Cecile Hansen. Photo by Joe Mabel via Wikipedia

The Duwamish Tribe of Washington has once again been denied federal recognition by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The saga started in 1996, when the BIA said the tribe didn't meet all seven mandatory criteria. But acting former assistant secretary Michael Anderson said the tribe deserved federal status in the final days of the Clinton administration in January 2001.

The new Bush administration quickly put a hold on the decision. In September of that year, former assistant secretary Neal McCaleb denied the tribe federal status.

That prompted the tribe to file a lawsuit in federal court. Twelve years later, a federal judge ordered the BIA to take another look at the matter, a first in the agency's history.

But the victory was short-lived. R. Lee Fleming, the director of the Office of Federal Acknowledgment, determined that the tribe once again does not qualify for federal status.

"This decision is final," Fleming wrote in a letter to Chairwoman Cecile Hansen.

The tribe counts Chief Si’ahl, the namesake of Seattle, as an ancestor. Hansen is the great great grandniece of the chief.

Relevant Documents:
Letter to Chairwoman Hansen | Final Determination

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