APTOPIX Lumbee Tribe Federal Recognitions

John Lowery, N.C. State Rep. and Chairman of the Lumbee Tribe of N.C., center, leads a toast to Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., center, front right, as members of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, celebrate the passage of a bill granting their people federal recognition, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

John Lowery, N.C. State Rep. and Chairman of the Lumbee Tribe of N.C., leads a toast to Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., center, front right, as members of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, celebrate the passage of a bill granting their people federal recognition, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Rob Jacobs, left, embraces North Carolina State Rep. John Lowery and Chairman of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, as they join with other members of the Lumbee Tribe to celebrate passage of a bill granting the tribe federal recognition, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. "It means a lot," says Lowery, "because we have been figuring out how to get here for so long. We have been second class natives, and we will never be that again. We will make sure this counts." (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)