(reverent news music) - I'm Starla Sampaco in the Crosscut KCTS 9 newsroom.

An estimated 10,000 indigenous people have been disenrolled from their nations in the last two decades.

The Nooksack 306, a large family group that was disenrolled from the Nooksack tribe, is a good example of how traditional familial landscapes have clashed with the colonial framing of indigeneity.

Now, 23 of these family members are facing eviction from seven homes, housing that the Nooksack Tribal Council argues is for enrolled tribal members only.

The council's refusal to acknowledge the adoption of one of the family group's ancestors contributed to their disenrollment.

For many indigenous people, adoption is very common and a reflection of traditional kinship systems.

An imperfect way of understanding this is that cousins are viewed like siblings and extended community are like cousins.

I'm Starla Sampaco.

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