What Does it Mean to be a Federally Recognized Tribe?

[@TimetravelingArchaeologist]

My own tribe didn't get federally recognized until 2019. It's ridiculous how many years that was fought for, and how long and hard people are still fighting to be recognized still.

[@4thdimensionalexplorer]

And even today I am sure folk are offended. I just don't get it.

[@erenjaeger1738]

We wuzzz white and shiitzzz

[@juanayala2640]

Tribe or not I recognize native americans. Unlike me the U.S is gatekeeping the whole indigenous people all of the Americas.

[@tashenamason]

Ours still isn't, because they said we didn't maintain a relationship with the government after they tried to eradicate us... Huhhh, ya don't say...

[@Majima669]

​@juanayala2640 how is the U.S. gate keeping natives?

[@JurassicLion2049]

Growing up it was hard to wrap my brain around that not only was my family Yaqui but that because we weren’t part of any bands that got federally recognized that “we didn’t count”.

[@DM5550Z]

Its a stringent process bc many are fake. Not all state recognized tribes are fake, the yaqui are generally real but the state recognized tribes especially in north carolina tend to be biracials who in the reconstruction era adopted an indigenous identity to escape the one drop rules racism. This is proven by dna studies and genetic tools like 23andme, Ancestrydna, and Gedmatch which all point to early White and Black American ancestry; ex. High Angolan from early angolan slaves brought to virginia and the carolinas, romani people who were brought earlier, etc. gulf coast tribes which are state recognized are often real though, like houma and they score a decent amount of local dna proving indigenous descent.

[@4thdimensionalexplorer]

That's downright evil too. People say these things were sins of the past, and yet the wounds to humanity remain untreated even now. You deserve better.

[@Timmaaaaaaaaaaaaay]

I'm Houma and they said we don't count cause other tribes mixed with us and we're not "pure" anymore and an oil company is getting in the way because they don't want us to have land

[@DM5550Z]

@ Houma are one of the few state recognized tribes with legit descent and that deserve recognition in my opinion. They actually score the genetic region for their area and are infinitely more legit than lumbee who score sub 1% indigenous always and have historical reasons for identifying as indigenous and forming lumbee identity (they were early biracials black and white in the south)

[@Timmaaaaaaaaaaaaay]

@@DM5550Z yeah I'm just recently starting to learn this kind of stuff but I definitely know that we should be recognized federally. The more I learn the crazier it is to me that we aren't already.

[@brigjack7789]

My tribe (modoc/Klamath) has a complicated history with the US govt. They tried to unrecognize us in the 60s. We fought and got our federally recognized back in 1978. Sadly during that time the govt took the timber business, ranches, homes, and tried to buy out tribal members to say they weren't native. That's why we have a city and not a Rez, and tribal hunting and fishing on federal nation forest that were originally ours. Heck it took all tribes, farmers and US citizens to fight and free Klamath river from the dam to save the fish and water. Together we are stronger

[@XLseattle]

Congratulations on getting those dams removed - may The Klamath and their river prosper

[@Gaidarification]

What is the situation with your native language?

[@suzdeangelo2314]

I was going to say the Klamath Tribe of Oregon before I read the rest of the article, which you explained. I lived in Grants Pass, Roseburg/Winchester. My first son was born in Roseburg, Oregon. This was 1970. We recognized the tribe around Klamath Falls, so what was up with the feds? Lobbying from rich loggers & greedy land owners, who are the wealthy. It's sickening. And, since Trump is in again, it might be horrible. He's the same clueless & entitled man who wanted the government to take away land rights from tribes for one of his pet projects. Then he couldn't understand why it wasn't done. With his billionaire foreigners, I'm sure they will try that crap again & may succeed. Remember Standing Rock? Hosing down First Nation People, elderly & children, in the dead of winter, to make them move. That was Betsy Devoss's brother's company, Black Water. She's some Christian, isn't she? It's a mercenary group that Trump pardoned for their atrocities in Iraq. Trump & his cronies were behind that atrocity at Standing Rock. I was horrified to see it. Heads up. Be vigilant. They are ignorant & ruthless. I wish they would all go to Mars. Leave us to clean up their mess on Earth. They'd self-destruct on Mars, as well. Then, sooner or later, would want to come home to Earth. Steal it back, again, & ruin it once more. I can only pray that they all go away to the rich(money) playground in the solar system. Good riddance.

[@bjdefilippo447]

To my mind, a Tribe's oral history IS primary documentation. To require someone to prove that an invading culture recognized you as Indigenous is insulting and offensive. It's well past time the process was updated.

[@4thdimensionalexplorer]

True words! All of humanities oldest wisdom was carried in story and song. Every culture, every people and every nation owed debt to that legacy. History was kept long before we even had concepts of writing.

[@Tezcatlipokaa]

That’s inane and infantile, just because someone claims something doesn’t mean it’s true Countless racist like to claim they’re the master race and by your logic we should accept that at face value 💀

[@paulg3012]

And now the invading parasites want mass deportations of illegal immigrants, how ironic.

[@victoriaeads6126]

Right? wtf??!

[@nxtvim2521]

exactly: North American tribes didn't get the opportunity that mesoamerican tribes did Aztecs and Maya had calendars (and are Mexico's namesake) but plains and appalachian tribes are so vastly different to mesoamerica and south american tribes. it is genuinely like comparing Egypt and Ethiopia: to tribal africa and India youd expect the egyptians and ethiopians to write, but the Africans and Indians to know many language and liturgy saved as oral traditions (and those who can write, write well) so yeah,

[@beaconofchaos]

I love when larger channels that aren’t native run do well-researched videos on Native people but I hate that the comments almost always have people (normally not Native) inserting their opinion about how we should look or what our genetic layout should look like. 1. We are not a monolith, there are 600+ Nations in the US alone and around 2,000 in the entirety of the Americas. We all have the shared history of oppression by Euro-colonial states. However, we all also have our own individual histories shaped by the actions different nations took and how we interacted with different colonizing forces. 2. There is no “Native look” even between people who are not mixed there are phenotypic differences (a Cree person does not look like a K’iche person does not look like an Aymara person, etc). This means you can’t look at someone and tell if they are Native or not. You also cannot tell someone’s genetics by looking at them because phenotype does not always reflect genetics.

