By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Staff
Several other federally recognized tribes and tribal organizations have joined with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) to oppose groups seeking federal recognition as an Indian tribe through Congressional means. A letter was sent to Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) who serve as the chairperson and vice chairperson for the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on Monday, Feb. 28 that was signed by Principal Chief Richard G. Sneed and eight more tribal leaders.
The letter states, “…we respectfully request that you defer consideration of groups seeking federal acknowledgment to the Department of the Interior’s Office of Federal Acknowledgment (OFA).”
The letter is signed by Chief Sneed; Chief Ben Barnes, Shawnee Tribe; Chief Cyrus Ben, Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians; Chairwoman Lori Gooday Ware, Fort Sill Apache Tribe; President Deborah Dotson, Delaware Nation; Gov. Bill Anoatubby, Chickasaw Nation; Assistant Chief Jeremy Johnson, Delaware Tribe of Indians; President Jeffrey Stiffarm, Fort Belknap Indian Community; and Chairwoman Margo Gray, United Indian Nations of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas.
The letter went on to state, “Federally acknowledged tribes are sovereigns with significant governmental powers impacting both Indians and non-Indians, including the authority to tax, regulate activity within tribal territory, and take away personal freedoms through the exercise of criminal jurisdiction. Acknowledgment decisions should be made on merit and not politics.”
As of now, a total of four bills have been introduced into Congress that would provide federal recognition to a group including:
The tribal leaders state in the letter, “If the Congress enacts any of these bills, hundreds of other groups claiming to be tribes also will seek federal legislation to circumvent the OFA process.”
For years, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) have opposed federal recognition for the Lumbees. Multiple…
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