Kaweah Indian Nation

[educatedindian]

http://www.tanasijournal.com/main/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=398&Itemid=1
Throughout South Texas, a group calling itself the “Kaweah Indian Nation??? has been selling “citizenship??? into the tribe to undocumented immigrants. Representatives have claimed that these documents will eventually lead to U.S. citizenship allow the owner to travel freely in the country and into and out of the country. They are approaching pastors of small rural churches, a place of deep faith and trust for immigrant families, and convincing them to sign up their congregations.

I have been working closely with César Chávez’ community union, La Unión del Pueblo Entero, to investigate this scam that is costing hard-working families $400-$1400. Unfortunately, for the [families] I have spoken with, their hopes and dreams of living and working here legally have been ruined once again.

The federal government does not recognize the Kaweah Indian Nation; in fact, its application was denied in the 1980s. Only one recognized tribe, the Kickapoo near Eagle Pass, has the right to dual citizenship in United States and Mexico because of the location of its historic tribal lands.

This scam has spread across the United States and Mexico. We have had calls from Houston and as far away as Georgia and California. I am working hard to spread the word that families should not buy these papers and should not present these papers to government officials as proof of any right to be in the United States. Below is an article from the Rio Grande Valley newspaper.

Corinna Spencer-Scheurich
Consumer Law Fellow
South Texas Civil Rights Project

-----

Valle 8 junio 2007 - Original Article on Rumbonet.com
La tribu de los papeles sin valor legal
JORGE LUIS SIERRA

Indocumentados entregaron dinero por certificados de la Kaweah Indian Nation

ALTON — Integrantes del grupo Kaweah Indian Nation Inc. (KIN) han penetrado las redes de pastores de iglesias evangélicas locales para reclutar a trabajadores indocumentados como miembros de esa supuesta tribu india. Según testimonios, KIN ofrece a los indocumentados la posibilidad de regularizar su situación migratoria, previo pago del trámite de membresía de la tribu, que asciende a unos $400 por persona en promedio.

El líder de ese grupo, Malcolm L. Webber —conocido como el ‘Grand Chief Thunderbird IV’—, se ostenta también como presidente de la Congregational Bible Church Inc., según pastores e inmigrantes entrevistados. Su condición pastoral le facilitó el acercamiento a congregaciones evangélicas de Mission, Alton, Weslaco, ??lamo y San Juan, así como promover la adhesión a la tribu entre sus fieles, muchos de ellos indocumentados mexicanos.

Webber, a quien el gobierno federal no le reconoce ascendencia india, comenzó por invitar a la tribu a pastores evangélicos y a sus familias. Después, los pastores le pidieron que la invitación se extendiera a todos los miembros de sus iglesias, dijo Jorge Villarreal, pastor de la iglesia Carros de Israel, en Alton.

Pero los documentos de ‘ciudadanía india’ que KIN ofrece no dan derecho a quien los posee de gozar de beneficios migratorios o de derechos propios de los ciudadanos estadounidenses. La abogada Corinna Spencer, del South Texas Civil Rights Project, dijo que los documentos de KIN carecen de validez porque no está reconocida por el gobierno federal. La Oficina de Asuntos Indios del Departamento del Interior de Estados Unidos confirmó que KIN no cumplió con los requisitos obligatorios para ser reconocida como tribu india y, por tanto, se le negó el reconocimiento federal en 1985. Desde entonces KIN no ha vuelto a solicitar su reconocimiento ante el Departamento del Interior

[educatedindian]

It looks like this group has been around since 1980 at least.

http://www.kstrom.net/isk/maps/tribesnonrec.html
NORTH CAROLINA...
Kaweah Indian Nation, Inc., 4/28/80; acknowledgement declined, 6/10/85

http://www.indianz.com/adc20/Kin/V001/D008.PDF
"pril 1, 1985....
Secretary has determined that the Kaweah Indian Nation does not exist as a tribe within the meaning of federal law....the group does not meet three ofthe seven criteria...parties were given 120 days to submit evidence...no rebuttals or other comments were received...no evidence was submitted which would warrant changing the conclusion that the Kaweah Indian Nation does not exist as a tribe within the meaning of federal law....this determination is final."

http://www.aaanativearts.com/article706.html
 Kaweah Indian Nation, Inc.
c/o Mr. Malcolm Webber (Phone Unknown)
Route 1, Box 99 (Last Known Address)
Oriental, NC 28571
Letter of Intent to Petition 04/28/1980;
certified letter returned by P.O. 10/1997
Declined to Acknowledge 06/10/1985 50 FR 14302

[educatedindian]

Wait, he's tied to this group of alleged Lumbees we've talked about long ago. It doesn't get much more bizarre than this.

http://threeoaks.bloggerteam.com/entry.php?u=ThreeOaks&e_id=290105
7/16/2007 - Malcom L. Webber And The Kaweah Indian Nation
My previous post mentioned Malcom L. Webber as being connected in the past to the OIE Title VII program in the Visalia Unified School District of San Joaquin Valley, California. According to actual school demographics, the school district has less than 0.1 percent American Indian/Alaska Native students.

