Native American

Just about anyone who has lived in North Carolina for any length of time is aware of the existence of the Lumbee Indians of North Carolina’s Robeson County . The Lumbee are an indigenous tribe with a centuries long, proud, well documented history in North Carolina. A visit to the Smithsonian Institute will educate any interested party in the Lumbee culture and significance in American history, yet they still await Federal recognition as a legitimate tribe by the Department of Interior.

Under normal circumstances, it does not take an act of congress to recognize an Indian Tribe. The well documented petition to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, an arm of the Department of Interior, is the usual path to recognition and all the rights and privileges that accompany it. Not so for the Lumbee Tribe thanks to the political considerations of North Carolina US Senate and Congressional representatives, specifically Congressman Walter Jones and Senator Elizabeth Dole. The tribe was formally recognized by North Carolina in 1885 and started seeking the benefits that accompany Federal recognition three years later.