Ynez Indian, even though she was born at Senora.

Florencia (Pina) Armenta was born in 1892. She was purportedly the daughter of Jose Deserderio and Maria Antonia Pena (Florencia’s firstborn son was named Jose). Florencia and her family were, according to the Santa Ynez 1900 Federal Indian population census, from Senora (Mexico, New Mexico?), not Santa Ynez."

Thats Sonora, California Genius. But nice try. Ya gotta love the fact that this author is playing to the tune of ignorant americans. Look Indians can be BORN anywhere. It where they were living as adults and were enumerated as members that counts.

This is bounding on racist as the tinge of the authors route of questioning in this article takes a biased turn here.

And despite the fact that this discussion is morally incorrect and possibly illegal.


Lynch quote: "Given that Florencia was cited by BIA as having one-quarter Indian blood quantum up until 1934, the data suggests that Jose Deserderio’s parents had some Indian ancestry.

The 1910 Federal Census for Santa Ynez (Township #4) cites him as being one-half Indian.

Jose was born at Purisima in 1866, the son of Juan Jose Pena and Guadalupe Nachana Pena."

For those not of the 7 million people in the los angeles basin La Purisma is another Mission in the Chain of 13.

Lynch quote: "The ethnicity of either parent is unknown. Maria Pena’s mother was one Maria Solares. Maria Pena’s father’s Christian name and ethnicity are unknown."

Unknown to you. Thank god! This is where critical tribal data, and collabloration was used as evedence, and even though its used as crietria for BIA today, I bet these biased write/editor combo would still find fault in it.

Lynch quote: "His last name was Aguirres, a name not on any area regional BIA band rosters during this time period."

That someones name does not appear in a search by a non-indian researcher biased against tribal rights. Um, ok. Sure!

Lynch quote: "They were not Santa Ynez band members. She had no genealogical ties to any of the five families who were cited in 1906 as being legitimate descendents of the original Santa Ynez Mission Indian community.

Neither Jose Deserderio nor Maria Antonia (Aguirres) Pena, nor Maria’s mother (Maria Solares) and seemingly non-Indian father (Aguirres) were among the families mentioned as, or related to the “ … five separate and distinct families of the said Santa Ynez band or village of Mission Indians” identified by the Roman Catholic Church documentary sources as being the rightful descendants of the Santa Ynez Mission neophyte Indian community."

Its a good thing the roman catholic church doesnt run things anymore. They would've if spain won I guess. BIA still runs things though, so legally its a BIA record that established the membership rolls on and arouns santa ynez valley/ mission. The families you mention are however on historical BIA census's from santa ynez. More innacurate reporting from this publication.

Lynch quote: "According to the 1900 Indian Population Census, Florencias’ entire family was cited as being part of, and born into, the Senora “Tribe.”

Again Sonora CA. The author doesn't display a lot of intelligence not being able to make this connection of facts in their own article. Tribes all over the country were nick-named after towns that sprang up around them. Like santa Ynez itself, or "Trinity" Indians. More Bias, leading to supposed facts that really just play to the uninformed.

Lynch quote: "There was also a Jose Solares cited as a “Head of Household” in the same census.

He and his spouse also belonged to the “Senora” tribe.

Thus the family name Solares is not linked to the Santa Ynez pre-1900 neophyte Indian descent population, as depicted in 1906."

A good point author never made, beacuse he is unsympathetic towards native americans, is that only neophytes were enumerated, that is only those taken to the mission and sucessfully baptised (and didnt die) were counted. The Indian dead outnumbered the living 80 to 1 during the mission era when the population of californi even in the iterior was depopulated by indiscrimnate murder and kidnapping from over 600,000 to less than 100,000 in a single generation. 3/4 of my own tribe were enilated just from disease that spead north hundreds of miles from missions in the bay area. No mention of that on blood quantum eh?

Lynch quote: "Neither Florencia Pina, her parents nor her husband appeared to belong to the Santa Ynez band."

Appear to you beacuse you don't want them to appear there, per your biased article.

Lynch quote: "The fact that Florencia was carried on the Indian Agency rolls as having a one-quarter Indian blood quantum prior to the 1933 alterations, suggests that possibly both her parents, or possibly just one had a low Indian blood quantum."

Indicating what? That white people today in North LA are free to scrutinize indian peoples ancestry. People should boycott this publication. This isn't news this is editorial commentary. And its detriment to california indians is poltitical in nature.

Lynch quote: "If Jose Deseriderio was her father and was one-half blood, then her mother must have been less than one-half for BIA to carry Florencia as one-quarter."

Did you have to use a calculator for that? Your mock up of ancestry here, in defiance of documentation stateing otherwise, is also incorrent as well as immoral and unethical reporting.

Lynch quote: "Florencia married a Spanish-Mexican man named Loretto (Loreto) Armenta around 1920.

The couple had eight children, one of whom was named Manuel.

Manuel is the father of the current Chairman of the Santa Ynez Chumash Band, Vincent Armenta.

Manuel appeared on the 1931 census roll as having one-quarter degree of blood."

Hoo ray, some accurate research! Thats the census roll for Chumash Indians at Santa Ynez right? that place you just tried to say his folks weren't from? More biased spin here playing to non-indian misunderstandings.

Lynch quote: "In the 1934 BIA census, Manuel was still listed as having one-quarter blood while his mother, Florencia, was then claiming to be full (four-fourths) blood (BIA officially listed her as one-half in 1934."

Claiming where? I only see the authors claims that these people were attempting to declare anything besides their BIA documented evidence. More twisting of the story. Its about 180 deg so far.

Lynch quote: "How can a mother be a full-blood Indian, the father of her children be Mexican-Spanish, and their son only one-quarter?"

