Law | National

Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation won't drop federal recognition bid

Monday, July 27, 2015

Leaders of the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation of Connecticut. Chairwoman Katherine Sebastian Dring is first from right on the back row. Photo from EPTN

The Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation of Connecticut will continue pursuing federal recognition despite a new Bureau of Indian Affairs regulation that appears to foreclose another administrative bid.

The tribe won favorable decisions during the Clinton and Bush administrations. But appeals from the state prompted a reconsideration and a denial in 2005.

The BIA was considering a rule that would have allowed the tribe to resubmit a petition to the Office of Federal Acknowledgment. But the Part 83 reforms that were announced last month did not include such a provision.

Newly-elected Chairwoman Katherine Sebastian Dring, however, said the tribe remains hopeful. She didn't offer specifics to The New London Day but vowed to continue fighting.

"We feel confident that there are still avenues for us to regain our federal recognition," Sebastian Dring, whose tribe remains recognized by the state, told the paper.

In addition to issuing a new Part 83 rule, the BIA adopted a policy that requires all groups seeking clarification, affirmation or recognition of their status to follow the same process.

Get the Story:
Eastern Pequots elect chairwoman, endorse development plan (The New London Day 7/26)

Bureau of Indian Affairs Part 83 Federal Recognition Reform Documents:
Press Release | Fact Sheet

Federal Register Notices:
Federal Acknowledgment of American Indian Tribes (July 1, 2015)
Requests for Administrative Acknowledgment of Federal Indian Tribes (July 1, 2015)
Federal Acknowledgment of American Indian Tribes (July 30, 2014)
Federal Acknowledgment of American Indian Tribes (May 29, 2014)