Lumbee Tribe Gains Full Federal Recognition

PEMBROKE, NC – The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina has finally achieved full federal recognition, marking the end of a more than century-long effort to secure equal status among the nation’s Native American tribes.

On December 18, 2025, Congress granted the designation through legislation that formally establishes a government-to-government relationship between the United States and the Lumbee. The move makes the Lumbee people eligible for federal programs and services available to other federally recognized tribes, including health care, housing assistance, education funding, and economic development support.

The Lumbee were first recognized by the state of North Carolina in 1885. In 1956, Congress passed the Lumbee Act, which acknowledged the tribe’s identity but barred its members from receiving federal benefits or recognition under the Bureau of Indian Affairs. That limitation left the Lumbee—one of the largest tribes east of the Mississippi River—without access to resources available to other Native nations.

Lumbee Tribal leaders have long argued the restriction was discriminatory and inconsistent with federal Indian policy. Previous efforts to gain recognition through Congress and the Department of the Interior stalled for decades.

Sharon Oxendine (Black Crow) has been a proud member of the Lumbee Tribe for more than 33 years. “My heart is full knowing I come from a tribe whose resilience and dignity have carried us through generations of struggle. We have continued to fight for sovereignty, for liberation, and for the right to be seen—and we have never given up. I stand in gratitude for my ancestors and for every Lumbee who came before me. Their strength is the foundation we rise from today,” said Sharon Oxendine.

With federal recognition now secured, the Lumbee Tribe will be able to pursue land-into-trust applications and expand tribal governance and services. Tribal officials said the decision represents a significant step toward self-determination and long-overdue justice for Lumbee Tribal citizens.

The Lumbee Tribe is based primarily in Robeson County and surrounding areas in southeastern North Carolina and has more than 55,000 enrolled members.