The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to grant full federal recognition for the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, a moment 137 years in the making.
The chamber passed the National Defense Authorization Act, which included Lumbee recognition, following approval by the House last week. President Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill into law as soon as this week, making the Lumbee the 575th federally recognized tribe.
Lumbee people gathered in Pembroke, where the tribe has its headquarters, on Tuesday in anticipation of the Senate vote and reconvened there Wednesday. The celebration was about more than a title—it was the culmination of over a century of hard work that forced them to navigate power politics in Washington and defend their identity as Native Americans.
“Today marks a historic victory for the Lumbee people,” Tribal Chairman John Lowery said in a statement released by Republican Rep. David Rouzer, whose congressional district includes part of Robeson County. “After generations of perseverance, our voices were finally heard.”
With about 60,000 members, the Lumbee make up the largest Native American group east of the Mississippi River. North Carolina recognized the tribe in 1885, and members first asked Congress for recognition in 1888.
Federal lawmakers granted the Lumbee partial recognition in 1956, acknowledging the tribe’s existence but denying it the benefits that fully recognized tribes are eligible to receive, including money for health care and permission to operate casinos. The Lumbee Fairness Act, which was tacked onto the defense spending bill this year, amends the earlier legislation.
Full federal recognition for the Lumbee tribe has long had bipartisan support. The U.S. House passed legislation several times, but it continually stalled in the Senate as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and some other tribes lobbied lawmakers to deny the designation.
This year, Trump made it clear he wanted full recognition for the Lumbee people, many of whom supported his reelection. Days after he was sworn into office for a second time in January, he directed the Department of the Interior to compile a report outlining potential paths to full recognition for the Lumbee. The tribe lauded the report, which urged Lumbee people to continue asking Congress.
U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who is not seeking reelection in 2026, ramped up his efforts for the Lumbee over the last year. In 2024, he tried to block recognition of the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site in South Dakota, because some Sioux tribal members have opposed Lumbee recognition. He also tried to block federal judicial nominees in Mississippi last month because he wanted Sen. Roger Wicker to vote in favor of the Lumbee.
Tillis directed much of his frustration toward the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which operates a casino in Western North Carolina and was previously the only tribe in the state with full federal recognition. He urged U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi in October to investigate the cannabis operation run by the tribe, which he has called a “casino cartel” more concerned about money than fairness for Native American people.
“Plain and simple, their opposition is rooted in financial self-interest,” Tillis said during a Senate Indian Affairs committee hearing in November. “And that’s their right. But let’s not pretend it’s anything more than that.”
The Lumbee have a complex history in Eastern North Carolina, which critics argued should have disqualified them from congressional consideration. Historians say they descend from several tribes, including the Cheraw, Hatteras, and Tuscarora, who were among the first to encounter newly arriving Europeans in the 18th century. Fleeing violence and disease, their ancestors settled along the Lumber River in Robeson County and mingled with white and Black people.
The tribe has gone by several names over the decades, including Cherokee Indians of Robeson County, which was chosen by the state legislature. Tribal members decided in 1953 to go by the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, a reference to the river that has helped sustain generations of farmers.
Some Native American tribes, including the Eastern Band of Cherokee, have long said the Lumbee lack a shared identity and history.
Michell Hicks, principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee, told the Indian Affairs committee in November that the Lumbee should seek full recognition through the Office of Federal Acknowledgement, not Congress. (Tribes can also seek recognition through federal courts.)
During the hearing, Lowery said it would take decades to become fully recognized through bureaucratic channels. He also said Lumbee opponents would sue if they didn’t like the result.
“I have no doubt that the Eastern Band of Cherokee, 30 years from now, would bring forth a lawsuit that would take another 10 to 20 years,” Lowery said. “And then 50 years from now my grandson will be sitting here doing the same thing.”
Markwayne Mullin, a Republican from Oklahoma and the only Native American currently serving in the Senate, said during the hearing that tribes should work together: “I hate when we fight among ourselves.”
Mullin, a member of the Cherokee Nation, said many Native Americans have diverse ancestors. Some people assume he is white, he said.
“I’ve been accused of not being native,” he said. “I’ve always laughed and said, ‘I can’t control who my ancestors loved.’”
U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, a Hawaii Democrat and vice chairman of the Indian Affairs committee, said it was time for Congress to decide whether to fully recognize the Lumbee. He said the Department of the Interior “has screwed this up for generation after generation.”
The Lumbee tribe’s territory—Robeson, Scotland, Hoke, and Cumberland counties—includes some of the poorest communities in North Carolina. Tribal leaders have said full federal recognition will allow members to access crucial services, including through the Indian Health Service. It will also allow students to access scholarships.
Education is a big part of Lumbee history. The state legislature created a separate school system for Native American students in 1885, and the following year it set aside $500 to establish the Indian Normal School in Robeson County. The tribe first sought recognition through Congress in an effort to get money for education services.
Wendy Chavis Locklear, 56 and a Lumbee, said Tuesday she can’t afford to send her daughter to college. Now she’s more hopeful.
“To know that she can have access to any college she chooses, and know that our full recognition will be able to assist her—that means the world,” said Locklear, who won this year’s Senior Ms. Lumbee pageant.
A big question now is whether the Lumbee will get into the casino business. The General Assembly considered a proposal in 2023 to expand gambling across the state and allow the Lumbee to operate a casino in the southeastern corner. The controversial bill never made it to a vote, and some wondered if Lumbee people, many of whom hold socially conservative values, would welcome a casino.
The proposal had at least one outspoken fan: Jarrod Lowery, who represented Robeson County in the state House from 2022 until he resigned in October to take a job with the Trump administration. His brother, John Lowery, was appointed to fill out his term and is running for election in 2026.
“No matter where this happens in that region, there’s going to be a lot of jobs created,” Jarrod Lowery said in 2023. “And a lot of Robesonians are going to be able to get good-paying jobs.”
Kara Loyd, a Lumbee, said she drove three hours on Tuesday from her home in South Hill, Virginia, to attend the celebration in Pembroke. The crowd dwindled as the evening wore on, but Loyd said she was determined to stick around.
“This is a new day for us,” Loyd said. “We’ve accomplished many great things as a tribe, and so now the challenge is for us to do even greater things.”