State recognized tribes in the United States

Yellow: states with federal-recognized tribes
Red: states with state-recognized tribes
Orange:states with both federal- and state-recognized tribes
Grey: states with neither federal- or state-recognized tribes

State recognized tribes are Native American Indian Tribes, Nations, and Heritage Groups that have been recognized by a process established under assorted state laws for varying purposes. With increasing activism by tribal nations since the mid-20th century to obtain federal recognition of their tribal sovereignty, many states have passed legislation to recognize some tribes and acknowledge the self-determination and continuity of historic ethnic groups. The majority of these groups are located in the Eastern US, as is the case with the three largest state-recognized tribes: viz. the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and the United Houma Nation of Louisiana.

In many cases, they have recognized tribes that were landless; that is, did not have an Indian reservation or communal land holdings. In addition, such states have often established commissions or other administrative bodies to deal with Native American affairs within the state. It has resulted from the process of increasing self-determination and preservation of cultural identity within some Native American communities, including descendants who remained in states east of the Mississippi River when many tribes were removed during the 19th century.

State recognition confers limited benefits under federal law. It is not the same as federal recognition, which is the federal government's acknowledgment of a tribe as a dependent sovereign nation. Some states have provided laws related to state recognition that provide some protection of autonomy for tribes not recognized by the federal government. For example, in Connecticut, state law recognizing certain tribes also protects reservations and limited self-government rights for state-recognized tribes.

Such state recognition has at times been opposed by federally recognized tribes. For instance, the Cherokee Nation opposes state-recognized tribes claiming Cherokee identity, as well as many non-recognized groups that also claim to be Cherokee.^[1]

Numerous other groups assert that they are Indian tribes. Many are listed in List of unrecognized tribes in the United States.

Description

The United States Constitution, as interpreted by the Supreme Court, gives ultimate authority with regard to matters affecting the Indian tribes to the United States. Under federal law and regulations, an Indian tribe is a group of Native Americans with self-government authority.^[2] This defines those tribes recognized by the federal government.

By late 2007, about 16 states had recognized 62 tribes. Five other states—Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, and Oklahoma— had less developed processes of recognition.^[3] Typically, the state legislature or state agencies involved in cultural or Native American affairs make the formal recognition by criteria they establish, often with Native American representatives, and sometimes based on federal criteria.^[4] Members of a state-recognized tribe are still subject to state law and government, and the tribe does not have sovereign control over its affairs. Some state-recognized tribes have petitioned unsuccessfully for federal recognition. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, only fourteen states recognize tribes at the state level.^[5]

Under the United States Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990,^[6] members of state-recognized tribes are authorized to exhibit as identified Native American artists, as are members of federally recognized tribes.

Koenig and Stein have recommended the processes of North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, all established by laws passed by the state legislatures, as models worthy of other states to use as the basis for legislation related to recognition of Native American tribes. Statutes that clearly identify criteria for recognition or that explicitly recognize certain tribes remove ambiguity from their status.^[3]

List of state-recognized tribes

By 2008 a total of 62 Native American tribes had been recognized by states; 566 had been recognized by the federal government, often as a result of the process of treaties setting up reservations in the 19th century.

The following is a list of tribes recognized by various states, but not by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. Tribes originally recognized by states that have since gained federal recognition have been deleted from the list below. The list identifies those state-recognized tribes that have petitioned for federal recognition and been denied. Many continue to work to gain such recognition.

Alabama

By the Davis-Strong Act of 1984, the state established the Alabama Indian Affairs Commission to acknowledge and represent Native American citizens in the state. At that time, it recognized seven tribes that did not have federal recognition. The commission members, representatives of the tribes, have created rules for tribal recognition, which were last updated in 2003, under which three more tribes have been recognized.^[7]

