Office of Federal Acknowledgment

The Office of Federal Acknowledgment (OFA) within the Office of the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs (AS-IA) of the Department of the Interior implements Part 83 of Title 25 of the Code of Federal Regulations (25 CFR Part 83), Procedures for Federal Acknowledgment of Indian Tribes. The acknowledgment process is the Department’s administrative process by which petitioning groups that meet the criteria are given Federal "acknowledgment" as Indian Tribes and by which they become eligible to receive services provided to members of Indian Tribes.

Through the Department’s Office of the Solicitor, OFA makes recommendations to the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs. The AS-IA has the authority to make the decision whether to acknowledge Tribal existence and establish a government-to-government relationship or to deny acknowledging a petitioning group as an Indian Tribe.

By applying anthropological, genealogical, and historical research methods, OFA reviews, verifies, and evaluates groups’ petitions for Federal acknowledgment as Indian Tribes. OFA makes recommendations for proposed findings and final determinations to the AS-IA, consults with petitioners and third parties, provides copies of 25 CFR Part 83 and its guidelines, prepares technical assistance review letters, maintains petitions and administrative correspondence files, and conducts special research projects for the Department. OFA also performs other administrative duties that include maintaining its web page and responding to appeals, litigation, and Freedom of Information Act requests.

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Opportunity for Comment: Individuals and entities now have the opportunity to submit comments on the petition submitted by the Tripanick Nansemond Family Indian Tribe petitioner (Petition #405). See Opportunities for Comment for more information.

The address for the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs is:

The address for the petitioner is:

Comments must be postmarked no later than 2025-02-25.

The United States Department of the Interior (Department) seeks input on a proposal to create a conditional, time-limited opportunity for denied petitioners to re-petition for Federal acknowledgment as an Indian Tribe. Click here to learn more.

Mailing Address Clarification: As noted elsewhere on this web site, OFA's current mailing address is 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20240. Because OFA moved to a new building in the autumn of 2017, the acknowledgment regulations in § 83.20 reflect OFA's old address on 1951 Constitution Avenue. Please submit documented petitions to:

Petitioners for Federal Acknowledgment as of Tue Nov 5, 2024

Petition Number	Petitioning Group Name	State	Regulation Revision	Contact Person
082	Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation	CA	1994	Sandra Chapman
120	Amah Mutsun Band of Ohlone/Costanoan Indians	CA	1994	Irenne Zwierlein
146	Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians	MI	1994	Ronald F. Yob
032	Muscogee Nation of Florida	FL	2015	Ann D. Tucker
005	Piro/Manso/Tiwa Indian Tribe of the Pueblo of San Juan Guadalupe	NM	2015	Andy Roybal
401	Schaghticoke Indian Tribe	CT	2015	Alan Russell
402	Butte Tribe of Bayou Bourbeaux	LA	2015	Rodger Collum
403	Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians	CA	2015	Rudy Ortega, Jr.
404	Chihene Nde Nation of New Mexico	NM	2015	Manuel P. Sanchez
405	Tripanick Nansemond Family Indian Tribe	KS	2015	Robert Bass

 

Groups Requesting Federal Acknowledgment that Plan to Supplement Their Petitions.

Petition Number	Petitioning Group Name	State	Regulation Revision	Contact Person
119B	Meherrin Indian Tribe	NC	2015	Wayne M. Brown
056	United Houma Nation, Inc.	LA	2015	Lora Ann Chaisson
056A	Biloxi, Chitimacha Confederation of Muskogees, Inc.	LA	2015	Randy Verdun
056B	Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe	LA	2015	Charles Verdin, Sr.
084A	Juaneno Band of Mission Indians, Acjachemen Nation	CA	2015	Teresa M. Romero

 

The above tables list all the petitioners that, as of September 29, 2015, have submitted documented petitions to the Office of Federal Acknowledgment. The above tables also indicate which petitioners chose to be evaluated under the provisions of the 1994 acknowledgment regulations and which petitioners chose to be evaluated under the provisions of the 2015 acknowledgment regulations, pursuant to 25 CFR 83.7(b). The petitioners in the second table have stated that they will supplement their petitions with additional material. When one of these petitioners submits new materials and declares that its submissions are complete, the Department will review the materials and move the petitioner onto the Register of Documented Petitions in accordance with 25 CFR 83.21-22.

25 CFR Part 83 ACKNOWLEDGMENT REGULATIONS as revised in 2015 (the current regulations):

• Abbreviated Form of 25 CFR Part 83 Criteria
• 25 CFR Part 83, "Federal Acknowledgment of American Indian Tribes"
• 25 CFR Part 83 Process Chart (2015 version coming soon)

Recent Acknowledgment Actions: This is a listing of some of the Department's latest actions regarding the 25 CFR Part 83 acknowledgment process.

Opportunities for Comment

In accordance with 25 CFR 83.22(b)(iv), the Department posts opportunities for individuals and entities to submit comments on documented petitions.

Petitions in Process

This is a listing of the petitions that the Department is now evaluating under the 25 CFR Part 83 acknowledgment process.

Petitions Resolved

This is a listing of the petitions that have resolved through the 25 CFR Part 83 acknowledgment process.

How to Prepare a Complete Documented Petition

This is a list of the petitioners who have submitted a documented petition as defined by 25 CFR Part 83 and are waiting for the evaluation process to begin.

Supplemental Administrative and Regulatory Documents

These are additional documents that may be of assistance in preparing petitions and in better understanding the Federal acknowledgment process. These documents include the previous revisions of the acknowledgment regulations (in 1978 and 1994); several guidance directives from the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs; general timelines for the 25 CFR 83 acknowledgment process; technical assistance (TA) guidelines; GAO reports; and other documents.

Guidelines, Precedent Manual, and Sample Petition Narrative

The documents include general guidelines intended for the petitioning group, as well as more specialized guidelines for researchers. Also included is a precedent manual that may better help petitioners understand how the Department has interpreted the regulations. A sample petition narrative provides an example of a narrative written by a member of a petitioning group, who volunteered for the project, along with the help of other group members.

Sample Formats for Petitioner Submissions

This is a collection of sample forms that might be helpful in corresponding with the Department during the acknowledgment process.

Interior Board of Indian Appeals (IBIA) Documents

The IBIA is an appeals court within the Department of the Interior to which, under the 1994 revision of the acknowledgment regulations, petitioners or interested parties could appeal decisions by the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs.