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Little Shell Chippewa Tribe takes bid to Congress (11/04)
The Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana is taking its bid for federal recognition to Congress after losing a decision before the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The tribe can still try to overturn the BIA decision. But supporters...
Opinion: Big stakes in Tennessee tribal recognition (11/04)
"Given the limited number of Native Americans, it would be natural to expect that today’s tribes would welcome the recognition of any new group with a proper claim to Indian heritage. But things don’t always happen the way you expect....
Witness list: SCIA hearing on federal recognition (11/03)
The Senate Indian Affairs Committee holds a hearing tomorrow to examine the federal recognition process. The hearing takes place at 2:15pm on Room 628 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building. The witness list follows: MR. GEORGE SKIBINE Acting Principal Deputy...
Editorial: Virginia tribes get closer to recognition (11/03)
"The long journey on the road to federal recognition of Virginia’s Indian tribes may be nearing its end. After 10 years of legislation that has been submitted and resubmitted in Congress, the Senate Indian Affairs Committee has approved two measures...
Indian Affairs Committee hearing on recognition (10/29)
The Senate Indian Affairs Committee will hold an oversight hearing on federal recognition on Wednesday, November 4. The hearing is titled "Fixing the Federal Acknowledgment Process." Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-North Dakota), the chairman of the committee, has said the process...
Editorial: Fix broken federal recognition at BIA (10/29)
"Technically, the Little Shell Indian Tribe of Montana asked for federal recognition in 1978, the same year the U.S. Department of Interior adopted regulations governing the Federal Acknowledgement Process. But tribal elders say their fight to regain status in the...
Little Shell Chippewa recognition bill introduced (10/28)
Sen. Max Baucus (D-Montana) and Sen. Jon Tester (D-Montana) introduced S.1936, a bill to recognize the Little Shell Chippewa Tribe of Montana on Tuesday. Baucus and Tester said they were disappointed that the Bureau of Indian Affairs rejected the tribe's...
Little Shell Chippewa Tribe loses recognition bid (10/27)
The Bureau of Indian Affairs has denied federal recognition petition to the Little Shell Chippewa Tribe of Montana. The Clinton administration issued a proposed finding in favor of the tribe in May 2000 but warned of potential holes in the...
Editorial: Overdue recognition for Virginia tribes (10/26)
"The news that Congress is moving toward official federal recognition of Virginia's Indian tribes is welcome, albeit woefully overdue. Rep. Jim Moran and Sen. Jim Webb deserve credit for carrying the measures and shepherding them toward passage. The federal failure...
Senate panel advances Virginia tribal recognition (10/23)
Six Virginia tribes whose ancestors greeted the European settlers at Jamestown in 1607 could gain federal recognition after centuries of waiting. The Senate Indian Affairs Committee approved S.1178, the Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2009, at a...
Lumbee Tribe moves closer to federal recognition (10/23)
The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina moved closer to federal recognition with the approval of S.1735 by the Senate Indian Affairs Committee on Thursday. Congress identified the Lumbees as Indians in 1965 but did not allow them to be treated...
Lumbee, Virginia recognition bills on SCIA agenda (10/21)
The Senate Indian Affairs Committee will consider two federal recognition bills at a business meeting on Thursday. S.1178, the Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2009, extends recognition to the Chickahominy Tribe, the Chickahominy Tribe-Eastern Division, the Upper...
Virginia recognition bill on Senate panel agenda (10/20)
A bill to recognize six Virginia tribes is on the agenda for the Senate Indian Affairs Committee business meeting on Thursday. S.1178, the Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2009, extends recognition to the Chickahominy Tribe, the Chickahominy...
House Resources hearing on federal recognition (10/20)
The House Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing next Thursday, October 29, 2009, on H.R. 3690, the Indian Tribal Federal Recognition Administrative Procedures Act. The bill creates an independent Commission on Recognition of Indian Tribes to handle federal recognition...
Court rejects Schaghticoke recognition appeal (10/20)
The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals won't give the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation of Connecticut another shot at federal recognition. The tribe accused state and local officials of exerting "improper political influence" on the Bush administration. But the court said tribe...
Editorial: The right time for Lumbee recognition (10/19)
"North Carolina's two U.S. senators have teamed up on a bill to finally give this state's Lumbee Indian tribe the full federal recognition for which it has long fought. Let's hope this is the year that Congress finally approves this...
Muscogee Nation of Florida requests recognition (10/16)
The Muscogee Nation of Florida hopes to gain recognition through an act of Congress. S.530 and H.R.1899 were introduced earlier this year. The bills say the federal government has had relations with the tribe through treaties and other action as...
