The Brothertown Indian Nation of Wisconsin will ask Congress to restore its federal recognition after the Bureau of Indian Affairs declined to take action.

In a press release, acting assistant secretary Del Lavedure said the tribe's federal recognition was terminated by an act of Congress in 1839. That means only Congress can restore the tribe's status.

The tribe is made up of descendants of Pequots and Mohegans who left New England in the late 1700s. Its members originally lived among the Oneida Nation in New York before being removed to Wisconsin.

The Oneida Nation in Wisconsin has maintained key records of the Brothertown Nation.

Get the Story:
Brothertown Nation will ask Congress for help with tribal status (The Fond du Lac Reporter 9/18)
Brothertown Nation history secure thanks to Oneidas (The Green Bay Press-Gazette 9/18)