• Cher-O-Creek Intra Tribal Indians^[5][7][8][9]
• Cherokee Tribe of Northeast Alabama (formerly Cherokees of Jackson County, Alabama)^{[5][7][9][10][11][12][13]} Letter of Intent to Petition 09/23/1981;^[14] certified letter returned "not known" 11/19/1997.^[10][15]
• Cherokees of Southeast Alabama^{[5][5][7][8][10][11][12][15]} Letter of Intent to Petition 05/27/1988;^[14] certified letter returned marked "deceased" 11/5/1997.
• Echota Cherokee Tribe of Alabama^{[5][7][9][10][11][12][13]}
• Ma-Chis Lower Creek Indian Tribe of Alabama^[7][8] Letter of Intent to Petition 06/27/1983. Declined to Acknowledge 08/18/1988 52 FR 34319,^[5][10][15] Denied federal recognition^{[11][12][14][16]}
• MOWA Band of Choctaw Indians^[7][8] Letter of Intent to Petition 05/27/1983. Final Determination to Decline to Acknowledge published 12/24/1997 62FR247:67398-67400; petitioner requested reconsideration from BIA 3/23/1998,^[5][10][15] denied federal recognition;^[12][16] decision effective 11/26/1999.^[14]
• Piqua Shawnee Tribe^{[5][7][8][12]}
• Star Clan of Muscogee Creeks^{[5][7][10][11]} (formerly Lower Creek Muscogee Tribe East, Star Clan, Southeastern Mvskoke Nation, and Yufala Star Clan of Lower Muscogee Creeks)^[12]
• United Cherokee Ani-Yun-Wiya Nation^{[5][7][8][9][10][11][12]}(formerly United Cherokee Intertribal). Letter of Intent to Petition 11/08/2001.^[14]

Alaska

None

Arizona

None

Arkansas

None

California

None

Colorado

None

Connecticut

• Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation of Connecticut.^[5][17][18] Recognized by the Secretary of the Interior in 2002; recognition revoked in 2005; Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation was made by merging of two nations:^[11]
  • Eastern Pequot Indians of Connecticut. Letter of Intent to Petition 06/28/1978;^{[10][11][14][15]} Reconsidered final determination not to acknowledge became final and effective 10/14/2005 70 FR 60099.^[14]
  • Paucatuck Eastern Pequot Indians of Connecticut. Letter of Intent to Petition 06/20/1989.^[10][14][15] Reconsidered final determination not to acknowledge became final and effective 10/14/2005 70 FR 60099.^[14]
• Golden Hill Paugussett.^[19][20] Final Determination Against Federal Acknowledgement of the Golden Hill Paugussett Tribe (2004)^[21]
• Schaghticoke Tribal Nation.^[17] Letter of Intent to Petition 9/27/2001.^[5][14][18] Letter of Intent to Petition 12/14/1981; Declined to acknowledge in 2002; Reconsidered final determination not to acknowledge became final and effective 10/14/2005 70 FR 60101. Also known as Scaticook Tribe,^[10] Schaghticoke Indian Tribe.^{[10][11][14][15]}

Delaware

• Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware^[5][17]
• Nanticoke Indian Association, Inc.^[17] Letter of Intent to Petition 08/08/1978; requested petition be placed on hold 3/25/1989,^[5][10][15] of limited applicability^[11][22]

Florida

None In 1988, the Florida Governor's Council on Indian Affairs adopted a policy recommending that the state refrain from recognizing any group that does not have federal recognition. If the state government wished to proceed with recognition, it recommended:

• "A state action should (1) create a government-to-government relationship between state and tribe,
• (2) set forth an explicit rendering of the state's interpretation of 'recognition,'
• (3) be confined only to groups descended from Seminole, Miccosukee, Creek, or a tribe located in Florida prior to May 30, 1830 [date of passage of the US Indian Removal Act], and
• (4) meet federal criteria for recognition."^[23]

Georgia

In 2007, the state legislature formally recognized as American Indian tribes of Georgia the following:^[24]

• Cherokee of Georgia Tribal Council^[5][25]
• Georgia Tribe of Eastern Cherokees^{[5][8][11][26]} (I). Letter of Intent to Petition 01/09/1979;^[14] last submission February 2002; ready for Acknowledge review.^[10]

Unrecognized tribes with the same name as Georgia Tribe of Eastern Cherokees, Inc. (II) and (III) exist.^[9][15]

• Lower Muskogee Creek Tribe^[5][11][26] Letter of Intent to Petition 02/02/1972; Declined to Acknowledge 12/21/1981 (46 FR 51652).^[10][14][15] Denied federal recognition^[27] Also known as Lower Muskogee Creek Tribe East of the Mississippi, Inc.

