WASHINGTON — Bipartisan legislation has been introduced in Congress seeking full federal recognition for the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, whose members make up almost 40 percent of Robeson County’s population.
The legislation was introduced Friday by U.S. Reps. Richard Hudson and Mike McIntyre. Hudson, a Republican, is a freshman legislator from Concord who represents the 8th District, which includes most of Robeson County, and McIntyre, a Lumberton native and Democrat, represents the 7th District, which includes a small slice of the county.
McIntyre has been seeking recognition for the Lumbee tribe since he joined Congress in 1997.
Paul Brooks, chairman of the Lumbee Tribal Council, recently met with Hudson to discuss the legislation.
The Lumbee Recognition Act is the same bill that has been filed during the past three congressional sessions, Brooks said.
“It’s time to do it,” Brooks told The Fayetteville Observer. “Let’s get it done. The whole population of the Lumbee will enjoy a better way of life, and actually the whole area will be blessed.”
The Lumbees have sought federal recognition since 1888. Congress recognized the tribe in 1956, but denied its members financial benefits afforded to other federally recognized tribes.
In 1989, the Lumbees petitioned the Bureau of Indian Affairs for full federal recognition. But the solicitor general said that because of language in the Lumbee Act of 1956, the tribe could only be recognized through Congress.
Lumbee recognition could mean hundreds of millions of dollars a year that would flow into Robeson County to enhance economic development, health care and educational opportunities for the tribe.
“Congressman McIntyre and I have introduced this bill to end the discriminatory policy against the Lumbee tribe and bring forward equal treatment so the Lumbees can receive the same benefits that every other federal tribe currently enjoys,” Hudson said in a statement. “Granting the Lumbees federal recognition is critically necessary to creating jobs and revitalizing a region plagued by chronically high unemployment and a slow economic recovery.”
No group has to date scientifically or genealogically or even culturaly, linguistic proven an irrefutable tie , a real link to any Cheraw or lost colony it is all just some guesses and wishful thinking...however a link to black heritage has been proved so stop being ashamed and go with what you can prove...a Mullato heritage of Robeson county ..oh I forgot ..that doesn't includes federal dollars and a casino !!
respected and admired. My son's card received a stamp. He knew me. That's the way he did it. Watched me grow up and knew my parents. He was authenticly envolved with the community. I guess those that read this will see that I used "I" instead of (you know) that other word.
Ross
Congress clearly knew how to recognize and acknowledge a tribe in 1956 and it is not by "Designation of a name" it is by Acknowledgement and Recognition which was forbid to the Lumbees by the Lumbee Act along with funding ,so stop twisting and distorting the intention of the Act. Recognition as a TRIBE was forbid along with a govt to govt relationship and BARS along with the Funding process forbid to show the intention was not Recognition at all in 1956.
The Lumbees have filed many false petitions before congress under false identities in the past:
BEFORE CONGRESS
1.1910(January24)Introduction of a Federal bill in the U.S.House of Representatives to change the tribes name from"Croatan to"Cherokee"at the request of the Croatans(lumbee)
THE BILL DID NOT PASS
2. 1913(July 10)Introduction of another federal bill in the U.S. Senate to"change the tribes name from Indians of Robeson County to"Cherokee Indians"of Robeson County"by the Lumbee
THE BILL DID NOT PASS
3. 1924(March 20)Introduction of a bill again in the U.S. House to change the tribal name to"Cherokee"by the lumbee
THE BILL DID NOT PASS
4. 1932(May 9).A federal bill was introduced in the U.S.Senate to"RECOGNIZE AND ENROLL the tribe as"Cherokee Indians"at the request of the lumbee(croatan)council.
THE BILL DID NOT PASS
In 1940 the Lumbee seize upon and join the NCAI as Cherokee Indians another false identity.
ATTEMPT TO STEAL A FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES IDENTITY LIKE THE CHEROKEE BILLS FILED AT THE LUMBEE DELEGATIONS OWN REQUEST FOR OVER 40 YEARS TIME PERIOD OVER THE OBJECTIONS OF THE ALREADY EXISTING CHEROKEE NATIONS
Defendant : All Lumbees.
Vs
Judge, jury,etc: Rogay, RossTheWrongOne .
A bill has been proposed to eradicate all racists idiots from posting comments about races other then there own...
BREAKING NeWS......
THE BILL HAS PASSED!
Rogay .. U only comment on issue about Lumbees (red flag there). Ross your just Ross. Lil man .. Let the Lumbees be who they are without the dum comments... Y'all already tricked us out of our land.. Stole is a better word .. Come to the pow wow this weekend and you'll enjoy yourself. Might need to keep your view a to yourself though. Especially lil lumbee hitler "rogay". U need help. Congressional records is it really that serious to u...
Again, thanks and enjoy this as much as reading your paper. I'll read a story in the paper knowing funny entertaining "only in Robeson county" comments and thoughts are waiting to be exposed on here...
