Federal Recognition of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina

MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR

SUBJECT: Federal recognition of the Northern Lumbee Tribe

Caroline

Section 1. Objective and policy. THE The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, known as the Dark Water People, has a long and storied history. The tribe’s members were descendants of several tribal nations from the Algonquian, Iroquoian, and Siouan language families, including the Hatteras, Tuscarora, and Cheraw. The waters of the Lumbee River and the lands surrounding it have protected and sustained the Lumbee people for centuries despite war, disease, and many other perils.

In 1885, the State of North Carolina recognized the Lumbee people as an Indian tribe. 1885 NC Sess. Laws 92. In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Lumbee Act (Public Law 84-570, 70 Stat. 254), which recognized the Lumbee as the Lumbee Indians of North Carolina, but denied the Lumbee Indians the federal benefits associated with such recognition. Today, according to the state of North Carolina, the Lumbee Tribe has more than 55,000 members, making it the largest tribe east of the Mississippi River and the ninth largest tribe in the nation.

In 2024, the United States House of Representatives adopted, by 311 votes to 96, the Lumbee Fairness Act (H.R. 1101), which would grant the Lumbee Tribe full federal recognition, but this legislation was not considered by the United States Senate until the end of the 118th Congress. Similar legislation has passed the House of Representatives several times.

Given the historical and modern significance of the Lumbee Tribe, it is the policy of the United States to support full federal recognition, including the right to receive all federal benefits, of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.

Second. 2. Direction for the recognition plan. (a) Within 90 days of the date of this memorandum, the Secretary of the Interior will review all applicable authorities regarding the recognition or recognition of Indian tribes and, in consultation with the leadership of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, will submit to the President a plan to assist the Lumbee Tribe in obtaining full federal recognition through legislation or other available mechanisms, including the right to receive all federal benefits.

(b) The plan must include consideration and analysis of each potential legal avenue to effect full federal recognition of the Lumbee Tribe, including through an act of Congress, judicial action, or procedures federal recognition of Indian tribes set forth in 25 CFR. Part 83.

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