CWDS Glossary

Recognized - any Indian tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community of Indians recognized as eligible for the services provided to Indians by the Secretary of the Interior because of their status as Indians, including any Alaska Native village as defined in section 1602(c) of Title 43. The Secretary of Interior regularly publishes in the Federal Register a list of recognized tribes that are acknowledged to have the immunities and privileges available to federally recognized Indian tribes by virtue of their government-to-government relationship with the United States as well as the responsibilities, powers, limitations and obligations of such tribes. (25 Code of Federal Regulation, 83.5). References to tribal agencies, tribal services, and tribal programs refer to those operated by or upon designation of federally recognized tribes. Unrecognized - any Indian or Alaska Native group or aggregation indigenous to the continental United States that the Secretary of the Interior does not acknowledge to be an Indian tribe possessing a government-to-government relationship with the United States. The Secretary of the Interior provides a process for such groups to petition for recognition. (25 Code of Federal Regulations PART 83). Historic – Those people whose pre-Columbian ancestors were indigenous to the lands within the United States. These peoples were composed of numerous distinct tribes, bands, and ethnic groups, commonly referred to as historic or aboriginal tribes. Federally recognized tribes represent historic tribes, or groups traceable to such tribes, which survive intact today as sovereign nations.