Delaware Tribe back on track with recognition (10/14)
The Delaware Tribe of Oklahoma is working to restore its programs and services after regaining federal recognition. The Delawares lost all federal funding when they were taken off the list of recognized tribes. But an agreement with the Cherokee Nation...
Editorial: Lumbee Tribe needs recognition (10/09)
"In all fairness, the Lumbee Indians are entitled to federal tribal recognition. After all, North Carolina granted that status way back in 1885. Hopefully, bipartisan legislation sponsored by the state's two U.S. senators, Republican Richard Burr and Democrat Kay Hagan,...
Cherokee group optimistic on recognition (10/08)
The leader of a group called the Cherokees of Alabama says its federal recognition effort is going "extra good" and that an answer from the Bureau of Indian Affairs is due within six months. The BIA sees it differently. The...
Lumbee recognition bill introduced in Senate (10/02)
Sen. Kay Hagan (D-North Carolina) and Sen. Richard Burr (R-North Carolina) introduced a bill to extend federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. The Lumbees were identified as Indians by an act of Congress in 1956. The termination-era...
New York governor backs Shinnecock Nation (09/25)
New York Gov. David Paterson (D) has endorsed the federal recognition petition of the Shinnecock Nation. In a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Paterson said the tribe deserved federal status. He cited the state's ongoing relationship with the tribe,...
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe takes hit on budget (09/24)
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts has cut programs and suspended the salaries of council members due to a budget crisis. The tribe gained federal recognition in May 2007. At the time, it was receiving regular payments from a...
BIA delays decision on Little Shell recognition (09/23)
The Bureau of Indian Affairs has delayed a decision on the federal recognition petition of the Little Shell Chippewa Tribe of Montana. The tribe was supposed to receive an answer by September 25. The new deadline is October 26. "It...
Editorial: 'Racist' Native Hawaiian recognition (09/10)
"Imagine what would happen if Congress proposed setting up a special, sovereign government for any descendant, anywhere in the country, of the mix of Cajuns and American Indians who lived before the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 in what is now...
Lawsuit challenges Wilton Rancheria restoration (09/02)
The city of Elk Grove and Sacramento County are challenging the federal restoration of the Wilton Miwok Rancheria of California. A lawsuit says the tribe lost its recognition through the California Rancheria Act of 1958. The city and the county...
Rep. McDermott: Recognize the Duwamish Tribe (08/27)
"I represent the City of Seattle, which is named after the famous Duwamish Chief Sealth. Like other tribal leaders, he too signed a treaty with the United States. It was the Treaty of Point Elliott, signed in 1855. The...
BIA rejects recognition for Wisconsin tribe (08/17)
The Obama administration has made its first decision on a federal recognition petition. The Interior Department said today that the Brothertown Indian Nation of Wisconsin doesn't qualify for federal status. A press release said the tribe failed to meet five...
Eastern Pequot leader hopes for recognition (08/10)
The Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation of Connecticut still hopes to gain federal recognition, newly elected chairman Jim Cunha said. The Bush administration issued a decision in the tribe's favor but it was reversed after an appeal from the state. So...
Editorial: Native Hawaiians and Westerners (08/10)
"Endorsement of Hawaiian sovereignty by President Barack Obama's Justice Department came as no surprise, since Obama was co-sponsor of U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka's bill as a senator and voiced his support during his presidential campaign. With the Akaka Bill's enactment...
Obama supports Native Hawaiian recognition (08/07)
The Obama administration supports S.1011, the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act, a Department of Justice official said on Thursday. The bill extends the policy of self-determination to Native Hawaiians. President Barack Obama, who was born in Hawaii, said he supported...
Witness list for hearing on Native Hawaiian bill (08/05)
The Senate Indian Affairs Committee will hold a hearing tomorrow on S.1011, the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act. The bill extends the policy of self-determination to Native Hawaiians. President Barack Obama, who was born in Hawaii, has said he supports...
Delaware Tribe restored to federal recognition (08/03)
The Delaware Tribe of Oklahoma is official again. After losing its federal status, the tribe voted to reorganize under the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act. The Bureau of Indian Affairs approved the tribe's election on July 28. "The election has the...
BIA sets new Little Shell Chippewa Tribe deadline (07/28)
After telling Congress to wait, the Bureau of Indian Affairs says it won't make a decision on the federal recognition petition of the Little Shell Chippewa Tribe of Montana until September 25. The BIA says it needs more time to...
BIA faces deadline on Little Shell Chippewa Tribe (07/27)
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is supposed to make a decision on the federal recognition petition of the Little Shell Chippewa Tribe of Montana. The AP said the BIA's self-imposed deadline is today. A top official recently told Congress that...
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