Defend Native Cultures
Lumbee Recognition: Why the Process Matters
Congress is once again considering legislation to grant federal recognition to the Lumbee group of Robeson County, North Carolina. Despite decades of attempts, the Lumbee have never provided credible evidence linking their community to a specific historic tribe. Their claims have shifted repeatedly—from Croatan to Cherokee to Cheraw—yet no genealogical, historical, or governmental continuity has ever been verified.
Federal recognition is a legal status, not a symbolic label. It affirms sovereignty, unlocks access to federal programs, and protects cultural self-determination. While tribes have been recognized through different pathways—treaties, litigation, administrative decisions—all have demonstrated a connection to a historical tribe and Native ancestry.
If granted recognition through Congress alone, the Lumbee would be the first group in U.S. history to receive federal status without identifying a historic tribe and without proving Native ancestry. This would not just bypass the process—it would erase the standards altogether.
The Lumbee have done everything in their power to avoid any evidence-based scrutiny of their claims.. Recognition must be rooted in evidence—not rewritten by political influence.
List of Resolutions
Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians- 2022 Winter Convention
• September 18, 2022
o “Opposition to Federal or State Recognition of the groups claiming to be a tribal nations that seek to circumvent the Department of Interior’s Office of Federal Acknowledgement Process”
Inter-Tribal Council of Northeastern Oklahoma
• August 17, 2022
o Opposition to federal or state recognition of the “Lumbee Tribe,” “Mowa Band of Choctaw,” or any other group claiming to be a tribal nation that seeks to circumvent of the Department of the Interior’s Office of Federal Acknowledgement (OFA) Process
COLT: Coalition of Large Tribes
• August 16, 2022
o "Now therefore be it resolved, that the Coalition of Large Tribes (COLT) calls on Congressional Delegations to oppose the "Lumbee Recognition Act" (S.1364/H.R. 2758), the "MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians Recognition Act" (S.3443), and other federal and state actions that would circumvent the Department of Interior's Office of Federal Acknowledgment (OFA) process."
The Inter-Tribal Council of the Five Civilized Tribes
• July 15, 2022
o A Resolution opposing Federal or State Recognition of Groups to be Tribal Nations by Circumventing the Office of Federal Acknowledgment
Tri- Council of The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians The Eastern Band of Cherokees Indians and Cherokee Nations
• June 23, 2022
o A resolution opposing federal or state recognition of groups that claim to be tribal nations and seek to avoid or circumvent the Department of Interior’s Office of Federal Acknowledgement Process
Letter on behalf of Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Shawnee Tribe, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Fort Still Apache Tribe, Delaware Nation, Chickasaw Nation, Delaware Tribe of Indians, Fort Belknap Indian Community, Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, and United Indian Nations of Oklahoma Kansas, and Texas
• March 10, 2022
o “On behalf of the Tribal Nations and Organizations listed below, we respectfully request you defer consideration of groups seeking federal acknowledgment to the Department of the Interior’s Office of Federal Acknowledgement (OFA).”
Letter from Muscogee Creek Nation
• March 7, 2022
o “On behalf of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, I respectfully request that you defer consideration of groups seeking federal acknowledgment to the Department of the Interior’s Office of Federal Acknowledgement.”
Letter from Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians
• November 13, 2020
o Opposition to the “Lumbee Recognition Act”
Defend Native Cultures
Groups with no Native history are calling themselves Tribes and appropriating the culture, language, and history of Tribes with treaty and trust relationships with the United States. It is time that we stand together to Defend Native Cultures!