Hawaii

None

Illinois

None

Idaho

None

Iowa

None

Kansas

None

Kentucky

None

Louisiana

• Addai Caddo Tribe.^[5][11] Recognized by the State of Louisiana in 1993.^[28] Letter of Intent to Petition 09/13/1993.^[10][14][15] Also known as Adais Caddo Indians, Inc.
• Biloxi-Chitimacha Confederation of Muskogee.^[5][11] Separated from United Houma Nation, Inc. Letter of Intent to Petition 10/24/1995.^[14][15] Recognized by the State of Louisiana in 2005.^[28]
• Choctaw-Apache Tribe of Ebarb^[5][8][11] Recognized by the State of Louisiana in 1978.^[28] Letter of Intent to Petition 07/02/1978.^[10][14][15]
• Clifton-Choctaw^[5][11] Recognized by the State of Louisiana in 1978.^[28] Letter of Intent to Petition 03/22/1978.^[10][14][15] Also known as Clifton Choctaw Reservation Inc.
• Four Winds Tribe, Louisiana Cherokee Confederacy^[5][29] Recognized by the State of Louisiana in 1997.^[5][28]
• Grand Caillou/Dulac Band^[5]
• Isle de Jean Charles Band^[5]
• Louisiana Choctaw Tribe.^[5]
• Pointe-au-Chien Tribe.^[8] Separated from United Houma Nation, Inc.. Letter of Intent to Petition 7/22/1996.^[5][14][15] Recognized by the State of Louisiana in 2004.^[28]
• United Houma Nation^[5][8][11] Recognized by the State of Louisiana in 1972.^[28] Letter of Intent to Petition 07/10/1979; Proposed Finding 12/22/1994, 59 FR 6618.^[10][14][15] Denied federal recognition^[30]

Maine

None

Maryland

On January 9, 2012, for the first time the state recognized two American Indian tribes under a process developed by the General Assembly; these were both Piscataway groups,^[31] historically part of the large Algonquian languages family along the Atlantic Coast. The Governor announced it to the Assembly by executive order.^[31][32]

• Piscataway Conoy Tribe^[5][31] It includes the following two sub-groups:
  • Piscataway Conoy Confederacy and Sub-Tribes^[31]
  • Cedarville Band of Piscataway Indians^[31]
• Piscatway Indian Nation^[5][31]

Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Commission on Indian Affairs was created by a legislative act of the General Court of Massachusetts in 1974, with the purpose of helping tribes recognized or that will be recognized receive access to and assistance with various local and state agencies.^[33] Two former state recognized tribes, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, have federal recognition as of 1987 and 2007, respectively.^[34][35]

• Massachusett
  • Praying Indians of Natick (receives services via Nipmuc Nation)
  • Massachusett-Ponkapoag Tribal Council
• Nipmuc/Nipmuck
  • Nipmuc Nation (Hassanamisco Nipmuc and some Chaubunagungamaug Nipmuck)^[5] Letter of Intent to Petition 04/22/1980; Proposed finding in progress.^[10][11][15] Declined to acknowledge on 6/25/2004, 69 FR 35667; Reconsideration request before IBIA (not yet effective)^[14]
  • Webster/Dudley Band of the Chaubunagungamaug Nipmuck (Chaubunagungamaug Nipmuck)
• Wampanoag (Wôpanaak)
  • Chappaquiddick Wampanoag Tribe
  • Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe
  • Pocasset Tribe of the Pokanoket Nation
  • Seaconke Wampanoag Tribe

Michigan

As of 2014, Michigan has four State Historic Tribes.

• Burt Lake Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians^[36]
• Grand River Band of Ottawa Indians^[36]
• Mackinac Bands of Chippewa & Ottawa Indians^[36]
• Swan Creek Black River Confederated Ojibwa Tribes of Michigan^[36]

Minnesota

None

Mississippi

None

Missouri

None

Montana

• Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians,^[37][38] Letter of Intent to Petition 4/28/1978;^[5][10][11] Proposed Finding 7/21/2000.^[14]

Nebraska

None

Nevada

None

New Hampshire

None

New Jersey

• Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation.^{[5][10][11][17]} Letter of Intent to Petition 01/03/1992.^[14] Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Indians.
• Powhatan Renape Nation.^{[5][10][11][13]} Letter of Intent to Petition 04/12/1996.^[14]
• Ramapough Lunaape Nation.^[5])^[10][11] Letter of Intent to Petition 08/14/1979. Decline to Acknowledge 2/6/1996 (61 FR 4476); request for reconsideration to IBIA; decision affirmed 7/18/1997; reconsidered Final Determination 1/7/1998 (63 FR 888); in litigation; 12/11/2001, U.S. Court of Appeals affirmed the District Court’s Memorandum Opinion & Order granting summary judgment to the Department; US Supreme Court denied cert. 2002; Decision effective 1/7/1998.^[14] Also known as 'Ramapough Lenape Indian Nation and Ramapo Mountain Indians.

