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White House plan for full recognition of Lumbee Tribe still in the works, tribal chairman says

WUNC | By Aaron Sánchez-Guerra
Published April 29, 2025 at 5:27 PM EDT
A group of men at the 35th Annual Carolina Indian Circle Powwow perform traditional drumming and singing of the Life by the River canoe song. It is performed at ceremonies, gatherings and powwows, according to UNC-Pembroke's Museum of the Southeast American Indian.
Jon Gardiner
/
UNC-Chapel Hill
A group of men at the 35th Annual Carolina Indian Circle Powwow perform traditional drumming and singing of the Life by the River canoe song. It is performed at ceremonies, gatherings and powwows, according to UNC-Pembroke's Museum of the Southeast American Indian.

Updated on April 30, 2025

President Donald Trump's order for his government to fast-track the full federal recognition of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina is still ongoing, according to Tribal Chairman John Lowery.

On Jan. 23, President Trump issued a memo to the U.S. Department of Interior to develop a plan within 90 days to find a long sought-after legal pathway for Lumbee recognition.

"The DOI has done a good job in consulting with us over the 90-day period," Lowery told WUNC. "We are awaiting the White House to formalize the report and send it over to congressional leadership. We are patiently waiting to see the finalized DOI report and look forward to Congress moving quickly to pass the Lumbee Fairness Act."

Read the full story for free here.
Aaron Sánchez-Guerra
Aaron Sánchez-Guerra covers issues of race, class, and communities for WUNC.
See stories by Aaron Sánchez-Guerra