Summary
Federal Recognition of Indian Tribes: The Administrative Process
Federal recognition (sometimes called federal acknowledgment) is a term of art formalizing a relationship between the United States and a recognized Indian Tribe, through which the Tribe becomes "eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians." 1 Federal recognition engenders certain rights and protections for the recognized Tribe. There are currently 574 federally recognized Tribes.2
Under current federal law,3 a group of Indians may obtain federal recognition in three ways:
Executive Administrative Process
Legislative Act of Congress
Judicial Court Decision
The judicial route is now considered generally inaccessible, with courts deferring to executive and legislative determinations.4
Indian Tribal Entities Federally Recognized, Restored, or Reaffirmed Since 1960
Number of entities recognized
Tribes Acknowledged Through the 25 C.F.R. Part 83 Administrative Process
Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians Michigan - Aug. 2, 1980
Jamestown Clallam Tribe Feb. 10, 1981- Washington
Tunica-Biloxi Indian Tribe Louisiana - Sept. 25, 1981
Death Valley Timbi Sha Shoshone Band Jan. 3, 1983 – California
Narragansett Indian Tribe Rhode Island - Apr. 11, 1983
Poarch Band of Creeks Aug. 10, 1984 – Alabama
San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe Arizona - Mar. 28, 1984
Wampanoag Tribal Council of Gay Head Apr. 11, 1987 – Massachusetts
Mohegan Indian Tribe Connecticut - Mar. 14, 1994
Jena Band of Choctaws Aug. 29, 1995 – Louisiana
Huron Potawatomi Inc. Michigan - Mar. 17, 1996
Samish Indian Tribe Apr. 26, 1996 – Washington
Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians Michigan - Aug. 23, 1999
Snoqualmie Indian Tribe Oct. 6, 1999 – Washington
Cowlitz Tribe of Indians Washington - Jan. 4, 2000
Mashpee Wampanoag Feb. 15, 2007 – Massachusetts
Shinnecock Indian Nation New York - Oct. 10, 2010
Pamunkey Indian Tribe Jan. 28, 2016 – Virginia
25 C.F.R. Part 83 sets out procedures by which the Secretary of the Interior may extend federal recognition to a Tribe. Under these regulations, a Tribe seeking federal recognition generally must prove, among other things, that it
List of Tribes acknowledged through 25 C.F.R. Part 83 obtained from the
Department of the Interior, Office of Federal Acknowledgment on January 11, 2023. In some cases, these names may not reflect current tribal names. Dates reflect the source's assessment of when the federal acknowledgment became legally effective.
Sources: This information was compiled by CRS on January 11, 2023, based on searches for notices published in the Federal Register and searches for legislation and agency documents on Congress.gov, Lexis+, and ProQuest Congressional for variations of the terms Indian, tribe, federal, recognize, Indian Reorganization Act, Act of June 18, 1934. Other search strategies may yield different results.
1 Indian Entities Recognized by and Eligible to Receive Services from the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs, 88 Fed. Reg. 2112 (Jan. 12, 2023).
2 See CRS Report R47414, The 574 Federally Recognized Indian Tribes in the United States, by Mainon A. Schwartz.
3 Pub. L. No. 103–454, § 103(3), 108 Stat. 4791 (1994).
4 Wyandot Nation v. United States, 858 F.3d 1392, 1401–02 (Fed. Cir. 2017).
5 This includes any recognition-related action taken by the Department of the Interior (DOI) or a DOI official, including but not
limited to determinations under 25 C.F.R. Part 83.
Information prepared by Mainon Schwartz, Legislative Attorney, and Brion Long, Visual Information Specialist.
Information on Tribal entities recognized or restored since 1960 was compiled by CRS.
Document ID: IG10038