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In 1885, the Lumbee were recognized by the State of North Carolina as Croatan Indians. They unsuccessfully sought federal recognition thereafter. In 1952, after a request from tribal members, the Robeson County Commissioners conducted a tribal referendum on the tribal name. Tribal members voted for adoption of the name "Lumbee Indians of North Carolina". The Lumbee claim to be descendants of the Cheraw and related Siouan-speaking tribes originally inhabiting part of the coastal regions of the state of North Carolina. Some members claim to be descendants of the Iroquoian-speaking Tuscarora tribe, who before 1722 inhabited northeastern North Carolina. In 1956, the United States Congress passed H.R. 4656, known as the Lumbee Act, which recognized the Lumbee as Native American people, but did not recognize them as an official tribe. In consultation with the tribe, as a condition of recognition Congress excluded the Lumbee from receiving the federal services ordinarily provided to federally recognized tribes through the Bureau of Indian Affairs. As the only tribe in this circumstance, the Lumbee have since sought full federal recognition through congressional legislation. Such recognition through congressional legislation is supported by some federally recognized tribes and opposed by others, including the Tuscarora Nation of New York, most recently in 2007. The Cherokee Nation has supported the Lumbee efforts for federal recognition, with statements from principal chiefs, including the late Wilma Mankiller (1985-1995). The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (of North Carolina) have consistently opposed Lumbee efforts to gain federal recognition. |