It's been about a year since the May elections in the Snoqualmie tribe that apparently started this whole mess. Last August, honorary Chief Enick suspended those who'd been elected, and held new elections a month later.

According to a press release on behalf of the suspended members, "The Tribe's Constitution only allows for May elections and vests no power in the honorary Chief to control the government. The Chairman [Sweet] has not been lawfully removed from office, but has been precluded from conducting the duties of his office. Enick's move is nothing less than a coup."

This weekend, Enick got together with other tribal council members at the Issaquah Hilton and decided to banish eight of the formerly elected officers, effectively ousting what's being called a "shadow government." Sixty others received letters letting them know they've been disenrolled.

According to the Times:

Sunday's events were the latest in a long-running dispute between battling factions in the tribe. At stake are control of the tribal government and what promises to be one of the most lucrative casinos in the state, scheduled to open in November.

Today, two councils claim to be the legitimate leaders of the Snoqualmies -- one composed of now-banished members who've gathered regularly in a private home and the other that continues to meet in the tribe's administrative offices.

Snoqualmie Falls by Seattlest Flickr user jesse hires

Banishment is a pretty harsh punishment, usually reserved for very violent, unforgivable crimes, since it includes denying you the right to even identify as part of that tribe. Imagine no longer being able to identify as Irish-German? You become a person without a country, not allowed to set foot on your holy land. Those who've been disenrolled still get tribal benefits, but they're also no longer welcome in the tribe. The Times says, "Most of the disenrolled are relatives of the tribal members targeted for banishment."

The worst part of this mess is that it appears to have something to do with the $330 million casino the tribe is planning to build outside of Seattle. The banished members believe it is greed for this casino that has driven the tribe apart. Enick, who was not elected, had no comment for the Times.

Of course, meanwhile, both sides are claiming to be the true elected officials of the tribe. Enick and his followers are claiming the banished don't meet the 1/8th "blood quantum" requirement. Sweet and his followers claim it was Enick who couped their rightfully elected government. A statement posted on the Snoqualmie Nation website calls the banished "an insular, familial group that viewed the Snoqualmie Tribe with disdain until the economic opportunity of casino gaming became a reality for the Tribe."

We're not even going to begin to try to hash out the hugely complicated politics of tribal councils and Indian nations. But, the Snoqualmies have been "recognized" since 1999, and this is not the first time they've banished members over disputes about leadership. In the mid-90s, former Chairman Ron Lauzon "held an illegal election with his followers to reclaim his job."