SAULT TRIBE FACTS - If it is not a fact it must be fiction................................

Does anyone know on how the MB efforts to seek recognition are going?

What's it to ya?!

I would like to see someone that is involved with the Mackinaw Band post the time and place of the meetings on this blog or somewhere else. So those that are interested can attend.

As a potential MB member I would like to know.

They don't want any new members cause they think they are getting money and they want to keep membership down so they get more for themselves. not everyone thinks like that but the Causleys want to get there hands on all of it like BB did with the soo tribe.

"THE MACKINAC BAND EAGLE STAFF FEAST" My name is John Perault. I was born on Mackinac Island, and come from a long line of Anihinaabek there going back many generations.
I am a Sault Tribe member of the Mackinac Band decent, and keeper of the Mackinac Band eagle staff. Presently this staff is resting for the winter moons, awaiting it's rebirth; in spring (wa-bi-go-ne geezis) sucker moon.
Part of this re-birth is to feast this staff with the people. I am welcoming all peoples who believes they are of Mackinac decent to share in this feast, which will be held April 9, 2006, all day, at Little Bear East in St. Ignace. There is no charge but any donations are appreciated. Also anyone wanting to add feathers to this staff should bring semah (tobacco) and the feather or feathers and the reason for wanting them added to the staff on that day. Offer the semah to the staff carrier, and we will discuss that feather being added.
No politics please.
John Perault

I hope they get recognition but hope they dont end up like the soo tribe. I will be going to the Mack band if they let those crooks in the soo tribe get away with what they did.

The Soo Band sought out the Mac. Band during the signing of the Durant Roll so they could get more money, once they discovered that is what it was all about. I hope the Mac. Band can get recognition separate from the Soo Tribe so they will no longer be ripped off. After all 160 years of being used by the Soo Tribe is enough for anyone.

I hope they learn from the mistakes of the Sault Tribe if and when they are successful. They are free and clear right now since they rid of John Causley. Him and his daughter, Lana, cleaned out the tribe of all his money and they are looking for donations just to pay the necessities. I pray that good things begin to happen for them.

Did the Eagle Staff feast really happen?
Was there on time, no one around on
April 9th at 6 p.m.

Well I finally got an answer from the BIA. I wrote the attached letter to the BIA asking if they recognized this Faux Mackinac Band that claims they have had correspondences with the BIA.

I spoke with Dee Springer, Deputy Director, BIA at 4:25 yesterday and she said the BIA does not recognize the alleged Fauzx Mackinac Band and has
no correspondence with them.

What's the their wallets?????????

I wonder if the JAG is JIGGING with them? Of course we all know the JIG is up with the JAG.

TG


May 11, 2006

Terry Virden, Regional Director
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Midwest Regional Office
Bishop Henry Whipple Federal
Building
One Federal Drive, Room 550
Ft. Snelling, MN. 55111

RE: Mackinac Band

Dear Mr. Virden,

My name is Elliott A. Grondin Jr. and I am an elder member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Mackinac Band descent. There has been much discussion and
confusion about the Mackinac Band and its bid for Federal Recognition. Would you please clarify some questions for me so that the Mackinac Band descendants can better understand what is going on?

It is my understanding that the Mackinac Band has sent a letter of intent for recognition and has also applied for Federal Grant monies under the administration of Chairman, John Causley Jr.

There is now rumor going around that Mr. Causley is not the Chairman of Mackinac Band. Could you please tell me who the Bureau of Indian Affairs communicates with and recognizes as the Chairman of the Mackinac Band.

I would also like to know if there has been any correspondence with the BIA from anyone else claiming to represent the Mackinac Band and if so who that was.

We, the Sault Tribe, are at a point where there is much turmoil and now the Mackinac Band is becoming an intricate part of that turmoil. Many comments and accusations have been made about who is leading the Mackinac Band and we elders would like to know
who the BIA recognizes as the contact person for the Mackinac Band. Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Respectfully,

Elliott A Grondin Jr., Elder
251 Pine Trail
St. Ignace, MI. 49781

Government & Economics August 2006


Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians

Progress Report

August 6, 2006

Efforts are continuing to correct the problems that have resulted from the blatant attempt by a group of renegade individuals to take over governance of the Mackinac Band and to usurp the powers of the duly elected governing body by means that clearly are highly questionable. This report summarizes those efforts and provides some perspective on the motivations of those renegades who aspire to control of the Mackinac Bands and thereby to represent the will of the potential membership whose number approximates 16,000 Native Americans, many of whom are members of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

