Snoqualmie Indians feuding over control of tribe

In a dispute over who is a "real Indian," some members of the Snoqualmie Tribe banished eight others and sent letters to 60 more that they could be dropped from tribal membership.

The decision Sunday by a group of "preferred voters" at a meeting in Issaquah is the latest development in a dispute that has split the small tribe as it prepares to open a casino this fall at Snoqualmie.

Tribal elder Mary Ann Hinzman says the banishment disciplines members trying to take control of the tribe's affairs.

The banished chairman, Bill Sweet, blames casino greed for the division in the tribe, which has about 600 members. Recognized by the federal government in 1999, it borrowed $330 million to build the casino, just a half-hour's drive on I-90 east of Seattle.

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Information from: The Seattle Times, http://www.seattletimes.com