The South Carolina Legislature on Wednesday gave authority to the state's Minority Affairs Commission to recognize tribes.

The commission has to develop criteria for three categories of state recognition. A group could obtain status as a tribe, as a group or as a special interest organization.

The state currently has one federally recognized tribe, the Catawba Nation. The tribe gained recognition through an act of Congress, not through the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

A chief of a South Carolina tribe said he expects 18 groups to seek recognition.

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Legislature approves process to recognize state Indian tribes (AP 5/12)
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Relevant Links:
Minority Affairs Commission - http://www.state.sc.us/cma