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Photo:
Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation
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After six years of legal
battles, the Nanticoke
Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation has emerged victorious in New Jersey.
Under former governor
Chris Christie,
a Republican, the state had refused to acknowledge the tribe's existence.
But a settlement announced on Thursday changes all that, restoring
the Lenni-Lenape people to their rightful place in their own homelands.
This fight to restore
recognition has been lengthy, costly, and sad," Chief Mark
Gould said. "But today New Jersey has reaffirmed that American
Indians are not only part of its storied past, but valued partners
in a shared future. We are ready to do our part to rebuild our relationship
with the state government.
A shift in political
leadership at the highest levels of the state helped the tribe secure
success. Gov. Phil
Murphy and Attorney General Gurbir
S. Grewal, both of whom took office earlier this year, represent
the new Democratic future in New Jersey.
Tribal rights are
important rights, and through this settlement weve been able
to affirm the status of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Nation as an
American Indian tribe formally recognized by the state, Grewal
said in a press
release. As a result of this settlement, there is no more
ambiguity regarding the tribes official status, and the tribes
forward progress cannot be impeded by any state-related recognition
issues. Im heartened that, through good faith negotiation,
weve been able to resolve this matter fairly and bring an
end to years of legal dispute.
But the tribe also said
Indian Country played a role in restoring its status. The National
Congress of American Indians, the Alliance
of Colonial Era Tribes, the Indian
Law Resource Center were among the organizations thanked in
a public
statement of gratitude on Thursday.
"We hope and believe
that this resolution will set the stage for the restoration of a
positive, mutually respectful, and collaborative relationship between
the tribe, the state of New Jersey, and the government of the United
States," the statement read.
The tribe, whose ancestors
signed one of the first treaties with European nations, has not
been formally acknowledged by the United States. The settlement
does not address that situation.
But it does have an immediate
benefit because federal laws like the Indian
Arts and Crafts Act and the law that established the 8(a)
program at the Small Business Administration contain provisions
that apply to state-recognized tribes and their citizens. As part
of the settlement, Grewal's office has agreed to notify all federal
agencies of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation's status.
Additionally, Grewal
agreed to pay $2.4 million to help the tribe rebuild its cultural
and economic development programs. Cultural
Heritage Partners represented the tribe over the last six years
through litigation in the federal and state courts.
If the character
of a nation is measured by how its treats its most vulnerable people,
then today we have reason to celebrate this restoration of justice,
but we all must do much better by our Native brothers and sisters,
attorney Greg Werkheiser said.
The tribe was recognized
by the state in 1982 through a law that is still on the books. The
state also has taken other actions that have acknowledged the tribe's
existence.
But Christie, who unsuccessfully
sought the Republican nomination for president in 2016, claimed
otherwise for reasons that were never fully explained. Two other
tribes -- the Ramapough
Lunaape Nation and the Powhatan-Renape
Nation -- also fell victim to his change in policy.
"The two other state-recognized
tribes in New Jersey whose status was undermined will have it reaffirmed,"
the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation said in the public statement
of gratitude.
The tribe has filed a
letter of intent with the Bureau of
Indian Affairs, the first step in the federal
acknowledgment process. It typically takes years, and often
decades, for petitioners to secure recognition of their status by
the federal government.
Tribes can also seek
recognition through an act of Congress. The first such act in nearly
two decades was signed into law earlier this year, bringing
six tribes in Virginia into the federal family.
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