New Mexico

None

New York

• Tonawanda Band of Seneca^[5]
• Tuscarora Nation^[5]
• Unkechague Poosepatuck Tribe^[5][17] (Unkechaug Nation)^[5][11]

North Carolina

• Coharie Intra-tribal Council, Inc.^[5][8][39] Letter of Intent to Petition 3/13/1981.^[10]<ref name="walist"/^[14]
• Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe^[5][8][39] Letter of Intent to Petition 1/27/1979.^[10][11][14] Notified of "obvious deficiencies" in federal recognition application^[40]
• Lumbee Tribe^[5][8]' ('Lumbee Regional Development Association Inc., Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina).^[11][13][39] Letter of Intent to Petition 01/07/1980; determined ineligible to petition (SOL opinion of 10/23/1989).^[10][11][14] In 2009, Senate Indian Affairs Committee endorsed a bill that would grant federal recognition.^[41]
• Meherrin Nation.^[5][39] State Recognized 1987.^[10][11][14]
• Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation.^[5][11]>^[39] Letter of Intent to Petition 01/06/1995.^[14]
• Sappony^[5](formerly known as Indians of Person County, North Carolina).^{[10][11][39][40]}
• Waccamaw-Siouan Tribe.^[5][8][39] Letter of Intent to Petition 06/27/1983; determined ineligible to petition (SOL opinion of 10/23/1989).^[14] Letter of Intent to Petition 10/16/1992;^[10][11] determined eligible to petition (SOL letter of 6/29/1995).^[14] Also known as Waccamaw Siouan Development Association.

North Dakota

None

Ohio

None^[42]

Oklahoma

None

Oregon

None

Pennsylvania

None

Rhode Island

None

South Carolina

In 2003 the state legislature passed Section 1 31 40(A)(10), South Carolina Code of Laws (Annotated), which established criteria for state recognition of Native American tribes, further providing that “The South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs shall promulgate regulations as may be necessary regarding State Recognition of Native American Indian entities in the State of South Carolina.” These rules and regulations shall be applicable to all entities seeking Native American Indian State Recognition as a: A. Native American Indian Tribe;^[43] B. Native American Indian Group;^[44] C. Native American Special Interest Organization.^[45]

State-recognized Tribes:

• Beaver Creek Indians.^[5] Letter of Intent to Petition 01/26/1998.^[14] State recognized tribe in 2006.^[46][47][48]
• Edisto Natchez Kusso Tribe of South Carolina,^[5] state recognized tribe in 2010.^[11][46][48] Also known as Edisto Natchez-Kusso Indians (Four Holes Indian Organization)
• Pee Dee Nation of Upper South Carolina.^[5] Letter of Intent to Petition 12/14/2005.^[14] State recognized tribe in 2005.^[46][47][48]
• Pee Dee Indian Tribe of South Carolina,^[5] state recognized tribe in 2006.
• Santee Indian Organization.^[5] Letter of Intent to Petition 06/04/1979.^[14] State recognized tribe in 2006.^{[11][46][47][48]} Formerly White Oak Indian Community.

  Piedmont American Indian Association of South Carolina(or Piedmont American indian Association-Lower Eastern Cherokee Nation of South Carolina)Letter of intent to Petition 8/20/1998 ref name ="pxst"/> State recognized as a tribe July 13, 2015

• The Sumter Tribe of the Cheraw, state recognized tribe in 2012.^[11][46][48]
• Wassamasaw Tribe of Varnertown Indians,^{[5][11][46][47][48]} Also known as Waccamaw Indian People.^[46][48]

State-recognized Tribal Groups (not tribes):

• Chaloklowa Chickasaw Indian People. Letter of Intent to Petition 08/14/2002.^[14] Receipt of Petition 08/14/2002.^[49] State recognized tribal group in 2005.^[46][47][48]
• Eastern Cherokee, Southern Iroquois & United Tribes of South Carolina, Inc. (a.k.a. Cherokee Indian Tribe of South Carolina or ECSIUT), state recognized tribal group in 2005.^[9][46][48]
• Natchez Indian Tribe, state recognized tribal group in 2007.^[46][48]
• Pee Dee Indian Nation of Beaver Creek. Letter of Intent to Petition 6/16/1999.^[14] State recognized tribal group in 2007.^[46][48]
• Piedmont American Indian Association of South Carolina (or Piedmont American Indian Association - Lower Eastern Cherokee Nation of South Carolina) Letter of Intent to Petition 8/20/1998.^[14] State recognized tribal group in 2006.^[46][47][48]

