June Ezold, the longtime former chairwoman of the Brothertown Indian Nation of Wisconsin, died of pneumonia on January 14. She was 84.
Ezold ran the tribe for 22 years, the longest of any of its leaders. She started the push to seek federal recognition from the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1995.
The tribe's petition is complete and has been placed on the "ready" list. But a decision that was due in September 2006 has been delayed by the BIA.
The tribe descends from Pequot and Mohegan communities in southern New England. The federal government moved them to New York to live on Oneida Nation territory, but later was removed to Wisconsin along with some Oneidas and Mohicans. The tribe had a 23,000-acre reservation but it was allotted in 1839.
Get the Story:Brotherhood Indian status was Ezold's quest (The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel 1/23) Only on Indianz.Com:
Federal Recognition Database V2.0 (May 2005) Relevant Links:
Brothertown Indian Nation - http://www.brothertownindians.org Related Stories:
BIA timeline on recognition has already slipped (09/26)
Big workload looms for BIA on federal recognition (07/26)
Wisconsin family proud of Black and Indian heritage (02/23)
Wisconsin tribe awaits answer on federal status (06/28)
