MONROE — The Snoqualmie tribe has voted to reinstate nine members banished after an election dispute in early 2008.
The Seattle Times reported that those banished waited outside the Evergreen State Fairgrounds longhouse in Monroe for five hours late Saturday night, until finally the tribe welcomed them inside amid cheers.
A federal judge earlier this year partially overturned the banishment, stating the tribe had not followed due process. The membership was tasked with reconsidering the banishment Saturday.
The tribe, which regained federal recognition in 1999, has been mired in election disputes and the banishment dispute for much of the past two years, even as it faces serious operational and budget problems.
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