After forming the United Lumbee Nation of North Carolina and America, Inc. in North Carolina in 1976, Webber moved his operations to California. There, in the summer of 1980, Webber became involved in a dispute with other ULN leaders over the handling of funds. This dispute resulted with Webber and the other leaders of the ULN, John and Eva Reed and Ruby Boyer, mutually exorcising each other. That same summer, Webber then created the Kaweah Indian Nation (KIN).

The ULN members primarily from the Exeter, California, area stayed with the Reeds and retained the name of the ULN. Most of the members in Porterville remained loyal to Webber and took on the new name of Kaweah Indian Nation (KIN). Since then, the UNL has expanded it’s operations through the selling of charters and chiefdoms in approximately 41 states.

As with many similar individuals and fabricated tribes, Webber has been on the continuous lookout for new ways for his Kaweah Indian Nation to make money off of an unsuspecting populace. In 1981 he moved to Oatman, Arizona, where he attempted to convince the Tule River Tribes, a federally recognized tribe, to push for the ratification of an un-ratified 1851 treaty between the United States and the Taches and Cah-wai. This soon became an embarrassment to the Tule River Tribe and the tribal leadership refused to associate with Webber.

Meanwhile, Webber convinced several of Oatman’s residents and businessmen that he would bring tourism to the small town (population then was around 70) through Indian arts and crafts and sponsoring “Indian Days???. “Indian Days??? turned out to be a 10 entry parade and recorded Indian music. He obtained a lease on a local store and established the T & M Trading Post, and began publishing the Oatman Burro News under the store’s auspice.

It wasn’t long before Webber began telling tourists that the KIN owned all the land in an area from Boulder City, Nevada, to a point east of Needles, California, and from Kingman, Arizona, west to the Colorado River - which he called the “Black Mountain Kaweah Indian Reservation???. He also claimed that the KIN owned all of the wild burro herd which roams the Arizona Black Mountains.

Things then decidedly went downhill fairly fast for Webber when he told a KIN member that she could build on a vacant lot in Oatman without the owner’s permission. He also posted a sign in his store announcing that the Kaweah’s owned the town and the surrounding area and that residents could not buy or sell property without permission from the Kaweah Indian Council.

To enforce this policy, Webber brought in a “tribal policeman,??? who, dressed in loin cloth and holstered side arm and replete with face paint, stood, arms crossed, in front of the T & M Trading Post until he was confronted by an angry Oatman citizen. The “policeman??? retreated into the store and remained there until rescued by the Mohave County Sheriff’s Department. 

Webber’s time in Oatman was shortlived. On June 23, 1982, the Mohave Valley News published an article which stated Webber had been arrested on a morals charge. He subsequently served a year in the Mohave County jail in Kingman.

While the vast majority of fabricated “tribes??? target the general populace for their membership drives, Webber and his Kaweah Indian Nation have added a new twist. The KIN targets undocumented Mexicans for membership, claiming that being a member of the “tribe??? will lead to U.S. citizenship and will also allow them to travel freely between the U.S. and Mexico.

This scam has been recorded in recent years in both South Texas and Kansas, and has most likely been orchestrated in other states also. The most recent report is of this year in Missouri, where a KIN member who is operating out of Carthage is selling “tribal adoption??? papers. It’s also reported that some of those purchasing the “tribal??? documentation are then attempting to get Social Security Cards in St. Louis.

When Webber first started his tribe, membership fees were $10.00. The targeted Mexican families are now charged between $400-$1400. Whichever position one takes on the current immigration issue should be immaterial in what Webber and his “tribe??? are doing. It is wrong, period.

[educatedindian]

Earlier article
http://threeoaks.bloggerteam.com/entry.php?u=ThreeOaks&e_id=290069
7/15/2007 - Worse Than First Thought
The extent of OIE mismanagement of Title VII funds now appears to be much wider than the exposed cases in Arkansas. While certain Alabama schools have been suspect for quite some time, schools in California that have less than one percent American Indian students are raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars every year in funds that should be going to the education of American Indian children.

