Lumbee eyes recognition via NDAA as other tribes question their past
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Dancers who say they are members of the Lumbee tribe stand in traditional regala in Baltimore. Photo: VW Pics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
A North Carolina tribe, whose legitimacy has been questioned by other tribal nations, is seeking to obtain federal recognition through the latest annual defense authorization bill.
Why it matters: The Lumbee Tribe seeks federal recognition to unlock millions of dollars in funding for Native American programs, while other tribes argue that shortcutting the process by using Congress with the Lumbee's past would set a bad precedent.
Catch up quick: Earlier this month, the House passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with an amendment that grants full federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.
- The move comes after the Lumbee said the traditional way of gaining federal recognition through the Interior Department was "flawed" and overly lengthy.
- "Today marks (a) historic effort not just for the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, but for justice long overdue," U.S. Rep. David Rouzer (R-N.C.) said after the amendment passed on Sept. 10.
- The NDAA now goes to the Senate.
Friction point: Some tribes say the Lumbee should not be allowed to circumvent traditional routes for recognition, especially since the tribes argue that there's very little evidence about the Lumbee's Indigenous past before the 1800s.
- Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Principal Chief Michell Hicks told Axios that the Lumbee haven't demonstrated a distinct language, nor have they shown evidence of past treaties or ties to ancestral lands prior to contact with European settlers.
- "We are basically trying to make sure that a tribe is not invented," Hicks said.
- Shawnee Tribal Chief Benjamin Barnes told Axios that tribes aren't opposed to experts examining the Lumbee's claims with academic rigor. "But my suspicion is they do not want to do that because they are absent the facts."
The other side: In a statement to Axios, Lumbee chairman John Lowery said those who oppose the tribe's federal recognition "pay lobbyists and media consultants a lot of money to push hate filled propaganda against the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina."
- "We also have over 240 tribes on record as supporting our efforts for full federal recognition. including our neighbors the Catawba Tribe in South Carolina."
- Lowery didn't address the historic claims questioning the tribe's past but said they were "slanderous" and "divisive."
- President Trump ordered the U.S. Interior Secretary in January to submit a plan to advance federal recognition for the Lumbee.
Yes, but: The historical record suggests that the Lumbee were mixed-race subjects of the British Empire with no ties to an early tribe, Jean M. Kelley, a historian and genealogist hired by the tribes to investigate the Lumbee's past, told Axios.
- Kelley said she also has found no evidence of treaties or ancestral claims to lands — all of which are being ignored by supporters of the Lumbee's goal.
- "It really devalues the entire history of American Indian policy, because if you let in a tribe that cannot document who its antecedents were, that kind of opens up the field to anybody."
Context: The Lumbee Tribe was denied the ability to apply for federal recognition in 1987.
- The denial was based on the interpretation of a 1956 congressional act that acknowledged the Lumbee but stopped short of granting them federal recognition, per AP.
- The Department of the Interior reversed that ruling in 2016, allowing the Lumbee Tribe to apply, but the tribe has sought recognition through congressional action since then.
- A tribe can gain federal recognition through the Interior Department after providing evidence of treaties, historical connections to lands or proof of existence before European contact, for example.
Between the lines: The Lumbee, which claims approximately 60,000 members, has significant political influence in the swing state of North Carolina.
- Both former Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump endorsed its push for federal recognition during the 2024 presidential election.
Flashback: The State of North Carolina recognized the Lumbee Tribe in 1885.
- In 1956, President Dwight Eisenhower signed the 1956 Lumbee Act, which recognized the Lumbee with some benefits, but denied the tribe federal benefits, according to the tribe.
Go deeper: Trump orders Interior Secretary to help Lumbee get federal recognition
