From Indianz:
The Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians of Michigan are asking the Bureau of Indian Affairs to be treated as a federally recognized tribe.
The Mackinac Bands are considered a part of the federally recognized Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians. But the bands say they are a distinct and self-governing tribe.
The bands wrote a new constitution to reflect their status.
Get the Story:
New Anishinabe Constitution presented (The Cheboygan Daily Tribune 2/12)
Pathetic. Rank hypocrisy, at the very least.
From the NYTs:
More than 200 years late — 31 if you count from the tribe’s petition — the federal government has acknowledged that the Shinnecocks of Southampton, Long Island, are an Indian tribe. Settling that question raises new ones. The Shinnecocks will almost certainly try to build a casino — they have been lobbying as hard for one as they have for recognition — but how big, and where?
The “where” is an especially interesting question. Casinos are usually built on reservation land. The Shinnecocks live on the East End of Long Island, a national depository of wealth, privilege and privacy. When the tribe jumped the gun a few years back and bulldozed part of its property for a bingo hall, the not-in-my-backyard opposition erupting from the dunes and privet hedges was ferocious. And that was just a skirmish.
That is probably why the Shinnecocks are exploring other sites in Suffolk County, at two New York racetracks and in the Catskills. But building an off-reservation casino is itself fraught with uncertainty and regulatory hurdles. The tribe could end up spending many years and lots of money chasing something that is a guaranteed winner only for lobbyists and consultants.
Casinos are also a magnet for tainted money and a handmaiden to addiction, crime and other social ills. That is why we would urge the tribe to spend its energy on finding other ways to leverage its valuable real estate.
A casino is, after all, only a means to an end — to economic vitality, greater respect, a better future for the tribe’s 1,000 members. The Shinnecocks are now in a much better position to pursue that dream. Lack of federal status did more than hamper the tribe’s quest for gambling riches. It also denied it access to federal programs for housing, health care and education.
The Shinnecocks have a long, proud history of self- governance, and advantages that poorer, more remote tribes can only dream of: geography, bargaining power and the support of state officials including Gov. David Paterson, who endorsed their quest for recognition. The good news on recognition would be even better if the tribe could foresee a future apart from slots and dice.
From the Faculty Lounge:
The Shinnecock Indian Nation ended its 30 year battle for federal recognition yesterday, with the Bureau of Indian Affairs approving the Long Island tribe’s petition. The small tribe of 1,066 people is located in Southampton, in the midst of wealthy beach communities.
This comes as a great victory for the Shinnecocks, who are one of the very few tribes who have emerged successful from the recognition process. Currently, there are 564 federally recognized tribes, and only 8 percent of these tribes have ever been individually recognized since 1960. Poor tribes with limited resources have trouble hiring lawyers, lobbyists, and consultants to guide them successfully through the process. The Shinnecocks paid at least $1.74 million since 2005 in their recognition effort.
The process is incredibly rigorous, with recognition standards often tautologically excluding groups whose conception of “tribe” differs from the federal governments. Many tribes, often Northeastern ones, do not fulfill requirements of “significant rates of marriage within the group” and relative isolation from nontribal members. Tribes historically situated near urban areas and those who have incorporated others as family have not been approved, most notably the Mashpee of Cape Cod.
Recognition criteria, as stated in 25 CFR 83.7, can be found here.
(Picture: Shinnecock oyster farming taken by Gordon Grant for the NYT.)
From the Nation’s counsel:
Here is the most recent opinion in Gristede’s Foods v. Poospatuck (Unkechauge) Nation — DCT Order Granting Stay until August 2010
Here is the agenda for tomorrow’s meeting, from SCIA.
Here is the latest opinion in Samish Indian Nation v. United States (Fed. Cl.) — Samish Ct Cl Order
An excerpt:
It is readily apparent that the federal government’s failure to treat plaintiff as a recognized Indian tribe between 1969 and 1996 deprived plaintiff of many of the federal benefits enjoyed by other federally recognized Indian tribes during that time period. However, the relief plaintiff seeks is not available in the Court of Federal Claims. Indeed, if plaintiff is lagging behind some of its sister tribes as a result of the deprivation of federal benefits, its avenue for relief is with Congress.
Here — STNRehearingPetition091125
From the White House press release:
WASHINGTON – On Thursday, November 5th, 2009, President Obama will host the White House Tribal Nations Conference. As part of President Obama’s sustained outreach to the American people, this conference will provide leaders from the 564 federally recognized tribes the opportunity to interact directly with the President and representatives from the highest levels of his Administration. Each federally recognized tribe will be invited to send one representative to the conference.
NPR’s Morning Edition:
From Indianz.com:
Other administration officials expected to attend are: Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Deputy Attorney General David Ogden, HUD Deputy Secretary Ronald Sims, DHS Deputy Secretary Jane Lute, Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli, and Indian Health Service Director Dr. Yvette Robideaux The tentative schedule follows:
9:00–9:30 – Welcome and Opening Remarks
9:30–10:40 – Interactive Discussion with President Obama
10:45-12:15 – Interactive Discussion with Administration Officials
12:15–1:45 – Lunch
1:45-3:00 – Interactive Discussion with Administration Officials
3:15-4:45 – Interactive Discussion with Administration Officials
4:45-5:20 – Closing Remarks
From the SCIA:
Panel 1
MR. GEORGE SKIBINE
Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, DC
Accompanied: MR. R. LEE FLEMING, Director, Office of Federal
Acknowledgement U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, DC
Panel 2
MR. FRANK ETTAWAGESHIK
Chair, Federal Acknowledgment Task Force, National Congress of American Indians, Washington, DC
THE HONORABLE JOHN SINCLAIR
President, Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Havre, Montana
THE HONORABLE ANNE D. TUCKER
Chairperson, Muscogee Nation of Florida, Bruce, FL
MS. PATTY FERGUSON -BOHNEE
Director, Indian Legal Clinic, Tempe, Arizona
Turtle Talk 
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