At least one California school district, the Lindsay Unified School District, in Lindsay, has been approved Title VII funds for use in a Dual Language Immersion Program for Hispanic students.

As with the Lost Cherokee in Arkansas being involved with Title VII grants, at least two Californian school districts schools had Title VII programs that were influenced by members of known fabricated tribes: Felix Rocha, “Chief of the Red Tail Hawk Clan for the United Lumbee Nation of Northern California and America (a Sovereign Indian Nation) in Orange and San Diego Counties“ and Malcolm L Webber, “Chief Thunderbird??? of his own creation, the “Kaweah??? tribe.

More on Webber and his current scam in the targeting of undocumented Mexicans to become "tribal members" is forthcoming.

It’s also clear that OIE officials in charge of administering Title VII grants know little or nothing about American Indian tribes. They certainly are unable to give adequate guidance to schools that have questions about to identify legitimate Indian students from those who are enrolled under a fabricated “tribe???. Last June, a school official contacted OIE on how to properly complete the Form 506 for Indian students and how identify legitimate Indian tribes. Annabelle Toledo, a grant administrator with OIE, responded:

“….. I don't know which tribes have tribal membership cards. There are over 550 (maybe higer) federal recognized tribes - a few state tribes (with the state tribes you probably have to google them). “Not all Federal recognize tribes give CDIB cards to their tribal members, they may keep the tribal enrollment of their tribal members on file.

Goodness gracious, this is from an OIE administrator ? No wonder the agency can’t properly approve or administer Title VII grants.

The way things appear, there are possibly more non-Indian students benefiting from Title VII than Indian children. Unless a unified outcry is made by American Indian communities, our children will continue to be victims of a broken education system. Please help give our children the education they deserve and voice your concern over this disgraceful agency and it‘s anti-Indian practices.

The U.S. Department of Education and OIE malfeasance needs to be stopped now.

[educatedindian]

Not sure what to make of these. The third is so weird I don't know where to begin.

http://www.pcap.com/creativeadventures/bio.htm
Her Indian heritage (Cherokee\Algonquin), has given her a deep respect of the earth and love of storytelling. These attributes bring an enjoyable dimension to her tours and art. She is a registered member of the northern Tsalage Nation in Virginia, holds membership and is presiding Elder in Nevada for the Kaweah Nation, representing all Native Americans in the western states. She is also a minister with the Native American Church.


http://www.nanews.org/archive/1995/nanews03.047
Dec 2-3  Boston, MA Daine of the Kaweah Nation Hosts a Powwow at the Boston Bayside


http://p216.ezboard.com/Underground-Cities-Grand-Canyon-and-Related/ffwchathenbruckandtheroadesminesfrm38.showMessage?topicID=2.topic
The following is another story we owe to "Southerutah" Who is a great collector of Indian stories......Parts of which have been intensionally withheld.

Could this relate to the above story?

ITXA (KAWEAH) CITIES

The Kaweah does not use the stone cities that they gave up years ago. Only the Pueblo do today. The Itxa the sea people the yellow-white race from the Pacific Ocean, came from their land that was sunk. The outcast Itxa Chichimecs who later form the Toltec Empire with their capitol at TULA, Later the outcast Itxa Aztecs destroyed Tula in 1168 A.D, a large group moved south under their leader KUKULCAN and became the ITZA and dominated the new Empire of the Mayans. The Itxa language is a mother tongue of many with some Ways words in it. The Bow Clan from the lost land of Atlantis brought their evil ways with them arrived on the continent.
The Sea Gull Itxa Clan quarreled with the Bow Clan at the Pacific and drove them hack east.
We the Itxa people came from the south with our Corn, Sun, and Eagle Clans to join with cur brothers at Anasazi, the atone cities, is the stone walls. We came around 11 A.D. on our way west to the great water. Our spears were sharp and cur shields strong to protect our Rio Clans against their enemies.

Today our pictures are on many stone walls. Each warrior Clan has a long lodge where their clan secrets and ceremonial ways are kept. No one of the clan is to tell what they learned in the lodge in the old days, it was done in a kiva.

