Tiny California Native American tribe adopts members, including non-Indians, to boost revenue

ALTURAS, Calif. – A tiny, casino-owning Native American tribe in Northern California has pursued an unusual strategy to boost revenue: Adoption.

The Sacramento Bee (http://bit.ly/1J4jjNJ) reports that the Alturas Rancheria in Modoc County has adopted five members — two of whom are non-Indian — in recent years. The new members have come with ambitious plans to make money, including a cigarette manufacturing plant.

But the Bee says the plans have fizzled out, and the adopted members have contributed to conflict among the tribe.

The fight has landed in state and federal courts, and it recently required the U.S. Postal Service to decide which of the feuding members was entitled to receive the tribe's mail.