How in the world did the tribe become their own county with laws,legislaters,judges inside a already established country? Why not just be AMERICANS as we have all these things already in place.

Jim, In answer to your question- It's called being a sovereign nation. We not only comply with the laws of the U.S. government, we also have our own laws to follow.

To visit sovereign nations, one must have a passport to enter and leave the borders of same. I think it is about time we set up checkpoints on the borders of the sovereign nations within our midst.

You people in Michigan are ridiculous. I realize that we live in a politcal climate which makes it okay for you mask your racism with sarcastic - albeit ignorant - comments. We are AMERICANS with a special relationship to the United States called domestic dependent nations. That means that in exchange for the cession of present-day counties, states, and basically the whole country, we are entitled to certain benefits like health services on reservations, special status and other rights. But we are, with the federal government's help, moving toward sovereignty which I will define, because our own president couldn't define it at a journalism convention, is an autonomous nation. And before you jump into the same conservative banter everyone with a soul and independent thought will recognize as recycled from immigration bashing, know this: if you truly support your troops, then you will truly support Native Americans efforts towards sovereignty. Because even though we are still clearly viewed as second class citizens in Michigan, we Natives proportionally have always had the largest numbers in the military. SO YES, SIR, WE ARE TRUE AMERICANS! PS: Stay tuned for other media to report details on the Stone's fishing project and how it will get turned over to the FBI because THAT is a real story, not eight people with poorly written signs. THE LUDINGTON PAPER SHOULD ASK FOR A COPY OF THE FISHING REPORT TO SEE HOW THESE STONES CANNOT ACCOUNT FOR THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS!

What do you mean "You People"? Talk about generalizing and racist. I have read the Treaty of 1836. In fact I know it word for word. So what does "Until the Land is Needed for Settlement" mean? And what exactly are the "Usually rights of Occupancy? Shouldn't all citizens have the right to hunt, fish, gather and have usually rights of occupancy? Should all occupants have the same rights? Our federal government is perpetuating racism by giving special rights based on race. In what equation does equal=unequal? And why should my tax dollars be spent by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation to see what the Stone Brothers may have done with their tribal fishing income? Shouldn't the tribe pay for their own investigation. Spend a little of that gaming money, god knows its the only business in Michigan that is flourishing in this dismal economy. I imagine the fish went to the same buyers that were buying undocumented fish out of Ludington Tribal Nets in the 80's? I'm still wondering why gaming money hasn't made it to tribal members for their own prosperity?

Miss25 must refer to the I.Q. of the individual making commentary. I am glad they took the time to so eliquintly explain their racist views on the rest of the world. Maybe an education should be a requirement to run a Government. Us people can form our own opinions regardless of what you might think! The Tribe does not rule the world, but it sounds like you have forgotten that. Whithout us people to be patrons to your Casino your Tribe would function from grants that come from the Federal Government. It's funny how such a small minded person can speak on bahalf of the whole Tribe. Thus making all tribal members sound like un-intellegent and un-educated people. Further how is it anybody's business what they did with their income? Do you report to the world how you spend your paychecks? Because from what I hear you should not be talking about how people spend their money. Further more why don't you put your name on the great masterpiece of run-on sentences that you placed onthis website??

Right on, Lee. Miss25, your ironic choice of words is the most racist post in this thread.

How in the world did the tribe become their own county with laws,legislaters,judges inside a already established country? If you read history you would know the answer is simple. The invited people from a far off country for dinner and they stayed. Taking everything they wanted and they started their own Government. Even though there was a trail of tears some of the "tribe" Native People did not leave their Land. Why not be Native? They had these things in place.

I am so glad I came back to check this because there is a lot of misinformation perpetuated by the last comment. 1) You people meant ALL of you people, regardless of color or race, in Michigan are ridiculous if you can't grasp sovereignty. People smarter than you and I, regardless of whether you can recite some treaty backward and forward, developed that concept of DOMESTIC DEPENDENT NATIONS. Neither of us, unless I am mistaken and you have attended law school or have some other genuine expertise in federal or tribal government, are in a position to challenge that. So, again, that holds that tribes that were - as historical documents have shown - were cheated out of land and then denied the right to use it. That, to drive this point closer to home, can be likened to someone with bigger guns than you might have, comes to your house, tells you that you have to move, makes sure that you and your descendants can't use the land that used to be yours, and then makes sure that everyone around you thinks, for decades to come, that you are not entitled to use that land. Are we grasping fairness now? 2) Again, as I said earlier, we are citizens of the United States, tax-paying citizens of the United States. And more than that, we have a special relationship to the federal government in which they provide us the judicial and legislative governance we may need at times, part of the Major Crimes Act. That said, it IS the federal government's responsibility to continue to honor that right. So, yes, WE AS TAX-PAYING NATIVE AMERICANS and a domestic dependent nation, are entitled to the same services of the Federal Bureau of Investigations if it is a major crime. And defrauding the federal government of thousands and thousands of dollars is a major crime. 3) This land, and I'm not trying to sound self-righteous here, was initially not your land. And you can pull out any regurgitated argument about the Bering Strait to support your point, but we NATIVE AMERICANS ARE THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS OF THIS COUNTRY. And it is not contestable that we had, colloquially speaking here, "first dibs" on the Michigan Lakes that were part of our daily lives. Just as I wouldn't assume ownership rights in Holland or whatever European neck of the woods your family might come from, nor should non-Natives of Michigan. On the fishing topic, there is enough water for us all. In fact our interest is not in gaming fish, as was reported in a previous Ludington News article. So, why would anyone who claims that this is not about race contest our use of the waters? 4)The profits from gaming revenues was oversimplified in the comment above. The distribution of gaming revenue is a very complex process which involves the regulation of the federal government at their demand. The National Indian Gaming Commission has requirements in place that must be met before we begin to see individual prosperity. BUT EVERYONE, INCLUDING THE CITY OF MANISTEE AND THE STATE, HAS SEEN BENEFIT FROM THE CASINO. We pay annuities to the state for allowing us to have a casino and to the city of Manistee. In fact, we also provide a certain percentage of our gaming revenue as charitable contributions. And while I wish all of that went to other, less fortunate tribes, it almost always goes to the panhandling non-Natives in Manistee who go before council and ask for more and more money. BUT LET'S STAY ON TASK HERE, WHY ISN'T THE LUDINGTON NEWS LOOKING INTO THIS BIGGER STORY OF FRAUD?

ASK LEVI STONE ABOUT THE CIERRA, THE BOAT THAT HE CRASHED IN 2005 IN PERE MARQUETTE.

i have been watching this since the 17th of Jan, I keep hearing the tribe cry. we want to be sovereign. we want our own laws, we want the F.B.I to do the investigating / police work. we want all fishing rights, we want all our hunting rights, we want you to pay more taxes on your propriety because we don't want to pay any. we want to hire a management company to run our games operations, so we can have a BIG casino in a SMALL town, and we don't get any money from it, and we don't know why ? oh ya .. were not predigest, you are, give me a break.

In 1885 the United States Congress passed the Major Crimes Act into law. "see (18 U.S.C.A. 1153), which permitted the Federal Government to assume criminal jurisdictiion over major felonies committed in Indian Country." It is up to the United States Government as to what they want the F.B.I to investigate not the Tribe.

When other nations throught history have conquered lands and peoples, that meant to the victors go the spoils. Not the other way around. Yes you natives were here first but were conquered by the white man. He has all the cards in this game and when he has no more need of you,the free hunting and fishing and netting will be gone. Go ahead and live it up for now. Times are a changin.