[@mrbaab5932]

That is why DNA testing needs to be done.

[@JerzCe73]

YESSS

[@andrebey7944]

There's definitely a native look!

[@andrebey7944]

​@@mrbaab5932you don't need to if you know your history! Most would fail cause they're 5$ indians!

[@beaconofchaos]

@@andrebey7944 not really lol, Andean people look different than Mesoamericans, who look different than Plains people, who look different than Southwestern people who look different than Amazonians.

[@brucelachniet8698]

I am Indian. I am not a casino. They destroy the land drill for oil and disrespect all that our creators gave us. I quit the Grand Traverse Band because they kicked the elders off our land and put up casinos. I'm 21 years older than the Grand Traverse band. The only reason to recognize the tribes was to give us numbers, that way they could find the children to send them to the Boarding schools. That is how they found me. Because the Ottawa Chippewa roll lists our name and who are ancestors were. They took my soul when they put me on the roll.

[@ChristopherMcGirt]

You sound like a pretindian. Sorry

[@ueau]

Build healing centers not addiction centers (casinos)

[@NewsStripper]

@@ueauMoney heals, now butt out!!

[@jah5594]

​@ueau those don't make money though...

[@AdrienneLohn]

When Ausable burned, our tribal records were lost. Great-grandfather put white on his children's birth certificate to prevent seizure of the children and to ensure his sons could find employment.

[@LarryRobinsonintothefog]

I'm Choctaw Of Oklahoma and native peoples should be recognized, this was our land first.

[@DM5550Z]

Well the thing to be cautious about is many are simply not indigenous. Ex. Cherokee tribe of alabama, and a lot of the NC state recognized tribes. Lumbee for example are biracial black and whites who adopted native identity to escape the persecution of Jim Crow. Genetically, on reliable services like 23andme and ancestry they score zero indigenous yet like every other tribe and latinos scores it because they dont have beyond the average in their region for native descent. They score large angolan since they have angolan ancestry which points to the earliest slaves brought to virginia, who intermarried with whites forming a unique biracial ethnic group. Romani were also classified as free people of color, allowing their communities to intermarry and why traces of soith asian indian in them are not rare. Louisiana state recognized tribes like houma though genetically score descent from southeastern us tribes above average, indicating authentic native descent.

[@breathnstop]

​@DM5550Z its complicated. But I think any tribe with even minimal blood lines deserves the dignity and investment oof recognition. Certainly to the extent of any incorporated town.

[@feliciafelicia6965]

​@DM5550Z that is not who the lumbee are and will never be. Do not spread false information.

[@DM5550Z]

@@breathnstopI mean, if the group historically has negligible native descent entirely and only became organized recently, has no language at all its suspicious and genetics prove an early american colonial origin. Statistically, they have no higher native than the surrounding white or black people, so if they should be recognized whats stopping like tens of millions of descendants in the south from organizing new tribes lol. Its a slippery slope

[@DM5550Z]

@ Ik i would get a response like this, but its genetically true. Theres many lumbee results up from reliable services even used for studies and health screening such as 23andme, and they dont detect any elevated indigenous. Its rarely above 1%, and most of it is biracial african american and european, with higher angolan and south asian indian traces due to romani,

[@melissabruhn1429]

Thank you PBS. Tribes deserve to be sovereign and federally recognized.

[@xxkittnenxx]

Thank you for this video. There's a tribe from my hometown that has only been federally recognized for about 5 years, and I never quite understood what that meant, so thanks for explaining.

[@SpecialSP]

First, THANK YOU for this video. It is leading me on a quest about some friends of mine in VA. The Monacan People in Virginia were listed in the census as "colored." Walter Plecker was the name of the AH who did this. This was done through the Racial Integrity Act of 1924 which stated that you were either white or "colored!" As the head of Virginia’s Bureau of Vital Statistics from 1912-1946, Plecker was responsible for ensuring that all infants born in Virginia received birth certificates that included their racial designation. An active eugenicist, Plecker used bureaucracy as a weapon against Black and Indigenous people across the state of Virginia. The law was not rescinded until 1967. Apparently, Plecker was cited by Hitler and his racism was part of his foundation for eugenics and the Holocaust! My friend Chief Kenneth Branham always thought he was black. The kids were not permitted to ride the bus to school, therefore, they missed a lot of education as a result. This was in the 1970s!!! He had never heard of the Monacan People until he did his own research. After a many years long fight, Kenneth "won" his tribes recognition in 2018. (The only negative thing about this, IMHO, is pmuRt was the president who signed the paper work!) If anyone is interested, there is a video on PBS called "Life In The Heart Land | Monacan Nation." Again, Thank You … A'ho

[@dakotaridgek9]

Love that you shared the story of Plecker. Im in Virginia as well, however i am from two federally recognized tribes and just happened to be raised out here. I support federal recognition for all of these state recognized tribes. Did you follow the #TrailOfTruth ride? I hope you learn about it. ❤

[@yosoyileana1990]

My husband's tribe isn't federally recognized " The Esselon Nation " of the northern Bay area in California.

[@erenjaeger1738]

Thats bc most of them are white folks

[@TonyMaldonado-cv6lv]

ur Husbands a Buster thats why 😅 Im Native to SUR13ce Califas ||:. "Ninos De La T13rra Tribe" they call me Night Krawler cuz no one can Creep like me.

