The Bureau of Indian Affairs said it won't recognize a court decision that declared the Shinnecock Nation of New York to be a legitimate tribe.

Jim Cason, the acting head of the BIA, wrote a letter to Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) saying the tribe must go through the federal recognition process. "The Department of the Interior does not consider the Shinnecock petitioner to be a federally recognized Indian tribe," the letter stated, Newsday reported.

Last November, U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Platt had ruled that the Shinneocks were a tribe based on U.S. Supreme Court precedent. The federal government withdrew from the case and Cason says the BIA is not bound by the decision.

Get the Story:
Feds: Shinnecocks not a tribe (Newsday 1/5)

Court Decision:
New York v. Shinnecock Nation (November 7, 2005)

Only on Indianz.Com:
Federal Recognition Database V2.0 (May 2005)

Relevant Links:
Shinnecock Nation - http://www.shinnecocknation.com

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