The Nation - News from Sept. 22, 1988

The Senate Indian affairs committee approved a bill to recognize the Lumbee Indian tribe of North Carolina but withheld sending the measure to the Senate until it resolved technical problems. Sen. Daniel J. Evans (R-Wash.) told the committee he was concerned that the 110 other Indian tribes currently seeking federal recognition would resent and criticize the bill. He suggested that Congress should amend a 1956 law that appears to recognize the Lumbees but denies the tribe federal benefits. Rep. Charlie Rose (D-N.C.) initiated the legislation in 1974 because he felt the Lumbees represented a unique case since Congress recognized them in 1956 and they have had state recognition for more than a century, said Keith Pitts, the congressman’s legislative director.