Cawa-Supa (City of the Moon) Itxa name for XXXXXXX is part of XXXXXXX on the XXXXX Reservation. We the Itxa War Clans helped to build Cawa-Supa in honor of the moon. Yes, the white man called the city of the Anasazi XXXXXX. Our Warrior Clans built their kivas one for each Clan. Our many thousands of Warriors watch over the city of Cawa-Supa where Kaweah gave up the idea of building the kiva. The Itxa Warrior Clans left Cawa-Supa and the Peace Clans also left one by one to build other cities. The Itxa people brought masons to Cawa-Supa from our great city in the South.

The secret of the dead we buried in a secret cave with many holes in the wall and sealed by the Snake Clan the last Clan of the city to leave.

Cawa-Tutic (City to learn and teach) near the XXXXX River, sixty eight miles north of XXXXXX (Cawa-Supa), in a valley of XXXXX, rises the Aztec ruin of the Itxa (Kaweah) Thunderbird priests and medicine men who built the great Kiva to the great Spirit the Creator. The Kachina dancers of the Itxa dance before the Great Spirit. They wore masks for each Holy Spirit.

Our masons taught the other Clans how to build their own Pueblos. Cawa-Tutic (Aztec ruin) our last city we built to show our Kin Clans how it should be done by the Flute and Snake Clans, also the last to leave around 1128 A.D. We the Itxa warriors left the city to our Kin Clans and moved back south to Mexico to fight for many great Chiefs. But some of our people turned back to rebuild Cawa-Tutic, but abandoned the city later on for good.

The Toltec came after the Itxa and joined their warriors with them, together they conquered the Yucatan Peninsula and the Maya. After which they built the great city of Itza-Mayapan. We the Itza fell before the Spanish with our last leaders in 1541. Itza rulers fought for supremacy and Itza-Mayapan was eventually destroyed.

The powerful Kaweah Indian Nation of today spreads from Canada to South America which numbers in the thousands.
This powerful Sea and River people who moved into the South east you will learn went underground 1500 years ago. Most of them still living went underground before 1850.
Only a few XXXXX and XXXX Medicine men knew why and kept the secret. Most of them are now dead.
Now, the great Sea and River People. the ANASAZI or KAWEAH are coming into the light.
This history of the ANASAZI (ANASAXI) is being brought to light by the ANASAZI GROUND COUNCIL OF CHIEFS. This powerful council of the Indian World, many are not known by the world, led by the Spirit of the GREAT CREATOR.

The North American Southwest is the Northern part of the great Itxa empire of old, the ITZA (ITXA) EMPIRE covers part of what is Western Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, California, part of Western Oklahoma and Texas and all Northern Mexico.

The Capitol City TEOTHIHUACAN still stands today in Mexico. These people built great cities and highways, temples etc. The Kaweah, the descendants of the powerful ancient ITXACAN EMPIRE of NORTHERN MEXICO and U.S.A. still number in the millions today.

The ancient fourteen warrior societies of the ITXA are still in force today with thousands of warriors. The ITXACAN THUNDERBIRD SHIPS with FIRE WEAPONS are hid in caves and tunnels in underground cities today.
The ATHAPASKANS the ITXACANS who went north returned to the southwest among the Pueblo descendants of the ITXACANS.
The ITXACAN of the Western U.S.A. and Mexico who are called ANASAZI by the Navajos means ANCIENT ONES. If the whole history was written it would be a 1555 page book. The KAWEAN INDIANS of the MOUNTAINS came into the public eye ten years ago.

We the ITXA or ITXACAN, the CHILDREN OF LIGHT cry and wept asking GOD to deliver us from the wild ones who move against our land. Our Prince and Chiefs of the CIRCLE OF LIGHT pray for help from GOD. At one time our lands had running rivers and lakes, but they have all dried up, and the once green land is now dying from lack of water. We watch the animals, birds and fish etc. dying from lack of water in the land.

We have been forced to move to high pueblos in the cliffs to protect our people. Our once powerful civilization is falling apart. The GREAT SPIRIT (GOD) heard our many prayers from our people who love HIM. He sent the MESSIAH unto us and HE taught us the way of the GREAT SPIRIT to love all things that he has made. He commanded us to go to all the tribes to teach HIS WAYS AND LOVE; SO THEY ALL CAN FIND THE TRUTH.

Then came the day that the RED MESSIAH appeared into the Circle Of Light and spoke to the Prince and Chiefs of the Nation to get them ready to leave the land.

