Federal Acknowledgement
What is Federal Acknowledgement?
Federal acknowledgement is any procedure by which the United States establishes a government-to-government relationship with an historic tribe, band, group, or community of Indians. The traditional means of establishing that relationship include: Federal congressional legislation; recognition by judicial determination; or recognition by the Executive branch [formerly, by Executive Order, and now by determination of the Secretary of Interior under regulations found at 25 Code of Regulations Part 83 (25CFR 83)]. The Secretary of Interior may also "reaffirm" or otherwise "clarify" the status of a previously-and unambiguously-federally recognized tribe, generally through an expedited form of the 25 CFR Part 83 process, as long as Congress never has terminated the Federal government-to-government relationship with the subject tribe through special legislation.
What is "Restoration" or "Untermination" of Tribal Status?
"Restoration" or "Untermination" means the re-establishment of a government-to-government relationship with an historic tribe, band, group, or community of Indians with whom the United States formerly had a formal relationship that Congress has severed by a specific Act of Termination.
March 20, 2004
L-R: Larry Romero, 3rd War Captain; Andy Roybal, War Captain; Louis Roybal, former Governor; Victor Roybal, Jr., 4th War Captain; Ed Roybal, II, current Governor; Charles Madrid, Jr. (seated), Lamberto Trujillo, Jr.; Ed Roybal, Sr., Cacique.
Location: Las Cruces, New Mexico, March (Spring) Feast Day
Recent AAIA Activities
For the last few years, AAIA has worked closely with the Piro/Manso/Tiwa (PMT) Tribe in Las Cruces, NM. AAIA has worked to prepare a comprehensive documented petition for the Tribe. The work has included interviews on history, social interaction and governmental activities, extensive archival research, preparation of genealogies, qualitative and quantitative analysis of data, and the drafting of the petition itself, including numerous exhibits to the petition. Active consideration of this petition will begin in January 2010. In addition to its work on the petition, AAIA has assisted the Tribe with its governmental infrastructure, long-range planning and protection of tribal cultural resources, such as cemeteries and excavated burials.
Over the years, AAIA has assisted a number of other tribes with recognition issues including the Ione Band of Miwok Indians, the Middletown petitioner in California, Sierra Miwok and Antelope Valley Paiutes and worked with Congress as it has considered legislative reform of the federal acknowledgment process.