State-recognized tribal Special Interest Organizations (not tribes):

• American Indian Chamber of Commerce of South Carolina, state-recognized tribal Special Interest Organization in 2006.^[46][48]
• Little Horse Creek American Indian Cultural Center, state-recognized tribal Special Interest Organization in 2010.^[46][48]

South Dakota

None

Tennessee

None.
At a time of increasing Native American activism, Governor Ray Blanton recognized by Proclamation on 25 May 1978 the 'Etowah Cherokee Nation' "as a nation of people." In 1991, the McWherter administration rejected the group's tribal recognition in a legal opinion noting that the governor's office lacked "statutory authority" to recognize certain Native Americans as a "nation of people."^[50] The group ceased to exist in Tennessee by 1993.

Under laws passed by the legislature and signed by the governor, Tennessee Code authorized a seven-member Tennessee Commission of Indian Affairs from 1983 to 2000 and from 2003 to 2010 to "establish appropriate procedures to provide for legal recognition by the state of presently unrecognized tribes, nations, groups, communities or individuals, and to provide for official state recognition by the commission of such."^[51]

On 19 June 2010, 11 days prior to the Commission's termination (because it had not been re-authorized by the legislature), six members violated its administrative procedures by adopting a new standing rule recognition procedure. They approved state recognition of six Native American groups, none of which has public historical documentation. (Four of the six members of the Commission participated in these groups.)

The state Attorney General determined that by this action, the Commission committed six violations of the state's Open Meeting Act, Open Record Act and Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, and on 3 September 2010 declared the June recognition "void and of no effect".^[52][53][54]

On 6 August 2010 the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs, Larry Echo Hawk, issued a "proposed finding against Federal acknowledgment as an American Indian tribe in response to the petition the Department received from the group known as the Central Band of Cherokee (CBC) [aka 'Cherokee of Lawrence County' (one of the six culture clubs that requested and illegally obtained state recognition on 19 June 2010)], Petitioner #227, with its office located in Lawrenceburg, Lawrence County, Tennessee".^[55] It supported the finding with a 45-page report noting that the group's documentation was insufficient on several grounds. Echo Hawk's statement said, "The Office of Federal Acknowledgment (OFA) evaluated the group’s petition under 83.10(e) of the acknowledgment regulations, which allows for issuing a proposed finding under criterion 83.7(e) only."^[55] In addition,

"The petitioner claims its members are descendants of Cherokee Indians who had not given up their rights to 1806 treaty lands in Tennessee, or are descendants of Indians living in Tennessee who evaded removal or escaped when the Cherokee were removed from North Carolina in the late 1830s. None of the evidence demonstrates the validity of either claim."^[55]

The determination was made final 23 March 2012; the BIA's statement at that time said that the Central Band of Cherokee of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee,

"did not demonstrate that its members descend from a historical Indian tribe or historical Indian tribes that combined. The evidence shows the petitioner, with 407 members on its 2007 membership list, is a voluntary association formed of individuals who claim but have not documented Indian ancestry."^[56]

Texas

• Lipan Apache Tribe.^[5][38] On March 18, 2009, the State of Texas legislature passed resolutions HR 812 and SR 438 recognizing the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas. Also known as Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas.
• Texas Band of Yaqui Indians State Recognized Tribe Resolution SR#989

Utah

None

Vermont

As of May 3, 2006, Vermont law 1 V.S.A §§ 851–853 recognizes Abenakis as Native American Indians, not the tribes or bands. However, on April 22, 2011, Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin signed legislative bills officially recognizing two Abenaki Bands. The four Abenaki state-recognized tribes are also known as the "Abenaki Alliance."

• Elnu Abenaki Tribe;^[5][57] recognition signed into statute April 22, 2011.
• Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation;^[5][38][57] recognition signed into statute April 22, 2011.

On May 7, 2012 Governor Shumlim signed legislative bills officially recognizing two more Abenaki Bands:

• Koasek Abenaki Tribe.^[5] Also known as Traditional Koasek Abenaki Nation of the Koas
• Mississquoi Abenaki Tribe.^[5] Also known as Missisquoi St Francis Sokoki Abenaki Nations.