We the ITXACANS (ANASAZI) were told to leave our land and to carry what we can and leave the rest behind. We left at night with our Prince and his wife with the High Chiefs to the STAR CARRIERS to take us hack home to ATLAN. The RED MESSIAH led the way to ATLAS. Many of the Water Clan (Kaweah) moved west to the Western ocean. A great many of us went back underground to the caverns where our former homes were - to rebuild great underground cities again. Thousands of Fire Ships and Thunderbird Ships flew into the Heaven shove carrying us to the GREAT STAR SUN SHIPS, being led by the MESSIAH, SON OF GOD (GREAT SPIRIT) to our new home world.

But many of the Itxacans fear to leave the Earth so they went hack under ground to the old cities to build a new Empire in the caverns. High Prince Seven Deer and his Princess led the people to their former home. Today Prince Seven Deer and Wife are mummified and hidden in the caverns of great treasures of plates of gold. silver, copper of the world history etc., to be given to man when the MESSIAH comes back to reclaim the Earth, and HIS CHOSEN PSOPIS. Also in the caverns are our fire weapons and thousands of Fire Ships and Thunderbirds (LARGE TRANSPORT SHIPS) to be used again against the dark lords of Satan.

The mighty powerful Kaweah Nation of the ancient Itza or Anasazi who are now all over the United States and Mexico today, are ready for the powerful Anasazi Prince Chief of today to give the word to move. Thousands of Fire Ships and Thunderbirds are being tested and getting ready with thousands of Kaweah-Itxacans Warriors being armed with fire weapons and are waiting for the word from the GREAT SPIRIT to move. To heal the land and bring the American nations back to GOD in SPIRIT AND TRUTH.

The people who came were evil and were cast out from the nation because they follow the dark lords, and later came to be known as the Aztecs and others in Mexico who were cast cut of the Council of light, because of their evil gods and cults of the dark lords which caused their downfall in the end. The human sacrifice cult of Satan came to an end. The GREAT SPIRIT is still leading the Anasazi people of today. The modern scientists etc; and their guess work are still lying to the people today. Many false teachers in Religious teachings etc., will be driven from the American Nation in the future by the POWER OF GOD.

Back to the past again. Many will come out of caverns protected by our FORCE FIELDS. Many wars are fought in the past and today in the caverns against the dark lords of Satan.

The RED MESSIAH will come back to set HIS people free. All the people with Indian blood in them will get their true rights hack again. We the KAWEAH (ITXACANS) of two worlds hope this will tell you a little about us and our nations and tribes of people. So much will not be told of history and customs etc. The Itxa or ITXACAN EMPIRE OF TWO STAR SYSTEM of TWO SUNS that are called SET and TET with seven worlds that are called SERT, ONI, ATLAN EMPIRE WORLD, TULA, MU,AN, and ITZA. Modern archaeologists say so much history is lost, but this is not true it is all hidden from mankind because the GREAT SPIRIT wishes it so.

Edited by: Digger II at: 3/24/04 12:21 pm

[ironbuffalo]

holds membership and is presiding Elder in Nevada for the Kaweah Nation, representing all Native Americans in the western states.

 Holy crap! I had no idea this white woman was my chief!

  This will be big news out in Duck Valley next week at our sundance.....

[educatedindian]

Yeah, didn't you know that they'd all chosen a white woman giving wild west talks for tourists as elder?

Webber is sure pretty ambitious, not only in telling white women they can make themselves an elder for every tribe west of the Mississippi. That "indian story" reads like someone on acid doing their version of Chariots of the Gods, based on old archeology books.

The "Kaweah" claim to be not only Anasazi but Aztec, Toltec, Mayan, Athapascan, Pueblo, and even from Atlantis.

This must be the first time I've heard of Atlantis being in the desert.

Hey, he's got every angle covered, UFOs, buried treasure, a "sea gull clan" for desert tribes, and talk about fighting Satan.

Anyone have any idea what "his chosen psopis" means? Only thing I could find was online gamers using it as a term, for what I'm not sure.
http://www.hfd.de/index.php?action=wars_opponentinfo&opponentID=2098&newlanguage=en

[ironbuffalo]

"his chosen psopis" sounds like an STD or something.

[frederica]

looks something like Java Sun, but also can be for music and chat groups. Need Ingeborg it's all in German. frederica

[educatedindian]

More charges against them.

