CASE STUDY:
Federal Recognition of the Lumbee Tribe

 Official Information:

A Web link (Lumbee) [http://www.charweb.org/neighbors/na/lumbee.htm]
from the home page [http://www.charweb.org/neighbors/na/na-nccia.htm] titled:

North Carolina
Commission of Indian Affairs

 217 W. Jones Street
Raleigh, North Carolina 27603-1336
(919) 733-5998
Gregory A. Richardson, Executive Director
Paul Brooks, Chairman

provided the following information:

The 40,000+ members of the Lumbee Tribe reside mostly in Robeson, Hoke and Scotland Counties of North Carolina. The Lumbee Tribe is the largest tribe in the state, the largest tribe east of the Mississippi River, and the ninth largest tribe in the nation. The Lumbee take their name from the Lumber River which winds its way through Robeson County. The ancestors of the Lumbee were mainly Cheraw and related Siouan-speaking Indians who lived in the area of what is now Robeson County since the 18th century. The Lumbee people have been recognized by the state of North Carolina since 1885, and at the same time established a separate school system that would benefit tribal members. Two years later, in 1887, the state established an all Indian Normal School for the Lumbee, which is now known as North Carolina State University at Pembroke. The Lumbee have been seeking federal recognition since 1888, and over 12 bills have been introduced to recognize the tribe. In 1956, a bill was passed by the U. S. Congress which recognized the Lumbee as Indian, but denied the tribe full status as a federally recognized Indian Tribe and did not entitle them to BIA services as provided to other federally recognized tribes. There have been at least three highly detailed, federally commissioned, reports written on the tribe. Each report acknowledges the Lumbee as an Indian tribe. Federal recognition for the tribe is still being sought through federal legislation.

The Problem:

If you were a consultant to a commission whose charge was to determine if federal recognition of the Lumbee Tribeis appropriate, what would you do?