Federally recognized tribes
Federally recognized tribes are American Indian tribes that have an official political relationship with the United States government. This recognition is established through various means, including treaties, executive orders, court decisions, and Congressional acts. The status of being federally recognized is important as it allows tribes to access federal services, such as education, healthcare, and housing benefits, which are unavailable to unrecognized tribes. The Federal Acknowledgment Program, initiated in 1978, provides a pathway for unrecognized tribes to gain recognition by meeting specific criteria, including demonstrating continuous existence as a tribe and maintaining a governing body. However, the process can be seen as complex and challenging by some tribes. Historically, policies such as termination in the 1950s led to the disbanding of many tribes, complicating efforts to regain recognition. As of early 2015, there are 566 federally recognized tribes in the United States, ranging in size and governance structures, including numerous small village groups in Alaska. Understanding the nuances of federal recognition is essential for comprehending the broader context of tribal sovereignty and rights in the United States.
Federally recognized tribes
The term “federally recognized tribe” is a US government designation for an American Indian tribe that has official relations with the United States. These relations have been established in various ways through the years—through treaties (treaty making ended in the late nineteenth century), executive orders, court decrees, and acts of Congress, and through meeting the requirements set forth by the Federal Acknowledgment Program. Federal recognition is both a political and economic issue, as recognized tribes are eligible for federal services that unrecognized tribes cannot receive, such as education, housing, and health benefits.
The Federal Acknowledgment Program (a Bureau of Indian Affairs program) was created in 1978. The Federal Acknowledgment Program established criteria and procedures through which unrecognized tribes could attempt to attain recognized status. The creation of a federal recognition process was hailed a victory by some American Indians, but others countered that the requirements are unnecessarily complex, even unfulfillable. Among the criteria is proof of continuous existence as a tribe; the tribe also must have a governing body, be governed by a constitution or similar document, and have membership criteria and a roll of current members.
In the 1950s a government policy known as termination successfully urged many tribes to disband, becoming no longer recognized and thus no longer eligible for government benefits. Subsequently, some terminated tribes attempted to regain recognized tribal status; the regaining of tribal status by the Menominees in 1973 was the first major success. As of early 2015, there were 566 federally recognized tribes. Some of these groups are very small; for example, there are some two hundred Alaskan village groups.
Bibliography
Miller, Mark Edwin. Claiming Tribal Identity: The Five Tribes and the Politics of Federal Recognition. Norman: U of Oklahoma P, 2013. Print.
Pevar, Stephen. The Rights of Indians and Tribes. New York: Oxford UP, 2012. Print.
Ross, Jeffrey Ian, ed. American Indians at Risk. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2014. Print.
Warrior, Robert. The World of Indigenous North America. New York: Routledge, 2015. Print.
Wilkins, David E., and Heidi Kiiwetinepinesiik Stark. American Indian Politics and the American Political System. 3rd ed. Lanham: Rowman, 2011. Print.