By the Cherokee One Feather Editorial Board
Gregory A. Richardson, North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs executive director, stood on stage during the Cherokee Indian Fair Veterans Day on Oct. 4 in Cherokee, N.C. He received a Pendleton blanket, necklaces, and other gifts while there from the Steve Youngdeer American Legion Post 143 who hosted the event.
Richardson was happy to be there that morning. He spoke highly of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI). He wasn’t there to cast disparaging remarks. He was there as an invited guest, and he praised the EBCI’s hospitality.
Now, two months later, he has written a letter to Ugvwiyuhi (Principal Chief) Michell Hicks, dated Dec. 6, which “strongly condemns the recent actions and statements made by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) that question the legitimacy of other tribal nations”.
Gregory A. Richardson, left, North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs executive director, stands on stage during the Cherokee Indian Fair Veterans Day on Oct. 4 in Cherokee, N.C. where he received a Pendleton blanket, necklaces, and other gifts while there from the Steve Youngdeer American Legion Post 143 who hosted the event. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photo)
Richardson is talking about the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, a state-recognized group seeking federal acknowledgment through the Lumbee Fairness Act (S.521 and H.R.1101).
The bulk of Richardson’s letter states, “…the defamatory statements made by the EBCI regarding the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina are baseless and have been disproven on numerous occasions. These unfounded assertions not only tarnish the reputation of the Lumbee Tribe but also perpetuate unnecessary division.”
Well, first off, the idea that the EBCI opposes Lumbee recognition is nothing new nor “recent”. It has been going on for decades – back to when the Lumbee sought to be recognized as the Cherokees of Robeson County.
So, the EBCI’s opposition is not new, and it has not been quiet. Multiple EBCI leaders have testified in Congress on this issue over the years. Richardson had to have known that when he came here for the Indian Fair in October. So, what has changed now? It certainly isn’t the thoughts from the EBCI.
If you want to speak about “recent”, then let’s look at what EBCI leaders have been saying on the issue recently. They’ve simply been saying that there is a federal acknowledgment process in place, and they feel the Lumbee are trying to circumvent that process by seeking acknowledgment through the Lumbee Fairness Act.
In a recent statement to the One Feather, Ugvwiyuhi Hicks commented, “On our recent trip to Washington, D.C., Tribal leadership joined with other Tribal Nations to address the dangerous precedent of the Lumbee Recognition Act, which would set bad policy by allowing groups to bypass the federal acknowledgment process. This process has been funded by the House and Senate since 1978. We remain focused and ready to defend the integrity of the federal recognition process and our sovereignty. Recognition is about historical truths and accountability. Attempts to shortcut this process not only threaten the EBCI but also undermine the sovereignty of all Tribal Nations in the U.S. We will continue to monitor this legislation and stand against groups who seek to exploit the system for personal or political gain.”
EBCI leaders aren’t the only ones opposing this issue.
Congressman Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) spoke of the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on Sept. 25 in opposition to the Lumbee Recognition Act and in favor of groups going through the OFA process.
“For over 40 years, the Department of the Interior has carried out a merit-based process, as set out by Congress and administered by the Office of Federal Acknowledgement (OFA), to make determinations on federal recognition of tribes. If the administration or Congress allows the Lumbee to bypass the OFA, it sends a clear message that other groups with dubious claims for tribal recognition can also avoid the deliberation and scrutiny that the OFA petition is designed to provide.”
His remarks continued, “If there was actual merit behind the Lumbee case for federal recognition, they’d go through the OFA process as set out in the law. But, as they know, it won’t hold up under a deliberative process, they’ve instead sought to get special treatment through other avenues, all in the face of credible opposition by multiple federally recognized tribes.”
Cards bearing the logo of the United Indian Nations of Oklahoma were distributed during a General Assembly at the recent Annual National Congress of American Indians Convention and Marketplace. The cards rebutted the history and recognition efforts of the Lumbee and stated the following:
- Shifting claims of tribal ancestry
- Claims to Native ancestry rely on speculation, not historically or genealogically verifiable information
- Lumbee would be the only group to receive recognition without identifying any specific tribe from which they descend.
- Lower recognition standards will open doors for false groups and have profound consequences for legitimate tribes’ cultural resources, sacred places, and ancestral remains.
The card distributed at NCAI contains a QR Code linking to a study on UINO’s website. The study, by Jean M. Kelley, M.A., is entitled “Analysis of Lumbee Historical and Genealogical Claims”.
In the 19-page report, Kelley states, “The totality of Lumbee claims lacks properly attributed historical documentation and relies on speculative connections rather than verified facts.”
In a bizarre twist to this issue, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who introduced the Lumbee Fairness Act, has blocked legislation (S.2088 – Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act) that would place around 40 acres of land on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota into restricted fee status for the Oglala Sioux Tribe and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.
Basically, when passed, the bill would guarantee that no commercial development nor gaming could occur at the site of a major atrocity where the U.S. Army killed over 300 (numbers vary on total killed) Lakota men, women, and children on the icy morning of Dec. 29, 1890, at Wounded Knee Creek.
OJ Semans, executive director of C.O.L.T. (Coalition of Large Tribes), wrote a commentary along with his wife, Barb Semans, which appears in Native News Online. They wrote, “As with many other bills that purport to help Indian Country, Tillis blocked it from proceeding, trying to force his colleagues to address his Lumbee recognition bill, circumventing the Department of the Interior’s standard administrative tribal recognition process.
I do not believe Senator Tillis contacted the Lumbee prior to blocking the Wounded Knee legislation, but I would be interested in the Lumbee leadership’s stance on his actions. It is our descendants who are negatively affected by his actions. We believe the Lumbee need to respond in support or opposition to Tillis’s use of their issue – at the expense of another Tribe – to meet his own political agenda. The Lumbee’s silence is tacit support.
Senator Tillis, decided to dishonor the memories of hundreds of murdered and wounded Lakota for political leverage for Lumbee recognition. We wonder if he is ignorant of history, or worse, cognizant of it and believes the Medals of Honor were deserved. Either way, it was a horrible event to choose to make a point.”
There is a lot of opposition to the way the Lumbee are going about seeking their recognition. It is incredibly unfair for the N.C. Commission on Indian Affairs to single out Ugvwiyuhi Hicks and the EBCI and give the tribe the moniker of defamers and troublemakers.
One last thing – it should be alarming that the Lumbee sit idly by and allow the Wounded Knee bill to be blocked for their own gain. Now, that is truly troublesome.