Virginia

• Cheroenhaka (Nottoway).^[5] Letter of Intent to Petition 12/30/2002.^[14] Receipt of Petition 12/30/2002.^[49] State recognized 2010; in Courtland, Southampton County.^[58]
• Chickahominy Tribe.^{[5][10][11][17][38]} Letter of Intent to Petition 03/19/1996.^[14] State recognized 1983; in Charles City County.^[58] In 2009, Senate Indian Affairs Committee endorsed a bill that would grant federal recognition.^[41]
• Eastern Chickahominy Tribe.^{[5][10][11][13][38]} Letter of Intent to Petition 9/6/2001.^[14] State recognized, 1983; in New Kent County.^[58] In 2009, Senate Indian Affairs Committee endorsed a bill that would grant federal recognition.^[41]
• Mattaponi^[5](a.k.a. Mattaponi Indian Reservation).^[11] Letter of Intent to Petition 04/04/1995.^[14] State recognized 1983; in Banks of the Mattaponi River, King William County.^[58] The Mattaponi and Pamunkey have reservations based in colonial-era treaties ratified by the Commonwealth in 1658. Pamunkey Tribe's attorney told Congress in 1991 that the tribes state reservation originated in a treaty with the crown in the 17th century and has been occupied by Pamunkey since that time under strict requirements and following the treaty obligation to provide to the Crown a deer every year, and they've done that (replacing Crown with Governor of Commonwealth since Virginia became a Commonwealth)^[59]
• Monacan Indian Nation ^[8](formerly Monacan Indian Tribe of Virginia).^{[5][10][11][13]} Letter of Intent to Petition 07/11/1995.^[14] State recognized 1989; in Bear Mountain, Amherst County.^[58] In 2009, Senate Indian Affairs Committee endorsed a bill that would grant federal recognition.^[41]
• Nansemond,^{[5][10][11][13][38]} Letter of Intent to Petition 9/20/2001.^[14] State recognized 1985; in Cities of Suffolk and Chesapeake.^[58] In 2009, Senate Indian Affairs Committee endorsed a bill that would grant federal recognition.^[41] Also known as Nansemond Indian Tribal Association.
• Nottoway of Virginia^[5][8](Nottoway Indian Tribe of Virginia),^[5] recognized 2010; in Capron, Southampton County.^[58]
• Patawomeck^[5] recognized 2010; in Stafford County.^[58]
• Rappahannock^[5]).^[10][11][38] Letter of Intent to Petition 11/16/1979.^[14] State recognized 1983; in Indian Neck, King & Queen County.^[58] In 2009, Senate Indian Affairs Committee endorsed a bill that would grant federal recognition.^[41] Formerly known as United Rappahannock Tribe.

Shares a name with an unrecognized tribe Rappahannock Indian Tribe (II).

• Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe.^{[5][8][10][11]} Letter of Intent to Petition 11/26/1979.^[14] State recognized 1983; in King William County.^[58] In 2009, Senate Indian Affairs Committee endorsed a bill that would grant federal recognition.^[41] Formerly known as Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribal Association.

Washington

• Chinook Indian Tribe.^{[10][12][38][60]} Letter of Intent to Petition 07/23/1979; Declined to acknowledge 07/12/2003 (67 FR 46204).^[14] Also known as Chinook Indian Tribe of Oregon & Washington, Inc. and Chinook Nation.

West Virginia

None

Wisconsin

None

Wyoming

None

See also

United States

• Federally recognized tribes (Lower 48 states)
• Federally recognized tribes in Alaska
• Unrecognized tribes, not recognized by state or federal governments
• Native Americans in the United States
• List of federally recognized tribes by state
• List of Indian reservations in the United States
• List of historical Indian reservations in the United States
• Outline of United States federal Indian law and policy
• National Park Service Native American Heritage Sites

Canada

• List of Indian reserves in Canada
• List of First Nations governments
• List of First Nations peoples