-----

"Kansas U.S. Attorney Says Tribe Being Investigated," Oskar Garcia, The
Associated Press State & Local Wire, August 15, 2007. Copyright 2007
Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

["The U.S. attorney in Kansas is investigating a non-federally recognized American Indian tribe for recruiting thousands of Hispanic illegal
immigrants by telling them that joining will keep them from being deported.
For as little as $50 per membership, tribes promise documents that bestow legal status enough to get illegal immigrants out of trouble when
 approached by federal agents. But immigration advocates and federal officials say the practice may defraud illegal immigrants out of thousands of dollars and giving them false hope. In Nebraska, some people reported paying up to $1,200 to join the Kaweah Indian Nation, according to Angel Freytez of  the Nebraska Mexican-American Commission. The federal investigation in Kansas was spurred after two Mexicans were indicted for allegedly trying to get U.S. passports and Social Security cards by claiming to be members of theKaweah tribe. Now the U.S. attorney in Kansas is investigating the Wichita,Kan.-based Kaweah Indian Nation, which has sold at least 10,000 tribal memberships to illegal immigrants in several states, according to Manuel Urbina, the tribe's high chief. According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs within the Department of the Interior, the Kaweah group was denied federal recognition in 1985 because it was not a real tribe."]

[Scott Brainard]

Another article, this one mentioning both Kaweah and the Little Shell folks.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8R2VJ202&show_article=1&catnum=0

[educatedindian]

The State of Texas is filing a civil suit against them.

------
"Texas Goes After Indian Tribe's Alleged Immigration Scheme," Lynn
 Brezosky,
Associated Press State & Local Wire, August 21, 2007.  Copyright 2007
 The
Associated Press State & Local Wire.  All Rights Reserved.

["An Indian tribe not recognized by the government sold memberships to
illegal immigrants in a fraudulent scheme that promised protection from
 U.S.
immigration laws, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott alleged Tuesday.
Abbott's office, which announced the Monday filing of a civil lawsuit
against the Kaweah Indian Nation Inc., of Wichita, Kan., said the group
 took
up to $400 each from an unknown number of immigrants for the guarantee
 of a
Social Security number and a 'Certificate of Citizenship' card that
 brought
protection from deportation proceedings.  The tribe told immigrants the
 card
also would be good for U.S. citizenship if the Kaweah nation gained
 federal
recognition as an Indian tribe, Abbott said. The lawsuit seeks to stop
 what
he alleges to be misleading recruitment and calls for a fine of up to
$20,000 for each violation under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices
 Act....
Last week, the tribe's secretary, a woman from El Salvador, and her
Guatemalan husband were charged in Wichita with federal immigration
violations in what prosecutors called a multistate immigration scam. In
Nebraska, some people reported paying up to $1,200 to join the tribe,
 and
Angel Freytez of the Nebraska Mexican-American Commission said
 advocates
have fielded complaints about the group.... The Kaweah Indian Nation
 said it
was unaware of the lawsuit until contacted by The Associated Press at
 the
tribe's Wichita headquarters."]

[littlefeatherspiri]

http://www.oag.state.tx.us/oagNews/release.php?id=2144

http://www.oag.state.tx.us/newspubs/releases/2007/082007kin_pop.pdf

[PLH]

The following news story comes from www.ksn.com/news

Leader of Wichita-based American Indian tribe arrested
WICHITA, Kansas, Sept. 6, 2007 – Law enforcement officials have raided the Wichita offices of an American Indian tribe that is not recognized by the government.
Authorities say the Kaweah Indian Nation sold memberships to illegal immigrants, promising citizenship.  The U.S. Attorney's office says the group's tribal leader was arrested Thursday.

Federal agents spent a good part of the day serving a federal search warrant at the group's office at 5512 W. Central.  The agents hauled away file cabinets, apparently as part of their multi-state investigation.

The person arrested Thursday is the Malcolm Webber, also known as Chief Grand Chief Thunderbird the Fourth.

Immigrations agents are looking into whether Webber sold tribal memberships to illegal immigrants, telling them it would keep them from being deported.

The tribe has offices on west Central and on south Meridian, both which were searched by a number of agencies including immigration services, the U.S. Postal Inspector's Office and the Wichita Police Department.

The tribe is based in Wichita, but federal officials tell KSN this is a multi-state investigation.

"It is a case that has impacted places around the country, I can tell you that," said Carl Rusnok, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Webber defended his actions last month to a Nebraska newspaper, saying American Indians came before there were borders, so immigrants can enroll as tribal members.

Webber is expected to make an appearance in front of a federal judge Friday.

Story Updated: Sep 6, 2007 at 7:27 PM CDT

[TRIBALMOONS@yahoo.com]

http://www.indianz.com/News/2007/004789.asp