[@Apefromaslum]

I'm a Lipan Apache, great⁴ grandson of chief Juan Castro, we aren't a federally recognized tribe, and on top of that most of us (my family descending from Juan) were born in the ghettos of Houston... Engineered poverty is class war. Poverty in general is class war. #TakeThePowerBack

[@allisonguthrie8257]

I think important to talk about the fact that there are some state-recognized tribes who have not received federal recognition at least in part because the tribes they claim as relatives, don’t claim them back. You did mention this very briefly but it’s an important point. An example of this is the Abenaki of Vermont. The Abenaki across the border in Canada say they don’t know these people, they are not Abenaki, they are white people claiming a false identity for personal benefit, or that their Abenaki ancestry is so incredibly distant and small that the Canadian Abenaki no longer recognize them as Abenaki people. They’ve been advocating for their nonrecognition as a tribe for years. It is important to understand that not all organizations that want to be recognized as an Indigenous Nation, really are one. There are people doing this in bad faith for advantages, and others doing it out of a misguided desire while ignoring the will and recognition of the tribes they supposedly claim as relatives. Similarly in Canada we have some groups in Eastern Canada who claim a Métis identity, but are rejected by all the Métis governments, all their claims to historic nationhood have been rejected by judges, and they are considered offensive to the sovereignty of the actual Métis.

[@sandyMlud]

👏

[@gnostic268]

Exactly. Some fake non-Native people try to self-Indigenize and create issues for other Native tribes waiting for federal recognition and the National Congress of American Indians is a pan-Indigenous sh*tshow that makes decisions for all enrolled Natives in federally recognized tribal nations. Standing Rock claims all enrolled members for funds from the Bureau of Indian Affairs but do not give off-rez enrolled members any voting rights with regard to decisions made by the SR tribal councils. So when the tribal councils elect a representative to the NCAI and the NCAI makes decisions that affect all members of federally recognized tribes, we are not allowed to have a say in those decisions. So it is not true representation. The NCAI decided to not recognize some tribes with state recognition who are waiting for federal recognition. Many people do not agree with this decision but the NCAI does not care so they are not truly representing me or others despite their claims.

[@Duganimated]

I also feel like this part of the video was disappointingly brief. What are the federally recognized tribes saying? That question was quickly dismissed.

[@sandyMlud]

@Duganimated There is no blanket response from all of Indian country. But I can say what my Tribal communities think as a majority (again, not all). We trust if any tribe can pass the federal application is deserving of the recognition. It only ask what we ourselves can prove, we've maintained our language and customs, we can show our history going back to contact, we have history with other tribes (this is one many get hung up on) and maintained community. Among a few others. We don't expect any tribe seeking recognition to prove any more or less. There are exceptions to this. Some tribes have lost recognition many years ago for evil political reasons like the Menomonee. And we as tribes across the country stood by them until they got their recognition back. You can look into the Termination Era that did many tribes dirty. It's so hard to get into this question because their is so many factors. The quick answer is if a tribe deserves federal recognition we stand behind them. If they dont...

[@Duganimated]

​@@sandyMludThanks for the response. This is similar to what I've heard from tribal members I know in New England. I think PBS missed an opportunity here to inform the viewer as to why the recognized tribes they mention oppose recognition. The documentarians didn't let those tribes speak for themselves.

[@BrittneyHillsbery]

My tribe the Chinook peoples of the PNW, had recognition in 2001, but it was quickly rescinded. This piece is blowing my mind, I've never seen light shine on this issue. We must persevere. Keep on, friends.

[@robertlloyd122]

I'm sorry that happened. How was it rescinded? (Thinking the date of 2001 may have something to do with it.)

[@BrittneyHillsbery]

@@robertlloyd122 The Chinook Indian Nation gained federal recognition in Jan 2001 during the Clinton administration's final days, but this was reversed by the Bush administration in July 2002. While the Bureau of Indian Affairs claimed we hadn't demonstrated continuous existence as a tribe, our people have lived at the mouth of the Columbia River since time immemorial, and our language - Chinuk Wawa - was so essential it became the primary trade language throughout the Pacific Northwest in the 1800s and extended even into the 1900s. The BIA's 2002 decision ignores this clear, documented presence in the region. Our tribe continues to seek recognition today, highlighting the complex challenges many Native nations face in the federal recognition process despite their undeniable historical significance. Thank you kindly for your question and interst.

[@robertlloyd122]

@BrittneyHillsbery Thank YOU. Reversed by Bush and Company is exactly what I frickin thought. 😡

[@BrittneyHillsbery]

It would be incorrect to blame the Bush admin solely, the internal politics of the tribes are such that there is competition for the resources that the US Govt is willing to provide. We recently won a court case against the BIA to receive a Trust they stated we must to be recognized to receive. The fortunate outcome of that case forced the BIA to reconsider the ban on re-petitioning the Office of Federal Acknowledgement for recognition. All of this to say progress is slow, but there is hope.

[@robertlloyd122]

@BrittneyHillsbery Great insight, thanks again.

[@ldbarthel]

I have a bit more familiarity with the native peoples of my home, the Lenni Lenape. As I understand it, they were not recognized by the government because their leadership was a council of mothers - there was no single chief to sign a treaty. Their art cannot be marketed as Lenni Leape works - they must be labelled as "Lenape heritage". The burial grounds and other sacred spaces are monitored by trusted members of the tribe and are not disclosed to outsiders - lacking recognition, they have no legal foundation to protest intrusion or manage any academic endeavors. Granted, I've been out of the area for several decades, but I have no reason to believe the situation has improved. Personal note: My grandfather insisted there was an "Indian princess" in our family tree. While that may be an exaggeration, I've been told by tribal members that it may hold some truth: many Lenape chose to pass themselves off as Pennsylvania Dutch as the need arose.

[@DM5550Z]

Claiming indian descent is common in the united states; especially the south, and was often used to conceal african ancestry you can check dozens of ancestry posts that score zero indigenous on the most reliable tools and sometimes even get african instead. Cherokee descent is common to claim, and the tribe has to constantly call out fake groups. Many tribes get rejected because they simply are not tribes in the first place.

