Proposed regulations establishing procedures and policy for determining whether an Indian group is a federally recognized Indian tribe are being published in the Federal Register, the Bureau of Indian Affairs announced today.
The proposed regulations have been developed to enable the Secretary of the Interior to review objectively the increasing number of petitions submitted by Indian groups requesting Federal recognition. The regulations do not apply to any group which has already been acknowledged by the Secretary as constituting a federally recognized Indian tribe.
The regulations provide 10 criteria which are to be considered in judging whether a petitioning group is a federally recognized Indian tribe.
Comments on the proposed regulations should be sent within 30 days of publication to the Director of Indian Services, Bureau pf Indian Affairs, Washington, D.C. 20245.
