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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2002

The Bureau of Indian Affairs official in charge of federal recognition on Tuesday said that a jump in petitions was recorded after the passage of an Indian gaming law in 1988.

Lee Fleming, chief of the Branch of Acknowledgment and Research (BAR), said the reason was due in part to interest in casinos. But he also said there were other contributing factors.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Fleming did not elaborate. According to Indianz.Com, Fleming raised two reasons for the increase in petitions.

One was related to changes the BIA made to the recognition guidelines in 1994. This brought about awareness because of the public rulemaking process, Fleming told the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.

Another factor mentioned were high-level meetings the Clinton White House held on federal recognition. Dozens of representatives of non-recognized tribes took part in discussions held after the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) was passed.

In related recognition news, a decision on the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts has been put on hold pending an appeal of a court order which required the BIA to issue a preliminary determination by June 21. The tribe began seeking recognition nearly 30 years ago.

Get the Story:
Recognition factors for tribes debated (The Las Vegas Review-Journal 6/12)
Decision delayed on Wampanoag recognition (The Cape Cod Times 6/11)

Today on Indianz.Com:
At BIA, recognition a 'glorified Kinkos' (6/12)

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