As noted in an earlier report, the attempted take-over by the renegades began when the locked offices of the Mackinac Band in Cedarville, Michigan were forcefully entered on September, 26, 2005. The break-in resulted in the removal of Corporation and private property, the latter including items of great personal and sentimental value to Chairman John Causley. Included among those personal items were irreplaceable audio tapes of Causley family members, including Elders, made over a period of more than two decades. The tapes were made as a loving tribute to Causley family members and in an effort to preserve a long and important record of Native American history…and family memories. These priceless items remain in the hands of the renegades who seem not to be concerned about their rightful ownership. Three individuals, Thomas Bruning, Donald Adams and Mark Tebo participated in the break-in and removal of the items in question. Bruning and Adams are registered members of the Sault Tribe; both claim to be Elders. Interestingly enough, at a meeting held in St. Ignace in May, 2006, a member of the renegade group admitted publicly to the possession of Chairman John Causley’s personal property.

On September 25, 2005, one day prior to the invasion of the corporate offices, five of the dissidents, Donald Adams, Mark Tebo, Vada Wait, Christopher Bloswick and William Brown met in private, in violation of Corporation By-laws (note that Wait, Bloswick, and Brown are also registered Sault Tribe members). During this meeting, it was agreed to remove the Chairman, John Causley, and to replace him with one of their own. Donald Adams accepted the position as titular head of this illegitimate organization. Two of the dissidents, William Brown and Mark Tebo, had both resigned from the Mackinac Band Board of Directors in an open session meeting one-month prior to the private and illegal meeting held on September 25. Brown and Tebo had no standing with the Mackinac Band Board at that time and thus their votes were meaningless. Notwithstanding the unofficial nature of the meeting, with only three eligible members voting, no legally binding vote could have taken place, including a vote to remove the Chairman or to install another in his place. Any such vote must be considered inoperative and to be null and void. This Board, as they refer to themselves is, in reality, a nonentity.

There is and has been for some time…even before the coup…efforts on the part of a small number of disgruntled members or wannabee hangers-on to remove John Causley from the chairmanship of the Mackinac Band. The phrase, “I’m going to take him out” was heard often from some who thought either that they were better qualified to handle the difficult tasks of the Chairman or had a stronger “birth right” to the position. One such effort to “take him out” was to try and cast doubt on Chairman Causley’s credentials as a Mackinac Band descendent. Problem is…those who apparently try to create the doubt cannot seem to produce the documentation to substantiate their charges. Why no documentation? Arrogance by those who make the charges that all they have to do is make a pronouncement and that will be good enough; or just no documentation available? In either case, they do the membership a great injustice by making unsubstantiated charges that clearly are false.

On January 26, 2006, the Mackinac Band (the Corporation), through its attorney, sent letters to Donald Adams, Mark Tebo, Vada Wait, Christopher Bloswick and William Brown demanding the return of the corporate and personal property taken on September 26, 2005. To date, these individuals have refused to return the illegally taken property. It should be noted that Donald Adams, Vada Wait and Christopher Bloswick were removed from the Board of Directors of the Mackinac Band in November 2005 for their failure to attend three consecutive Board meetings and for flagrant disregard of the confidentiality pledges that they had signed in good faith but thereafter refused to honor.

In June 2006, a letter was sent to the Attorney General of the State of Michigan. The letter addressed the alleged illegal activities of the renegade group, activities which amounted to a breach of individual civil rights, at best, to a blatant disregard of law on the part of the renegades, at worst, and requested the intervention of that office. Our dialogue with the Charitable Trust Section of the Attorney General’s office is continuing and we hope soon to have a binding resolution to the problem.

The break-in of the Mackinac Band offices occurred about ten and one-half months ago. What has this renegade group accomplished in the way of Mackinac Band progress since then? Minutes from past meetings are telling. Those records show that they have had at least three Chairpersons during this brief period of time; first Don Adams, then Bill Brown and now Vada Wait. The changing chair exercise looks like a game of musical chairs…no pun intended. They proclaim openness and inclusion but secrecy is the norm and the meetings are essentially closed to anyone who does not conform to their rules and beliefs. They complained about Chairman Causley’s purported “dictatorial” manner yet only the renegade insiders get to play the game of musical chairs. In other words, the general membership does not participate in rule making or elections (www.saulttribetimes.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=211).

Apparently the renegade group is in the process of adopting a constitution. The constitution that is being circulated is a document that was taken in it’s entirety from another Tribe with only the name changed. I’m not an expert on publishing law but that just may amount to plagiarism…a serious offense…if they have not acknowledged the work of the contributing Tribe. More importantly, however, the Mackinac Band membership was not allowed to participate in the formulation of the laws that will govern them; Adding insult to injury, this renegade group…according to minutes of a recent meeting…has given authority for the approval of this constitution to a non-Native attorney. The membership plays no role either in the development of the constitution or its approval. If that isn’t dictatorship, I don’t know what is!

