Lumbee Tribe

Lumbee Tribe

The Lumbee are one of eight state-recognized Native American tribes in North Carolina. The Lumbee are concentrated in Robeson County on the southern border of the state. They chose the Lumbee name in 1952, drawing inspiration from the primary waterway traversing Robeson County, called the Lumber River because of the extensive 19th-century timber trade in the region. The Lumbee are not a federally recognized tribe, and their attempts to gain federal recognition are a source of continuing controversy.

The Lumbee of Robeson County were first recognized as Indians in 1885 by the State of North Carolina. At that time they were declared to be "Croatan Indians." On multiple occasions over the next 130 years, the Lumbee unsuccessfully sought federal recognition under the Croatan and other names. The ethnicity of the Lumbee has been controversial. The Lumbee currently identify as descended from remnants of historic Siouan-speaking tribes in the region.

In 1956, the United States Congress passed H.R. 4656, known as the Lumbee Act, which recognized the Lumbee as Native American people. With the people's agreement, the act was limited, as it did not provide for customary services through the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Since then, the Lumbee have sought full federal recognition through congressional legislation.

Congressional legislation extending federal recognition to the Lumbee is opposed by the U.S. Department of the Interior and most federally recognized tribes. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is the only federally recognized tribe in North Carolina, and it has opposed Lumbee efforts to gain federal recognition. In 2009, legislation for federal recognition of the Lumbee was approved in committees of the House and Senate, but the bill did not make it to the floor for a vote in the next session.

In December 2011, Paul Brooks was elected as chairman of the Lumbee tribe. He is the fifth chairman in the decade since the tribe established its government.