The Muckleshoot Tribe of Washington is seeking to join a federal recognition lawsuit filed by the Duwamish Tribe. But the Muckleshoots aren't supporting their cousins. Instead, they say the Bureau of Indian Affairs was right to reject the Duwamish Tribe's petition for recognition. The Duwamish won a favorable decision in the final days of the Clinton administration in January 2001. The decision was reversed by the Bush administration in September 2001. The lawsuit says the reversal was politically motivated and was influenced by factors not related to the tribe's history and genealogy. It questions the work of the Branch of Acknowledgment and Research at the BIA and the work of the Office of the Solicitor at the Interior Department. Get the Story:
Duwamish Tribe fights for recognition (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 9/5) Related Stories:
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