Notes

1. "What is a real Indian Nation? What is a fake tribe?". Cherokee Nation. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
2. 25 CFR 290.2, "Definitions"
3. Alexa Koenig and Jonathan Stein, "Federalism and the State Recognition of Native American Tribes: A Survey of State-Recognized Tribes and State Recognition Processes across the United States", Santa Clara Law Review, Vol. 48, November 2007
4. Sheffield (1998) p. 63
5. "State Recognized Tribes". National Conference of State Legislatures. February 2015. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
6. The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990, US Department of the Interior: Indian Arts and Crafts Board. (retrieved 23 May 2009)
7. Alabama Indian Affairs Commission. "Tribes Recognized by the State of Alabama". Retrieved 2015-03-28.
8. "Tribal Directory: Southeast". National Congress of American Indians. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
9. Cherokee Nation (Fraudulent Indian) Task Force: Fraudulent Group List (as of June 23, 2010) (Accessible as of June 28, 2010 here)
10. Troy Johnson. "U.S. Federally Non-Recognized Indian Tribes".
11. Wild Apache. "Wild Apache Native American Portal".
12. Karen M. Strom. "A Line in the Sand: Contact Information for the Tribes of the United States and Canada". Retrieved 2007-09-10.
13. USA.gov. "A-Z Index of Tribal Governments, on USA.gov". Retrieved 2010-09-12.
14. LIST OF PETITIONERS BY STATE (as of July 31, 2012) (Accessible as of January 15, 2013 here)
15. 500nations.com. "Petitions for Federal Recognition". Retrieved 2007-09-07.
16. Sheffield (1998) p64
17. "Tribal Directory: Northeast". National Congress of American Indians. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
18. Connecticut Law on Indian Tribes (2007-R-0475). Christopher Reinhart, Senior Attorney, on behalf of State of Connecticut General Assembly (Accessible as of July 15, 2014 here).
19. Christopher Reinhart (2002-02-07). "Effect of State Recognition of an Indian Tribe". State of Connecticut. Retrieved 2010-08-06. Connecticut statutes recognize five tribes: (1) Golden Hill Paugussett, (2) Mashantucket Pequot, (3) Mohegan, (4) Eastern Pequot, and (5) Schaghticoke tribe.
20. "CGS § 47-59a Connecticut Indians; citizenship, civil rights, land rights.". State of Connecticut. Retrieved 2015-07-02.
21. Bureau of Indian Affairs (2004-06-21). "Final Determination Against Federal Acknowledgement of the Golden Hill Paugussett Tribe". Federal Register. United States. pp. 34388–34393. Retrieved 2010-08-06.
22. Sheffield (1998): 66
23. Sheffield (1998): 63-64
24. O.C.G.A. § 44-12-300 (2007) Title 44, Chapter 12, Article 7, Part 3 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, Georgia Legislature. Quote: The State of Georgia "officially recognizes as legitimate American Indian tribes of Georgia the following tribes, bands, groups, or communities" for state purposes
25. O.C.G.A. § 44-12-300 (2007)
26. http://www.legis.state.ga.us/cgi-bin/gl_codes_detail.pl?code=44-12-300 O.C.G.A. § 44-12-300 (2007)
27. Sheffield (1998) p67
28. "Louisiana Governor's Office of Indian Affairs" Retrieved on 4/8/2008.
29. "Four Winds Tribe website"
30. Sheffield (1998): 67
31. Witte, Brian. "Md. Formally Recognizes 2 American Indian Groups.", NBC Washington, 9 Jan 2011, Retrieved 10 Jan 2011
32. Executive Orders 01.01.2012.01 and 01.01.2012.02 "Recognition of tribes in the state", Governor's Office
33. Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 6A, § 8A.
34. Swimmer, R. (1987). Final determination for federal acknowledgment of the Wampanoag Tribal Council of Gay Head, Inc., FR Doc. 87-2877. US. Government Printing Office: Washington, D.C.
35. Carson, J. U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs. (2004). Summary under the criteria of evidence for final determination of federal recognition of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council, Inc. (71 FR 17488). U.S. Government Printing Office: Washington, D.C.
36. "Michigan Historic Tribes" (pdf). State of Michigan Community Services Block Grant. State Plan from Fiscal Years 2015–2016. Michigan Department of Human Services. 1 July 2014. p. 67. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
37. "Tribal Directory: Rocky Mountain". National Congress of American Indians. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
38. 500nations.com. "Nations, Tribes, Bands". Retrieved 2008-09-28.
39. North Carolina Department of Administration (February 2007). "North Carolina American Indian Tribes and Organizations" (PDF).
40. Sheffield (1998) p68-70
41. "Virginia tribes take another step on road to federal recognition" in Richmond Times-Dispatch, 28 October 2009.
42. "Tribal Directory: Midwest". National Congress of American Indians. Retrieved 21 June 2015.
43. “Native American Indian Tribe” means an assembly of Indian people comprising numerous families, clans, or generations together with their descendents, who have a common character, interest, and behavior denoting a separate ethnic and cultural heritage, and who have existed as a separate community, on a substantially continuous basis throughout the past 100 years. In general, core members of the tribe are related to each other by blood. A tribal council and governmental authority unique to Native American Indians govern them.
44. “Native American Group” means a number of individuals assembled together, which have different characteristics, interests and behaviors that do not denote a separate ethnic and cultural heritage today, as they once did. The group is composed of both Native American Indians and other ethnic races. They are not all related to one another by blood. A tribal council and governmental authority unique to Native American Indians govern them.
45. “Native American Special Interest Organization” means an assembly of people who have united for the common purpose of promoting Native American culture and addressing socio-economic deprivation among people of Indian origin. The organization is made up of Native American Indians and other ethnic races. A tribal council or other form of governing body provides oversight and management. Membership is not required. They may be organized as a private nonprofit corporation under the laws of South Carolina.
46. South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs. "SC tribes and groups" (PDF).
47. South Carolina Indian Affairs Commission. "Members".
48. South Carolina Indigenous Gallery. "Visitors Center".
49. Receipt of Petitions for Federal Acknowledgment of Existence as an Indian Tribe (68 FR 13724)
50. Chattanooga InterTribal Association. "TN Tribal Recognition - past example".
51. T.C.A. 4-34-103(6)
52. Tennessee Attorney General Mark Greene v. Tennessee Commission of Indian Affairs
53. Humphrey, Tom. "6 Indian groups lose state recognition: Court order says commission violated open meetings law." Knoxville News Sentinel. 3 Sep 2010 (retrieved 3 Sep 2010)
54. Tennessee Attorney General Court Order 7 Sep 2010
55. BIA press release, 6 August 2010, accessed 26 October 2014
56. BIA determination and documentation (10 pdf documents), "ACKNOWLEDGMENT DECISION COMPILATION (ADC) FOR PETITIONER #227 (CENTRAL BAND OF CHEROKEE OF LAWRENCEBURG, TN) Updated July 30, 2012" http://www.bia.gov/WhoWeAre/AS-IA/OFA/ADCList/PetitionsResolved/Petition227/index.htm
57. Vermonters Concerned on Native American Affairs. "Tribal Sites VT". Retrieved 2011-12-28.
58. Virginia Council on Indians. "Virginia Tribes".
59. Sheffield (1998) p71-73
60. "Tribal Directory: Northeast". National Congress of American Indians. Retrieved 22 June 2015.