I'd guess because you don't know how to do math and are not trying to exsplain the problems with BQ for Indians, your trying to make this a Indian Problem. Which it is not. This is a problem with the federal government.

Lynch quote: "On the other hand, if we follow the preponderance of evidence rule, Florencia had one-quarter blood quantum, her husband had none, Manuel, the father of Vincent Armenta, would be at best, one-eighth blood quantum."

Again your great math is based on your assumptions in defiance of stated evidence of the man being from the Sonora Rancheria. Bias, and poor reporting.

Lynch quote: "Florencia’s son Manuel Armenta married Iona Selig, the daughter of German immigrants."

Sucks for them, many people came to california to settle it, some married Indians when they got here, got any racist things to say about that? Oh thats right you are european in ancestry and don't have your blood lienage calculated and scrutinzed by non-indians! Its kool if its a white man droppin some seed on the rez i guess? 'd like to meet this BS author!

Lynch quote: "Vincent Armenta, was born of that union. Given that Manuel married a non-Indian, Iona Selig, their children (including Vincent) would have had one-sixteenth Indian blood quantum.

At this point in time (1940), there was no genealogical connection between this Senora-Mexican family group and the 1906 descendants of the original neophyte Santa Ynez Mission Indian population."

No connection huh. Thats wierd they seem to be members to me? By your "logical" recconing I'd think you knew where they were on August 2,1940?

Lynch quote: "In fact, it appears that by 1940, there were no remaining descendants of the 1906 Mission Indian population remaining at Santa Ynez."

Yeah a lot of places were abandoned so people could find work and make a living so their families could survive, i guess they should've stayed there and starved so your could find their headstone to make your article complete?


Lynch quote: "What were the consequences?

As a result of the 1934 alteration of Florencia Armenta’s blood quantum, she was depicted as being a full-blooded Santa Ynez Indian.

All her children as a result were then (1940) cited as being of one-half blood quantum.

Manuel’s son Vincent would be one-quarter."

IS 1/4.

Lynch quote: "On Feb. 7, 1964, the “Santa Ynez Indian Band” belatedly qualified to come under the 1934 IRA by formally instituting its first Articles of Association.

Membership requirements in these articles stipulated that a band member or his or her descendents had to be cited on the 1940 BIA census — completely ignoring the 1906 Mission Indian list — and that such persons have at least one-quarter “Indian blood of the band.”

A undue limitation on california indians by the federal government, but ya can;t really blame them ther objective, like the authour, was to see that the Indians went away forever. And only as few as possible were still alive to recognise.

Lynch quote: "Sans the unsubstantiated claims of being one-half or full blood by Florencia, none of her children and grandchildren would have met the second Santa Ynez membership requirement."

oh thats wierd the outdated, BIA imposed, Terminatin Era, genocidal limitation on tribal memberships having already suffered 2 genocides being forced thru another? Oh thats right, those requirements.

Lynch's Bio as described by the Valley Journal: "Mr. James P. Lynch is a nationally recognized ethno-historical research consultant.

He is the author of three books, numerous research publications, reports, and articles on tribal land claims, tribal sovereignty, tribal recognition, historical land title, tribal land into trust issues and tribal history.

He has also testified as a qualified expert witness on historical and anthropological issues in federal and state courts.

Lynch is the owner of Connecticut-based Historical Consulting and Research Services LLC."

He's also a huge racist jacka** that plays pansy to people that pay for slander articles, he uses his education to try to detract from tribal histories and call into question long established tribal rights like self governance and soverignty while not once mentioning the dehabilitating history that california indians have suffered to even be here today. In any condition.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From another Elder commenting on this quote from Lynch: “Thus the family name Solares is not linked to the Santa Ynez pre-1900 neophyte Indian descent population, as depicted in 1906.”

Solares is not a name tied to the Santa Ynez Chumash??!!!!

Here's Rafael Solares at Santa Ynez....a wot (tribal leader), no less!










~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(I found another pic of Rafael Solares on Google with a caption)




"Rafael Solares photographed in 1878, chief or wot of the Ineseño Chumash Community, in traditional dance outfit."

Link: http://www.sbnature.org/research/anthro/chumash/daily.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From an Elder on Blood Quantum:

“Federal Govt. use of BQ was and is a weapon to minimize NDN populations and therefore, obligation of the Fed. Govt.

Now that there are Tribes, which certainly can determine their own membership, due to either politics or personal animosities throw out enrolled members, and enroll folks who have no historic ties to their People, or prohibit enrollment due to "not enough blood quantum" of a specific Tribe, when a person may have high blood quantum (NDN) just not of a specific Tribe.

The problem is that this is that all of these methods tends to rely upon that old federal bq stuff as the primary validating factor...and to this day, we all know how great federal record keeping on NDNs has been...

the Tribes that throw out their membership give fuel to the fires that being NDN hasn't much to do with ancestry. The Tribes that prohibit enrollment of obviously NDN Kin due to lack of percentage of a specific Tribe's documented ancestry places far too much credibility in the federal records (and those who created them...), while again, fueling the fires that Tribal enrollment doesn't really have much to do with being NDN, as does the fact that most Tribes have zero cultural requirements for being a Tribal Member: No language, knowledge of Tribal histories, or Ceremonies, and next to no obligation of a Citizen to work for their Nation, or have an automatic set of responsibilities due to their Citizenship...nothing except the Citizen's willingness to have the Tribal Government take the place of the shrinking Fed. Govt in providing any resources to their personal well being (which the Fed never did well with anyway). Nearly every Nation on the face of Earth requires their citizens to have some basic knowledges in order to be a Citizen...but then, the BQ thing is still the focus of NDN Country, not the knowledge of who you are, who you are related to and what you know.

And all being done and said, it seems that it will be the lack of the last set of (cultural) that will set Tribes up for redetermination, and eventual extinction of many.”