President Donald Trump has taken steps towards federally recognizing the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, fulfilling a long-standing campaign promise. However, this move, facilitated by an executive order and deviating from the standard recognition process, has generated apprehension among other Native American tribes.
In the early days of his second term, President Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of the Interior to develop a plan for the federal recognition of the Lumbee Tribe.
Federal recognition typically requires tribes to meet specific criteria, including demonstrating their existence as a nation before the United States was founded, continuous recognition as Native since 1900 or earlier, operation as an autonomous entity, and members possessing genealogies proving Native heritage and distinct ancestry from already recognized tribes.
The Lumbee Tribe asserts its origins as “the amalgamation of various Siouan, Algonquian, and Iroquoian speaking tribes” with documented existence dating back to 1725. Currently, the Lumbees count over 55,000 members across several counties in North Carolina. While the state recognized the Lumbee Tribe over a century ago, the U.S. federal government has not acknowledged them as a sovereign tribe.
Lumbee Chairman John L. Lowery, in a statement to NBC News, expressed his anticipation for the White House to formalize the recognition document and forward it to congressional leadership. This follows the Lumbee Act of 1956, which previously denied the tribe the full benefits of federal recognition by prohibiting a formal government-to-government relationship, hindering access to federal funding for vital services like healthcare, education, and economic development.
Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) emphasized in a 2023 press release that the Lumbee Tribe’s over 60,000 members in North Carolina have waited decades for federal recognition and deserve the same rights and privileges as other federally recognized Native American tribes.
Historically, the Lumbee Tribe has pursued recognition through various means, including numerous bills in Congress, most of which stalled due to opposition from established Native tribes. Now, the Trump administration’s Interior Department is exploring an alternative route, bypassing the traditional process established in 1978 by the Office of Federal Acknowledgment (OFA), which has recognized over 500 tribes nationwide.
This deviation from the established evaluation process has raised concerns among multiple Native American groups and tribal leaders, who fear it could set an unfavorable precedent for future tribal recognition. Chief Michell Hicks of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians stressed the necessity of a “diligent process” and voiced concerns about the potential erosion of the current recognition method. He questioned the Lumbee Tribe’s historical affiliations and sovereignty, stating that the “difficulty with the Lumbee group is they’ve attempted to attach to a number of historical tribal and nontribal names, trying to identify themselves.”
Chief Brad KillsCrow of the Delaware Tribe of Indians echoed these concerns, stating that the executive order undermines the efforts of other Native groups who have diligently pursued recognition through the established channels. He emphasized that the existing process requires tribes to prove their identity and existence, urging against taking a “back door” approach.
Chief KillsCrow also highlighted the potential financial implications of Lumbee recognition, with the Congressional Budget Office estimating a cost exceeding $350 million to provide the tribe with associated benefits. As the leader of a smaller tribe, he expressed concern that this could divert funds from his own tribe’s budget.
Both Chief Hicks and Chief KillsCrow believe the executive branch’s push for Lumbee recognition is politically motivated. President Trump repeatedly promised the Lumbee Tribe recognition during campaign stops in North Carolina. In Robeson County, where the Lumbee Tribe is based, a significant majority of the population voted Republican in the recent elections, a trend that has strengthened in previous cycles. However, tribal leaders argue that making tribal recognition a political issue could lead to Native voices being disregarded depending on election outcomes. Chief Hicks advised President Trump to allow the Lumbee Tribe’s petition to proceed through the OFA process for an expert, unbiased evaluation.
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