Speaking of Heath Shuler, he testified during a House Committee on Natural Resources hearing on recognition of the Lumbee Indian tribe.
Basically at issue is whether legislation should be passed to give the Lumbee tribe full benefits that come with recognition or if they should keep going through the Bureau of Indian Affairs administrative process, which hasn’t gotten them very far.
Shuler supports the latter process:
Shuler said he could not support bypassing the process established by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. It calls for a uniform and rigorous evaluation before a decision is made, he said.
“I strongly oppose any attempts to circumvent this established process by any group, including Lumbee,” Shuler said. “Members of Congress should not arbitrarily rule on the identity of a people without establishing the facts. And the best way to establish those facts is to let the system work and let the experts do their job.”
Shuler submitted a letter from Principal Chief Michell Hicks of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee, the only federally recognized tribe in North Carolina. It has historically opposed recognition of the Lumbees through legislation.
Shuler’s just standing up for his constituents, but it’s also worth noting that the late Jesse Helms opposed Lumbee recognition. Seems to me Shuler’s taking the politically expedient approach by supporting the process that hasn’t worked for the Lumbees.
