Senate Committee Hearing Discusses Ways to Create Akaka Tribe Without Congressional Approval

by Andrew Walden

Sen Akaka is holding a United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing to assess possible work-arounds to create an Akaka Tribe without Congressional approval.

Titled an: “OVERSIGHT HEARING on Federal Recognition: Political and Legal Relationship between Governments” Akaka’s Committee will “examine the process of recognizing tribes through the Administrative and Congressional processes.”

The hearing starts at 8:15AM HST (2:15pmEST) in Dirksen Senate Bldg 628 and can video be seen here.

Testimony:

Panel #1:

• Bryan Newland, Senior Policy Advisor to the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior, Washington, DC

Panel #2:

• Stephen R. Adkins, Chief, Chickahominy Indian Tribe, Charles City, VA
• Paul Brooks, Chairman, Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, Pembroke, NC
• John Norwood, Co-Chair, National Congress of American Indian Taskforce on Federal Acknowledgment, Washington, DC
• K. Jerome Gottschalk, Staff Attorney, Native American Rights Fund, Boulder, CO
• Michael J. Anderson, Owner, Anderson Indian Law, Washington, DC

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