The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina has secured full federal recognition from the U.S. government, ending a 137-year campaign that began in 1888. President Trump signed the bill into law, prompting emotional celebrations among tribal members in Washington, D.C. This milestone opens access to vital federal resources for the tribe's 55,000 members.
The Lumbee Tribe's long quest for federal acknowledgment reached its culmination this week when President Trump signed the Lumbee Fairness Act at the White House on Thursday. Included in a $900 billion military spending package, the legislation grants the tribe the same status as other Native American groups, making it the 575th federally recognized tribe in the United States.
Tribal Chairman John L. Lowery, who also serves as a state representative, was among those gathered in Washington, D.C., where he shed tears of joy. "I'm so thankful today for everyone who has helped us along this way — everyone from our ancestors from the late 1880s all the way up to present day. So many people have been a part of this fight," Lowery said in a video shared on the tribe's social media.
The tribe, with members primarily in the southeastern North Carolina counties of Robeson, Hoke, Cumberland, and Scotland, first petitioned Congress in 1888 and received only partial recognition in 1956. Federal acknowledgment now enables eligibility for funding from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, covering areas like housing, education, and health care. Lowery highlighted the importance of Indian Health Services during a Friday press conference: "I do believe that the biggest benefit we're going to receive as a tribe is Indian Health Services. For our people who do not have health care insurance, or our people who have high health care insurance, they will be able to work through Indian Health Services to get services provided to them."
A 2022 Congressional Budget Office estimate projected nearly $250 million in health benefits over four years. The status also supports self-governance and economic development, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs taking land into trust.
North Carolina Governor Josh Stein welcomed the development, noting it would provide access to federal benefits and foster economic opportunities. Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina who sponsored the Senate version, praised the move as correcting a historic injustice.
Trump had issued a January memo directing the Interior Department to aid the tribe's recognition efforts. However, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the state's only previously recognized tribe, opposed the bill, arguing the Lumbee bypassed required historical and genealogical proofs.
As Lowery reflected in a statement, "I know with every fiber of my being that our ancestors are smiling down on us today. After decades of waiting, praying, and fighting, our Tribe has finally crossed a barrier that once seemed impossible to overcome."
More than a dozen other tribes await similar decisions from the Interior Department, a process that can span decades based on strict criteria for community continuity and heritage.
