WASHINGTON, D.C. — John Lowery is approaching the start of his second month as the elected Lumbee Tribal Chairman.

Lowery spent years as a government official in Washington D.C. working on tribal relations. The tribe says there are 55,000 Lumbee people, many of whom live in Robeson County, N.C.

What You Need To Know

  • The Lumbee Tribe has 55,000 in North Carolina

  • Lumbee Tribe has pushed for federal recognition for more than a century

  • Legislation has passed in the U.S. House, but Senate hasn’t taken it up

  • New chairman says tribe is considering legal action for federal recognition

They were recognized as Indian by the state of North Carolina in 1885. In 1956, Congress did the same on the federal level, but what it did not do is grant them the full benefits of federal recognition which has cost the tribe federal dollars.

“There are a number of programs across the United States government where there are set-asides for only tribes. We are missing out on those set-asides,” Lowery said.

Federal recognition has faced opposition including from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which is the only federally recognized tribe in the state.

“We believe that most Lumbee today cannot demonstrate any native ancestry at all,” EBCI Principal Chief Richard Sneed said while testifying before Congress in 2019.

While there is support from Republican and Democratic lawmakers, recognition has never made it through the full legislative process.

“It’s time for them to do their job,” Lowery said. "It’s time for them to take up this bill and pass."

The U.S. House did pass a bill recognizing the tribe last year, but the Senate has yet to vote on it. It’s a pattern that’s repeated multiple times over the years.

North Carolina Republican U.S. Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis support recognition. In a statement to Spectrum News Tillis said he and Burr recently met with Lowery on a path for the legislation and “hope to get this long-overdue legislation passed this year.”

“I would ask the Senate to get off their behind and get this bill passed. I don’t care about partisanship, I don’t care about the 50/50 split, I don’t care about their elections, I care about our bill getting passed,” Lowery said.

Lowery's frustration could play out in front of a judge. He said the tribe is looking at legal options to get recognition.

“The 1956 act … how it recognizes us and then also takes away our services, we are the only tribe that are still under a law like that since 1956 … so we are definitely looking at legal options so if we have the option to go after them we certainly will,” Lowery said.

Lowery said despite waiting for decades he’s optimistic recognition will happen, whether it’s within the halls of Congress or the walls of a courtroom.