Principal Chief Michell Hicks Denounces Lumbee Bill, Supports Congressman Edwards’ Defense of Tribal Sovereignty

PRESS RELEASE (09-26-2024)
EASTERN BAND OF CHEROKEE INDIANS

Cherokee, NC – Principal Chief Michell Hicks of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) expressed gratitude today for Congressman Chuck Edwards’ support of tribal sovereignty, particularly his opposition to the Lumbee bill. “We extend our sincere thanks to Congressman Edwards for standing with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Indian Country in this critical matter,” said Chief Hicks. “His leadership in opposing the Lumbee Act sends a strong message that the federal acknowledgment process must be respected.”

Chief Hicks’ remarks come in response to a floor speech delivered earlier yesterday by Congressman Edwards in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he voiced strong support for tribal sovereignty and opposed Lumbee efforts to bypass the Office of Federal Acknowledgment (OFA) process to gain federal recognition by Congressional act. Tribal leaders from the EBCI are currently in Washington, D.C., to advocate against the Lumbee bill and uphold the sovereignty of all federally recognized tribes. “False claims to tribal identity cause significant harm to federally recognized tribes and the very people they represent,” Chief Hicks continued. “We are disappointed that the Lumbee group are using their influence in Congress to block legislation that is crucial to the interests of legitimate tribes, such as the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act. It is disheartening that they are pushing their supporters to hinder the return of historic and sacred lands, an issue that many tribes continue to face.”

For years, the Lumbee group has repeatedly claimed connections to the Cherokee and other tribal identities such as the Cheraw, Croatan, and Siouan. In fact, they falsely claimed Cherokee ancestry for over 40 years as part of a North Carolina legislative decision. Further, unlike other southeastern tribes, the Lumbees have no sister tribe in Oklahoma following the forced removal as determined by the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaw and Seminole lost upwards of a third of their people on the march to Oklahoma. The Lumbee were nowhere to be found. Prior to the 1956 Lumbee Act, the name Lumbee did not exist as a Tribal name and the 1956 Act simply identified a five-county area that individuals were able to “self-identify” as Native, aka Lumbee, without a merit-based process. Many federally recognized tribes have strict guidelines for enrollment including mandatory DNA testing to meet their enrollment processes. This strict process is necessary for tribes’ and our survival.

“The Lumbee group’s efforts to bypass the federal acknowledgment process established by the OFA undermines the very integrity of the system,” Chief Hicks said. “This process must be followed. It would be disgraceful to consider any recognition bill without the merits of the OFA process.”

Should the Lumbee bill pass, the Lumbees would become the largest tribe east of the Mississippi River, with individuals potentially being recognized as “full blood” or “4/4” Native Americans despite questionable ancestry and their migration into North Carolina. Chief Hicks concluded, “that any group could be recognized today as all “full blood” is unfathomable.”