[@Vmberj]

Lenape history is evident all over PA. I believe the princess is Hannah Indian/Freeman. Its little history on her but she is remembered all over.

[@drmutantxfactor]

@@DM5550ZThere are many of us who have African indigenous and American indigenous heritage. DNA isn’t the reliable source folx think it is; the population data is questionable when many tribal members refused to be “sampled” for sequencing. Your genealogy family tree is more reliable and if there are American native branches, you will find them in the records.

[@DM5550Z]

@ Well dna tests such as 23and me are reliable since it calculates by genetic distance; even if your population is undersampled, it calculates by distance from the reference (for example, Lakota and Mayan people as reference) and since pre contact indigenous americans are all of the same race, the original dna cant be mistaken for european or african because they are a group that has clustered together genetically over thousands of years of isolation. Furthermore, they have thousands of lumbee samples anyway and have their own genetic community; and its not indigenous american after literally thousands of tests by members of their community. People denying it is ludicrous via saying its a misread, Its like mistaking nigerian dna for chinese, its absurd. The people arguing its a misread are going into european native american or african native american conspiracy implication at that point if they think native americans are genetically close enough to european and african to not register it as native and instead African or European.

[@gamingcultist]

I live in Lenni Lenape territory, south eastern PA. Not much has improved for them, sadly.

[@Gervais-l7x]

So many Choctaw avoided the trail of tears by marrying into the local black population.... That's my documented ancestry

[@drmutantxfactor]

Same!

[@RasheedGazzi]

I'm going to have to disagree with you on that just a little.

[@Gervais-l7x]

@RasheedGazzi ..... So what's the " little "disagreement?

[@RasheedGazzi]

@Gervais-l7x Some of our people in fact a lot of our people ended on the Trail of Tears along with the Choctaw and other nations. Many also escaped it and escaped along with the Creek into Florida. They are called the Seminole. They never surrendered.

[@jinx18e]

​@@tempusername-l5dmy great great great grandmother said that she wouldn't leave her land one way or another.

[@terenceconnors9627]

I served with a Lumbee man who spoke with us about his people's fight to be recognized. It's an important and sobering story.

[@kingduncanthane5216]

The problem with Lumbee people is that they have little to no Native blood. See the Lumbee Indian DNA project.

[@tylerwhorff7143]

I just recently signed a petition for Chinook Wawa, the local native tribe where I live

[@brandon9172]

You must be in Pacific County too eh? Its a shame they aren't recognized, it'd help out the entire community (not just the Chinook) a ton.

[@deanbardos1950]

My family is from AL. Cherokee Muskogee + blk wht... i have heard soooo many stories about nations, bands hiding out, and never being found. The whole jim Crow and blk laws really messed w ppl. And i heard of Cherokees who had also stayed, members of the 5, and even heard of some coming bk from OK to AL. There's so much history. All of us must be recognized! We are STILL HERE!

[@AmbDW]

Reading the result and them saying that they were identified as other things makes me think of the classification system that we had back then with things like “the one drop rule” I’m so glad she touched on what might have caused them to identify as other than Indian in the video! Let’s not forget that this country didn’t make it easy for ALL people to be free to be who they TRULY are.

[@spacemonkey4010]

I moved from MS to MT reservation when I was 13. Culture shock. This part of the government isn’t all that familiar to most people who don’t live like this.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Just saw a video about this earlier in the day. Can’t wait to learn more.

[@John-cr2tn]

The tribe that took care of Lewis and Clark on the west coast, the Chinook, weren't recognized when I was a kid and I don't know if they have to this day even though I went to school with them. A type of salmon was named after them but they weren't recognized always blew my mind.

[@BrittneyHillsbery]

The Chinook Indian Nation gained federal recognition in Jan 2001 during the Clinton administration's final days, but this was reversed by the Bush administration in July 2002. While the Bureau of Indian Affairs claimed we hadn't demonstrated continuous existence as a tribe, our people have lived at the mouth of the Columbia River since time immemorial, and our language - Chinuk Wawa - was so essential it became the primary trade language throughout the Pacific Northwest in the 1800s and extended even into the 1900s. The BIA's 2002 decision ignores this clear, documented presence in the region. Our tribe continues to seek recognition today, highlighting the complex challenges many Native nations face in the federal recognition process despite their undeniable historical significance.

[@Justin-yc1ig]

They literally have a military helicopter called the Chinook that's been in service since I was a small child in the 80s at least.

[@jordantymony7728]

It’s insane how non natives are determining if we are native enough

[@faxxx8230]

Easiest example is how they call the people with the most native blood “illegals”

[@RedEdgedSavage]

​@faxxx8230 . How's that ? Can't someone have " native blood " and still be from another place who snuck in here ? I mean..you can be Incan and come from Peru and be illegal here if snuck in..in the government's eyes

[@OG.Stangs]

7:40 this tribe deserves their federal recognition asap

[@strangecoasteroutdoors799]

Why? they dont speak choctaw and they can't prove a connection to the choctaw people and no choctaw bands claim them. Evidence shows that they are mixed black and white claiming to be native to try to escape jim crow. Show why should they get credit for being native or get access to funds that were set aside for natives?

[@ChiefRedEarth]

Thank you. I pray ...'Make America Native Again' .

[@Shamazya]

Hope they get the recognition they're aiming for!

[@jamiesprinkbob]

Literally insane that tribes that are recognized by states…. Aren’t recognized by the country

[@raymondalverez5999]

💕💝 Our Ancestors were and are still in our family. NATIVE CULTURE IS ALIVE AND THRIVING 🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@101kurtj]

These people deserve recognition. Their ancestors deserve to have their memories carried on. Keep fighting. ❤

[@Kalleeil]

All Trbes need to unite and start working together. it's time, i know you feel it.