The renegade group has claimed ownership of most if not all the territory that is now trust territory of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. This claim is particularly interesting since the leaders seem not able to even identify relevant Treaties that formed the basis of original land cessions. They state further that since certain Kewadin (Sault Tribe) casinos are sited on the land that they claim ownership of, they have indicated that they will also demand a portion of the profits deriving form those claims…retroactive to about seventeen (17) years in the past! They have also claimed that Sault Tribe members are pursuing hunting, fishing and gathering activities on territory for which they have none of those rights…on Mackinac Band territory. The resolution of this problem has not yet been resolved by them.

A complete rendition of the above story in the renegades own words can be read in the following four files:

Imposter BOD 4/21/06 meeting Page1
Imposter BOD 4/21/06 meeting Page2
Imposter BOD 5/04/06 meeting Page1
Imposter BOD 5/04/06 meeting Page2

Click on each of the files for viewing.


The Mackinac Band continues to work toward the goal of:

… the development, funding and administration of programs that bring about positive change in the health, education, and economic well-being of Native Americans. (from Mackinac Band Mission Statement)

One step in this process is the development of a roll of those who are Mackinac Band descendents and who, therefore, have a claim to Mackinac Band membership. As can be seen by an examination of the Durant Rolls, a significant portion of Mackinac Band members are also Sault Tribe members, having been incorporated in the Sault Tribe by resolution at the time of Sault Tribe recognition. We are particularly interested in identifying those individuals and providing them the opportunity of becoming members of the Mackinac Band. To facilitate enrollment, we are encouraging potential enrollees to visit the Mackinac Band website www.mackinacbands.org/Membership.htm. There will be no charge for Sault Tribe member applications received before December 31, 2006. It is important to note that an application for Mackinac Band membership does not, in any way, jeopardize membership status in the Sault Tribe. Only when Mackinac Band becomes recognized will it be necessary to select one or the other Tribe as a permanent home.



John Causley, Jr.
Chairperson, Mackinac Bands

The renegade group of the Mac. Band are stalling the recognition process. They could be found guilty of criminal charges.

That's a laugh.Nothing was accomplished during the last eight years to advance the Band's acknowledgment efforts. Besides submitting a Letter of Intent in 1998,nothing tangible has been accommplished. Furthermore, participating in Sault Tribe politics is clearly a conflict of interest and jeopardizes Mackinac's ability to meet the criteria requirements for federal recognition.
Maybe that was the former leadership's intentions all along. --Sit and stall.

There is no doubt the above author is Darryl "tangible" Brown. He too is dabbling in Tribal Politics and was trying to be on the CCC because he said he was a wordsmith. The Mackinaw Band is worse off now then ever with the faux Board supposedly heading for some kind of recognition. They have achieved nothing other than plagerism. Consider the sources, Brown, Bruning, and Wait.

Darryl Brown and Tom Bruning are a real couple of assholes. They are screwing the descendants of the MB. They are working with Aaron Payment in a plan to screw the MB. I hope they get thrown in jail over this.

Aaron Payment has a plan to screw the MB

Causley does not care about Mackinac Bands right for self=20
determination. Causley ran a "grant mill" for eight years that=20
accomplished nothing more than providing him with a pay check.=20
Causley tried to erase the Ottawa out of Mackinac. Causley failed to=20
pay the rent, utilities, phone bills, and ran up a credit card=20
balance and failed to pay on that (although monies had been provided=20
and were not accounted for) Causley lied to the BOD and initiated=20
back door deals (on at least two occassions) in the Mackinac's name=20
and outside the limits of his authority. Causley introduced the likes=20
of PHD Charlie (keepers of the environment)III to the tribal=20
organization who attempted to strong-arm a 67,000 salary ("or I'll=20
take my grant propsal and go home") commitment from the BOD.
There was no "break in". The BOD dug deep in their own pockets to=20
settle all past due accounts, negotiated the termination of the lease=20
with the landlord and secured tribal property (with a key) under the=20
supervision of a marshall.=20
Causley has since moved on to participate in Sault Chippiwa Tribe's=20
governmental organizations. There is no way to square his position on=20
the Constitution Committee and the Mackinac Band's effort to gain=20
federal recognition. It's called a conflict of interest.
Causley needs to explain his dealings with, the supposed historian=20
Jim Hillman, his back alley involvement with the Saginaws, and his=20
inability to face the reality that he is no longer the Chairman of=20
the Mackinac Bands. John Causley is morally bankrupt. Heads up to=20
active participants of Sault Tribe politics- you've got a corrupt=20
politian at the helm of your Constitution Committee.
Causley needs to "get over it" and move on.

It is in our hearts, born to it.