Delaware Tribe awaits answer on recognition
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Filed Under:
Recognition
The
Delaware Tribe of Oklahoma is waiting for the Obama administration to restore its federal recognition.
The tribe has been considered a part of the
Cherokee Nation since an 1866 treaty. So when the
Bureau of Indian Affairs, during the Clinton administration, treated the Delawares as a separate entity, the Cherokees went to court and won a lawsuit.
The case resulted in the removal of the Delawares from the list of federally recognized tribes. They lost all federal funding, were forced to sell their headquarters and laid off employees.
But the two tribes signed an agreement to resolve funding, jurisdiction and other issues. Delaware voters approved the deal and now it's up to the Interior Department to recognize the Delawares under the
Oklahoma
Indian Welfare Act.
Get the Story:
Delaware voters approve constitution and bylaws
(The Cherokee Phoenix 6/25)
Related Stories:
Delaware Tribe gets closer
to federal recognition (6/9)
Delaware Tribe seeks to
restore federal recognition (4/13)
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