References

• Koenig, Alexa and Jonathan Stein (2008). Federalism and the State Recognition of Native American Tribes: A survey of State-Recognized Tribes and State Recognition Processes Across the United States. University of Santa Clara Law Review, Vol. 48.
• Sheffield, Gail (1998). Arbitrary Indian: The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-2969-7.
• Constitution of the United States

External sources

• Miller, Mark Edwin. Forgotten Tribes: Unrecognized Indians and the Federal Acknowledgment Process. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2004. Discusses the state recognition process, the experiences of several state-recognized tribes (the United Houma Nation of Louisiana, and the Tigua/Pueblo of Ysleta Del Sur and Alabama Coushatta Tribes of Texas- the latter two are federally recognized), and the problems of non-federally acknowledged indigenous communities.
• Bates, Denise. The Other Movement: Indian Rights and Civil Rights in the Deep South. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2011. Details state recognition and the functioning of state Indian commissions in Alabama and Louisiana.
• Federalism and the State Recognition of Native American Tribes: A survey of State-Recognized Tribes and State Recognition Processes Across the United States
• "BIA list of petitioners for recognition by state as of 22 September 2008
• BIA status summary of petitions for recognition as of 15 February 2007"
• Testimony of Leon Jones, Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and Dan McCoy, Tribal Council Chairman, on the Indian Federal Recognition Administrative Procedures Act of 1999
• Joint resolution of the Cherokee Nation and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians opposing fabricated Cherokee "tribes" and "Indians" (acknowledges the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians)
• U.S. GAO - Indian Issues: Federal Funding for Non-Federally Recognized Tribes Published April 12, 2012