Maryland tribes tired of waiting for recognition

Maryland tribes are "invisible" until the state needs them for an event, the chairwoman of the Piscataway Conoy Tribe said on Sunday.

Chairwoman Mervin Savoy and other tribal leaders welcomed the crew of a boat that has been recreating Capt. John Smith's 1608 journey to Maryland. But tribal leaders said they were tired of waiting for recognition from the state.

We are visible here right now, but through the legislative body, we do not exist," Natalie Proctor, the chairwoman of the Piscataway Nation, told The Washington Post.

Some tribes have attempted to gain recognition from the state but have been rejected due to lack of records.

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