WASHINGTON — North Carolina’s Lumbee Tribe is one step closer to becoming fully federally recognized after more than a century of trying.
The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday, Dec. 17 passed H.R. 1101, named the Lumbee Fairness Act, which now heads to the Senate.
The bill was introduced in February of 2023 by Rep. David Rouzer, joined by Reps. Dan Bishop, Richard Hudson, Greg Murphy, Deborah Ross, Don Davis and Kathy Manning.
Congressional records show the bill was also supported by representatives in South Carolina, West Virginia, Texas and California.
The state recognized the Lumbee in 1885. The tribe has sought federal recognition since 1888. Congress somewhat recognized the tribe with the Lumbee Act of 1956, but denied benefits.
The Lumbee Fairness Act amends the Lumbee Act of 1956 and, in part, authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to “take land into trust for the benefit of the Tribe” in Robeson County. However, the bill does not specify how much land.
"The Lumbee people are an integral part of our Southeastern North Carolina community,” Rouzer said in a press release after the passage. “They are our neighbors and our friends. We attend church together. Our children go to school together. But for generations, the Lumbee Tribe has been denied full federal recognition and tribal sovereignty.
“Today, I am proud the House of Representatives came together to pass my bill, the Lumbee Fairness Act, and help ensure the Lumbee people have the same rights and benefits as the other federally-recognized tribes across the country.”
Hudson also released a statement regarding the bill.
“House passage of this critical legislation brings us one step closer to securing full federal recognition for the Lumbee Tribe," Hudson said. "I am proud to have led this effort and will continue to fight until the Lumbee people get the recognition they rightfully deserve."
In a statement included with Rouzer’s press release, Lumbee Tribal Chairman John Lowery thanked the members of Congress for their support.
“Their hard work is to be applauded as they pushed this across the finish line before the House adjourns for Christmas break,” Lowery said. “This is a great step towards Congress rectifying the 1956 Lumbee Act and ensuring that the remains of the Indian Termination Era policy continues to be dismantled.
“To our allies in Congress and Indian Country, continue to push forward and let us see this bill adopted by the Senate and finally finish what our ancestors began almost 140 yrs ago.”
The Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians — the only fully recognized tribe in the state — has long opposed the recognition of the Lumbee, including the most recent attempt.
“The passage of this bill is a serious blow to the integrity of federal tribal recognition,” Principal Chief Michell Hicks said in a statement, as reported by the Cherokee One Feather. “By suspending the rules and eliminating meaningful discussion, Congress has chosen political expediency over the rigorous standards that have long protected tribal sovereignty and identity.”
Hicks says the bill would establish “a dangerous precedent” by allowing “groups to achieve federal recognition without meeting the established requirements for historical, genealogical, and cultural evidence.”
The Lumbee cannot identify which historical tribe from which it descends, Hicks says.
According to the Lumbee Tribe, its ancestors “came together in the shelter of this land hundreds of years ago — survivors of tribal nations from the Algonquian, Iroquoian, and Siouan language families, including the Hatteras, the Tuscarora, and the Cheraw.”
“The Senate has a choice to make,” added Hicks. “They can protect the integrity of federal recognition, or they can pave the way for groups to claim tribal status without evidence.”
Sen. Thom Tillis has introduced a companion bill in the Senate, which was sent to the Committee on Indian Affairs where it has languished since February of 2023.