[@FemiNelson-sb1em]

I so agree. It truly is a very needed stand. Paz be with us all 🙏. "Sra Isa"

[@jasonfromguitarcenter]

Impossible When Historical Beef Re-Ignite Again

[@Kalleeil]

@@jasonfromguitarcenter fed

[@TacticusPrime]

It seems to me that a broader coalition of American Indians would have more leverage when it comes to negotiations with states and the federal government. Rather than tribes each fighting on their own, and the wealthy like the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community keeping all their wealth to themselves, a confederacy of some sort could relieve poverty, put pressure on justice enforcement, and directly deal with the BIA from a position of power.

[@gee8419]

Some federations already exist, I don't know every single one but I know for sure the Mandan Hidatsa and Arikara tribes in North Dakota collaborate as the Three Affiliated Tribes to interface with entities like the North Dakota Department of Health.

[@TacticusPrime]

@@gee8419 Sure, but that affiliation goes back over a hundred years and incorporates tribes who began living together. I'm talking about a much broader confederacy extending across the country and among otherwise linguistically and culturally unrelated groups. Individual tribes have maybe 10-15 thousand of members at the very high end. But there are 2.8 million Native Americans in the US all together. That is influence.

[@bobbirahmirres3638]

Great series as always ❤

[@stephanieb.9147]

I went to school with a few of the mowa kids and they are a very diverse looking group of people. The way history happened with the ancestors hiding during the trail of tears, facing Jim Crow segregation and more than likely marrying either black or white to have a racial identity. I pray they will get federal recognition one day.

[@michaelsilver253]

Really happy to see a big channel cover this issue, and mentioning that some of the opposition comes not from government but from established, federally recognized tribes. My tribe, the Haliwa-Saponi, are in a situation similar to the Mowa Choctaw. Few in number they effectively hid from the native removals of the 19th century, which by its nature makes generating the amount of written evidence the government demands for recognition very difficult. We have state recognition (NC) but not federal. Like the people shown in this video nearly if not all of us at this point are mix race genetically between native, white, and black, but we have an established functioning community with its own school, cultural programs, tribal grounds, etc going back into at least the 19th century. It is a thorny, nuanced issue obscured by time and uncertainty, but this video hit the currently set up on its head by referring to it as one size fits none.

[@Beepboopbeepboopbeepboo]

Cmon PBS lets go

[@travelingva]

Im puerto ricam and we arent recognized as native american at deapite many of being as or more native than any other ancestry...for that matter most latinoes should eb counted as natives mixes race or not...but the govt does not want so many people thinking of themselves as native and legally recognized natives think they are special deapite most being mixed themselves

[@Hardcore_Ant]

​@@DM5550Zindigeneity is cultural more than a "DNA scoring". The whole blood quantum thing is a race science that Europeans invented, and doesn't reflect the reality that indigenous peoples have historically been diverse. Most Puerto Ricans or Boricuas are the modern descendants of the Taino, african and caribe indigenous peoples, regardless of bloodline.

[@travelingva]

@DM5550Z indigenous people and their descendant have a right to reengage their cultural heritage and own that identity ... there are no pure anything...and by your logic there ahould be no balck people since thwy are largely mixed have no kmowledge of or affiliation yp their language or culture but cam amd still are called black, we are mixed race native americans whther i know my native language or not whther i am 25% or 50..and aome puertonrican are even higher but blood quantum is stupid anyway...you can get a pure blooded aftican that thinks he white, an asian that thinks he black, and anything else unthought of...no different than the garifuna...and they do speak an ararakan language

[@oceandiamondxx]

@@DM5550Zthats not true, those dna tests that so many swear by dont provide accurate heredity. Two adults can have 4 children with all the same biological mother and father and they each still come out with varying "levels" of an identity/ethnicity. If anyone wants more accurate results I would say look into their haplogroups bc the haplogroup would tell someone where their family tree began. Us Puerto Rican prove every day that we are who we say we are and its Indigenous to our island.

[@oceandiamondxx]

@@DM5550Zthere are...

[@rangereric18]

Taino here. Appreciate the show of solidarity with other native tribes.

[@XLseattle]

I am in Seattle named after Chief Seattle of the Duwamish Tribe who is struggling for recognition. Unlike the Choctaw of OK, the US government claims that there are no more tribal members left. The local federal recognized tribes (Tulalip, Puyallup, Snohomish etcétera) oppose their recognition as well.

[@jasonfromguitarcenter]

Because Of Beef From Thousands Of Years Ago

[@Bootstataboots]

Most primary records that i've encountered dealing with any form of census taking do not list Native people as "Indian" or of whichever tribal nation they are from. Rather, it's usually some other term. As in the case of my own ancestors from the 1800s and even at the turn of the century of the 1900s they are listed as "Mulatto".

[@FemiNelson-sb1em]

Omgosh, that term "mulatto/ta" is so offensive. It means being half "mule", meant to suppress by class. The true term is "Mestizo/za", which means mixed, blended. Paz be with us all 🙏. "Sra Isa"

[@HighPriestessK]

Very true.

[@missannie8012]

My grandpa was half native. His family refused to be on any government lists. I remember him telling me they didnt want any Government numbers. I truly can understand that.

[@XavierBasurto777]

thank for the help @PBS Origins, i didnt even watch the video yet and i will say i became smarter. always nice to have natives helping other natives to be recognized...

[@joeanderson8839]

Native people should be recognized. ❤

[@MariaGasca-Reyes]

you do know that the entire westren hemisphere was full of aboriginals from Alaska to the Patagonia of Argentina their fore we all should Get that acknowledgement . But the U.S gov won't ever let that happen because of the Geo politics . Many people throughout latin America 🌎 decend from The original inhabitants of the western hemisphere 🌎.