Ross
Robesonian Reader
Also blaming the "government" for all the wrongs lately... How 'bout blaming Obama? He's the president, it's his doings. When it was my beloved George W. Bush EVERYTHING including fat ugly people was blamed on him. Every time someone mentioned gas, Bush, the economy, Bush everything was his fault. Now YOU want to blame the government? Ohh no, I'm not gonna let it slip by.
Again folks most democrat voters, and this person I guarantee you votes democrat, are uninformed. They get their news and political info during commercial breaks while watching soap operas or sporting events on TV and music stations on the radio. "Gas is expected to rise today because of a bill Bush passed, unemployment rises after Bush signs new bill, more at 6 tune in". This is how they get their news and to "sound" smart they'll go around repeating those snippits of info they heard.
Now the left wing democrat news media never mentions Obama's name during anything bad, sooo these same folks don't hear his name and can't connect the dots.
Folks, pay attention and stop repeating what you heard during a commercial on TV or music radio.
Get informed or get out the way.
ps. A wise man once said you musn't get down on one's level....
pss. But I say(and I'm wise too) to heck with that advice, sometimes you got to get on down to their level so they'll understand....
Ross, new name: Wise-one.
Hey fella, those three things can be accomplished on our own with hard work and a determination to get somewhere. We don't want or need "their" money. Do you think we are stupid and can't get by without "their" money, I don't think so. I would be ashamed to take another mans money, I HAVE PRIDE.
We are the highest educated, wealthiest group of Indians in the U.S. Take a wild guess why....CAUSE WE DON'T GET FREE MONEY. Free money ruins communities, look around. Hey Brooks, those projects in Pembroke are hidden away for a reason, it's an embarrassment and filled with crime, poverty and drugs. Exactly what the government knew it would do. You keep begging for their money and you'll ruin the rest of this group of people. Free stuff doesn't work.
And this Republican fellow who thinks he's got to cave and bend and beg for the leadership's blessings has just lost me. He'll not get one vote for doing this from these democrats in Robeson county.
Ps. Claiming a race is actually divisive. So why do it. It pits one against another. Pride is meant for the "home and the heart", not shoved down other peoples throats. Mine's better than yours...no mine's better than yours, no it aint, yes it is..yadda yadda... Stop it kids. Keep it to your self....
Ross, American...period.
I stand alone, with my head held high and very proud....
Robeson county native
nothing more nothing less
Wcl
Giving millions to a corrupt "government" ? Just going to line their pockets.
Give a poor man (or women) money and they will be poor again soon. Look to all the lottery winners that fail.
The pride of the Lumbee people is that they are still here. They were not moved. They don't live on the worst patch of land Andrew Jackson could find with their hand palm up in the direction of Uncle Sam. To say that the tribe absolutely needs help from the feds to succeed in this world is an insult to all the Lumbees who are already successful. To say that the tribe deserves money from the feds because of past atrocities committed against people who are long dead by people who are long dead is to play the victim in hopes of victimizing people who had nothing to do with any of it.
I am lumbee and fully understand your perspective of our situation at hand but also realise there are serveral factors, that instead of those mentioned in your argument, would better imply our current state of social disarray. First of all, yes, we do have been given equal opportunity to education. Public schools have been providing this service for generations now and its up to the household snd indivisual to take advantage of the free life changing education that they offer. Even during the school systems more "oppressing" times of segragation students could still and did succeed. The generation that faced the era of the civil rights movement has in many ways prospered more than their grandchildern will. "Pre civil righters" could start out as tenant farmers and become landowners, could go to poor segragated schools and become our first indian lawyers, doctors, and judges. The atrocities that our ancestors faced have not set us back because they endured. They survived, they overcame, they won and all in a much harder, unfair, and unjust time period. The most evident to their success; we ate still here. Now its time for us to not overcome racism, but ourselfs. The choices an indivisual makes will determine their lot in life. The choices our ancestors made raised them above the pitfalls of oppression. Thats how strong the rigjt choice is! If we as a people or even a county would vote out all current public officials (mainly democrat), that would do leaps and bounds more of economic growth and educational reform.
Live happy, be happy, move forward with thought and forget about YESTERDAY... it's over.
ps. If you'd stop reading some of those books you would be much happier. Actually those mean things never happened to us around here, heck we didn't even have to GO WEST when ALL other tribes were forced to, simply because we didn't(and still don't) look like them.....
I know this is the first time you've commented on "the tribe" and I've been waiting to hear how you stood on my favorite folks, and I must say I knew it, I knew it!.... I knew(hoped) you'd have this opinion. I wish more people would start speaking up, out and against what this group is doing and not be afraid they'll be called "that" word.
Donnie, give BBBD a weekly opinion/comment column/heck a whole page...And I could fill in when BBBD takes a day off or something.