[@XLseattle]

It is notable that those positive rule changes at the Dept of Interior occurred while the Secretary of the Interior was herself Indigenous

[@infini.tesimo]

Something to think about. When you become federally recognized you also fall under the United States power in that just because you're federally recognized the aspect of being sovereign won't feel like it's there.

[@raymondalverez5999]

Time to build up and NOT DESTROY 🎉🎉🎉we as Native people can and need to unite as one people, ✨️ 🙏 IMAGINE 🎉 Why not. Native CULTURE is ALIVE AND THRIVING in the world 🌎.

[@pjkelly4806]

Very similar story to my tribe, the Lipan Apaches of Texas

[@4thdimensionalexplorer]

I wish the Aboriginal peoples of America had more political power and Influence. They should all be recognized. To me, every culture and all of their beliefs are part of humanities heritage and should be preserved if not outright protected. There is so much wisdom and knowledge wrapped up in every single one of our cultures on earth and we simply don't know when or what we will need to know. How many times have we solved a modern issue with ancient techniques or interpretation? The more diverse and healthy the ranks of humanity are the more lasting and powerful we are. That is how we should build our systems, united and diverse. I cannot claim to be native enough to be part of any community, my grandmother was the last in my family to be able to do so. But I see all peoples as my brothers, sisters and cousins in flesh. Its been long enough, let's be one species and stop pretending we were ever anything else.

[@FemiNelson-sb1em]

Agreed regarding the indigenous people of Australia. Their history is so terribly tragic. It's infuriating when Australia has that celebration that excludes the indigenous people. I once watched a Documentary years ago n it was heartbreaking to see Australians enraged when the interviewer mentioned the obvious. I so wish I could remember the name of the Documentary. I've not celebrated or acknowledged Columbus Day since I was 16yrs old, when I learned the truth about our Nation from my History Teacher, Mr. Salvador Castro (may he rest in peace). Of course, 4th of July is different, bc its a celebration of being free of British rule. I pray that ALL indigenous ALL over the world shall be recognized regardless of percentage. Period. Paz be with us all 🙏. "Sra Isa"

[@erenjaeger1738]

That's what happened with ethic cleansing. Thats what exactly the Anglos did. You see more native people in Latin America

[@ChristopherMcGirt]

There's no aboriginals on this continent...

[@dart336]

My friend is Choctaw/Chickasaw. He left the rolls due to corruption over the casinos. Want solar panels? Casino thugs will smash them. They want you to be dependent on their grid even you live in the middle of nowhere. My friend is fighting to form a new band to get recognized.

[@deborahmcsweeney3349]

Great show! Im a part of a non federally recognized tribe! Its just crazy that this even happens! My husband is from Ireland. No one asks him how much blood quantum or if he is real or not. It is just crazy ! And yes other tribal people who are federally recognized work against these tribes, even if they are all related! So colonized! Thank you for your work on this!!❤

[@jamesbell739]

yeah, I had an ex that thought they were Native Am... Her family started doing DNA tests and found out they were just Irish and Black... Imagine that.

[@jasonfromguitarcenter]

Oklahoma?

[@RedEdgedSavage]

Not anything that I've not heard before..and I'm white and red

[@jamesbell739]

@@jasonfromguitarcenter East Coast. I think the Carolinas or something.

[@wendylee8654]

I pray that this oppression ceases and that the US government recognizes ALL that they have put these people through! We ought to celebrate them for surviving by ANY means necessary! How this is not obvious to governing bodies is beyond me! Thank you for this video. 🌿

[@haruhisuzumiya6650]

That only happens and maintains by virtue of legislation

[@JohnChristenNizzaDiCorsi]

The difference is that Tribal Nations have fought Wars with various European countries and the outcome of which has resulted in the definition of terms between the relationship between those Tribal Nations and the international colonial powers. There are no equivalencies in Latin America, in any capacity, for example.

[@oldfogey4679]

Very informative! Hope all who apply receive recognition and prosper from it!

[@roycehuepers4325]

You also got us Lost Ones. Whole families ripped apart from the cultures so thoroughly, well lets just say its gonna be a surprise to my racist uncle on my dad's side if he ever does a dna test. I don't even know what tribe, but a good 10% of my ydna is native American. My mom's side we can at least determine eastern woodlands native American, and we suspect Cherokee. I was able to prove it was an Iroquoian culture due to being related to someone from the 1600s in the grave of an Iroquoian woman i believe it was... but that just proves a connection to such cultures. That really doesn't narrow it down, though at least i have an idea of how to honor my ancestors now

[@BlueBlue-j4w]

👍

[@Nativegirlslots]

I love Pete Rivers. He loves our tribe always

[@honeybeecrochet]

This really happened my family has Choctaw Cherokee and Seminole At the end of it they label us quadroon which lead to most family members becoming more native American than white or African because of DNA.

[@artosbear]

Well, I mean, if the federal government recognized all of the indigenous nations that exist as sovereign, it would be so much more than what has been acknowledged before that it would call into question their total dominance and power over this continent. The U.S. government's dominance, that is.

[@kathylopez180]

Yaquis live in villages in Mexico, there is a Yaqui river. There is also a Yaqui reservation in Tusan Arizonia and a village. Some Yaquis live outside the reservation.

[@mm-rj3vo]

Asking for an "appropriate" response from the government is never up to the person requesting such. What the government deems "appropriate", most times, falls quite short of "appropriate" by the standards of the people that it has conquered.

[@AmyC28713]

MOWA means "Mobile Bay & Western Alabama". It also is not traditional Choctaw lands. Their property sits on former Natchez & Yamassee land. Both the Natchez and Yamassee have dissolved into the Muscogee Creek Nation.

[@pmc2999]

So is the problem that they don't want to join/be dissolved into another maybe larger band?

[@AlexisSedlack]

No it stands for Mobile/Washington counties in Alabama which is where we live and have lived for many generations.

[@sansnom508]

I'm descended from Abenaki people whose band has never been recognized by either the United States or Canadian governments. We are scattered but the DNA is strong.

[@clarassiadunning98]

Who is the government to tell people who they are on their land?? Sounds insane to me rather they're mixed in with other race family still family and who are the government to tell them to disown their family they know exactly who they are and where they come from and I hope and pray they get exactly what they deserve and that's federal recognition ❤️

[@allenshadrick22]

Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks for the country Indians 🙏

[@shirleywilliams4602]

My Grandfather (s), born at the fork of the Duwamish River, buried in a Olivet cemetry with "nephew to Chief Seattle" on his tombstone. His son & grandson are noted as "most commited in court depositions" to try to get the federal government to uphold their sacred responsibilities. Duwamish are still unrecognized.

[@Myself-yf5do]

Will the USA ever have a Native American president?

[@miro.georgiev97]

It did have a _vice_ president who was a member of the Kaw Nation, but that was 100 years ago.

[@somebodysomewhere6770]

Abraham Lincoln is rumored to have had Indigenous heritage

[@Myself-yf5do]

@@somebodysomewhere6770 No way

[@Myself-yf5do]

@@miro.georgiev97 Name?

[@miro.georgiev97]

@Myself-yf5do His name was Charles Curtis.

[@axi271]

The Pamunkey’s and the Powhatan have been fighting for recognition since the 1640s! In 1924 it was declared that the state of Virginia have no full blooded Indians and that the ones who claim to be Indians are actually Africans. Then the state of Virginia went and erases all records of Indians in the state of Virginia and reclassified them as African. So what do they do now if their history was erased or doctored?

[@andrebey7944]

The history is still there! They used us as advertisement to sell tobacco look up tobacco indians blackamoor indians and you will see!

[@vhoneyx]

That happened to my family. 1924 racial integrity act. Southhampton Virginia. Cherokee Indians Powhatan tribe.

[@andrebey7944]

@@vhoneyx the law was overturned in 1930

[@DominiqueKaraya]

There's so many of us who are not recognized by the federal government

[@357Kaoz]

They've done the same with the Tainos in Caribbean

[@coolbreeze4066]

Our tribe Ohlone Coastanoan Esselen Nation is also not federally recognized, and we have documentation. I believe it’s because our homeland Monterey County in California is very valuable(expensive) and a popular vacation destination .

[@andrebey7944]

Why would you ask a foreigner to be recognized on your own land?

[@haruhisuzumiya6650]

Because they had the monopoly of violence on their side

[@XxXenosxX]

We took everything, at least acknowledge their existence

[@kennethhymes9734]

Historically it meant going along with and sometimes participating in slave-owning. Historically it meant selling out smaller and more desperate tribes. I deeply respect and support the goals of the contemporary indigenous movement, up to and including repatriation of settlers and reparations. But we have to deal with the real history in order to have a real future. The recognized tribes can also, as is documented on many platforms run and voiced by indigenous people, retain features of the settler state that was deeply involved in their rule making and structuring. All of this to say… for the planet to heal, for humanity to survive and flourish, we need an anti-settler movement that goes way beyond anything these organizations are capable of.

[@bobmcbob9856]

There is one possible indigenous concern that is hard to address here, and that is pretendians trying to get status off fake claims. Kind of hard when the main sources are often oral, but sadly oral sources are also easier to fabricate. Anyone more knowledgeable on the topic with thoughts on that? It looks to me though, like the MOWA Choctaw have plenty of evidence that could be seen as credible by someone familiar with such things (which I am not).

[@Tijereño]

It definitely does happen, but consider that the only reason this is a problem is because the federal government FORCES tribes to be dependent on federal resources (in the last few decades the government has begun to pull back and this has made things better for tribes but this still created an artificial scarcity of resources) Without the above circumstances, there would be no pretendians.

[@TwisterTornado]

​@@Tijereño Well, that doesn't explain the 3 most famous cases. It isn't just for federal resources, sometimes it is from misplaced white guilt...thinking they are "helping", apparently.

[@sharonminsuk]

Ridiculous. They were here first. They shouldn't have to beg *_us_* for recognition; if anything, *_we_* should have to beg *_them._*

[@BlueBlue-j4w]

Ko Ngapuhi toku iwi. The name of my tribe is Ngapuhi. Aotearoa(New Zealand) 👍Liked the video.

[@yellowmellow4753]

Why would there be a time limit on re-petitions? What the heck?

[@armastus1474]

I’m Apache blood, we were here first and every one of us should be given back that which was stolen away.

[@jasonfromguitarcenter]

So What Was All That Shit With The Navajo & Mexicans?

[@MariaGasca-Reyes]

What are your thoughts on White people calling themselves the real Americans? And America for Americans only ?

[@RedEdgedSavage]

​@@MariaGasca-Reyes. Real Americans isn't our names in the first place..anyhow.. for any who say that ..they're wrong

[@MariaGasca-Reyes]

@@RedEdgedSavage Your ancestors were on U.S soil for thousands of years .

[@RedEdgedSavage]

@MariaGasca-Reyes . Yes.. on one side of my family. For those who say red people are not " real Americans," .. I generally don't waste time or effort with anymore than is needed.. they end up digging their own holes to fall into anyway.. they aren't even among the majority of " real Americans " in my opinion..based on my view of what that is supposed to be..or to mean. Much love Maria

[@CoahuiltecanCat-vu9cd]

My people made a giant @ss mural thousands of years ago and a group called tap Pilam has been trying to get federally recognized but they won’t😭😭😭

[@FemiNelson-sb1em]

How very tragic. I'm Mexican American, with 49% indigenous according to Ancestry DNA. However, it did not state which tribe. I so have to research this further. As I have always stated, ALL indigenous are owed so much more than any other ethnicity that arrived after, be it African, Asian, etc. I didn't even know of this ridiculous "Federally acknowledgment" until now & I'm 67+ years old. I'm so very sorry for ALL our ancestors who suffered, endured so much & for the many descendants continuing in this fight to be recognized. Padre God Bless one & all in this stance. I'm so humbled by this video & stories in the comments. 😢 Paz be with us all 🙏. "Sra Isa"

[@dianatucker-bassett9372]

The undue burden of proof required by our outrageous policies set by our uncaring and ignorant government illustrates nothing but horrific behavior by every politician since Columbus DIDN'T land on their land. Embarrassing and detestable to an Irish-Welsh-Cherokee citizen. My great, great, great grandmother was a child who was NOT killed while traversing the Trail of Tears. My southern white ancestors should be turning their faces into the earth in shame for their treatment of my other indigenous ancestors. And those who say it is of no consequence may find they also might become disenfranchised.

[@leemas4609]

Not all of these "tribes" are actual tribes. My cousin is trying to get recognition for his tribe. Our shared ancestor he claims is Native American is of African descent. Genealogical records and DNA prove our African ancestry. But many still believe this cousins narrative. It's disgusting what he is doing trying to take actual resources from tribes.

[@leemas4609]

Knowing that our ancestor isn't Native American.

[@andrebey7944]

Cause they were! These aren't the indigenous that grew tobacco to be traded to Europe! Nobody was using the word indigenous until we starred saying it! These tribes always referred to themselves as native Americans!

[@emitabaulenu]

What tribe?

[@MariaGasca-Reyes]

My thoughts 💭 exactly I feel a lot of people want to claim native ancestry just for the benefits it may bring to them . Thanx for sharing

[@andrebey7944]

@MariaGasca-Reyes what benefits? 😂 I claim my ancestors cause that's what I am! Majority of the people claiming to be native can't even shoot a bow!

[@Stretchnrest]

Sucks. The Tribes work the same way. They dont recognize my Grandfather because he was taken away from his mother and raised in an Indian boarding house. Just one big circle

[@raymondalverez5999]

Time for a FEDERAL NATIVE FEDERATION to represent ALL NATIVE PEOPLE IN NORTH AMERICA and the world 🎉IMAGINE 🎉WHY NOT 🎉🎉🎉

[@MontyCats]

My husband’s people are Kikiallus (Salish Sea PNW). Not recognized due to paperwork bs.

[@RationalEra]

I can't wait to get my tribe federally recognized.

[@kingsleymana942]

When did tribe people go from brown to twilight characters

[@official.stk_macc2035]

How do we The Yaquis get recognized before North American Tribes ?

[@nativeandindigenuscraftcre433]

Hi thanks for sharing I already know what your saying and it is hard to be federal recanized there is a lot of red tape to go though in order for federal government it something that is hard to get federal recnized thanks again and good luck with everything

[@HighPriestessK]

I wonder if that's how my great-uncle lost his land down in Sothern Arkansas and the whole family (all his brothers and sisters) had to relocate to Pine Bluff, Arkansas from a small, small town. They are mixed Black and Indigenous group.

[@isabellevictoria5312]

My tribe is state recognized but not federally- I’m Wintu 😢

[@justafan5179]

Serious question. What is preventing the Mowa Choctaw from being included under the already recognized Choctaw tribe? There are numerous recognized tribes with multi-state locations... so why can't you be included in that? The video just makes it confusing because first you say the Choctaw walked the trail of tears, but then say the Mowa group was able to hide, and stayed in Alabama... so why do you need your own recognition? ...are you not Choctaw? Honest question, I'm just trying to be better educated. I hope you receive the recognition you deserve.

[@MysticMylo]

Do one for the northwest Florida inter tribal of the lower Muscogee Creek

[@raymondalverez5999]

Seems ignorant is bliss to the many federal recognized tribal representation in the United States as so much more damage has gone home?. Imagine a UNITED PEOPLE OF THE WORLD/NATIVE CULTURE IS ALIVE AND THRIVING.

[@brucegill4218]

From what I can tell from most Indian reservations they all live below the poverty line

[@Tvlsetown]

These groups may have native ancestry but that does not make them sovereign nations. If you can’t prove tribal governance since 1900, when written records are prevalent, and you don’t have records showing an on going relationship with the government, you are not a sovereign tribal nation. Imagine a group of people with Chinese ancestry living in California calling themselves the Lower China Band and starting their own sovereign nation….that would not be allowed, or acknowledged because they have no history of governing. It would start a war. A group cannot just call themselves a sovereign like that.

[@onyxstone4618]

My name is Forest, Forest Gump🏃

[@herstoryswitness]

The Abenaki, who mainly live in Vermont and New Hampshire, are recognized by Vermont and Canada but not by the US government. As a semi - nomadic people previously without written language, they could not pinpoint one ancestral village. Vermont eugenics attempted to wipe them out until the mid 20th century. The response has been to reclaim nearly lost language and heritage. Individuals blended in to survive but tribal recognition would be nice. New York State gives additional health benefits through the exchange to federally recognized tribal members.

[@MariaGasca-Reyes]

The Abenaki no disrespect but they look 98 % European.

[@herstoryswitness]

@MariaGasca-Reyes No disrespect taken. They say fishermen from northern Europe visited the east coast long before the Puritans and Pilgrims and so the Abenaki could pass for Europeans. The Lumbee of North Carolina often have African features and blue eyes. A Cherokee friend told me ,"We don't know what they are." I think we are all in the melting pot together.😉

[@MariaGasca-Reyes]

Never heard about the lumbee peoples before thanks for the info Hao .

[@MrNito2721]

Off topic, but why does pbs news turn off comments, but these are on? Why the difference in policy? 🧐

[@choco.es.unlimited]

Yeah it's tuff and when you leave the reservation you're done. My grandmother left so we never got the benefits smh

[@cynergy4]

Without federal recognition, tribes arent even allowed to posess a single eagle or hawk feather. For them to have to use dyed turkey feathers for ceremony is simply outrageous!