After more than a century of pushing, waiting, and being told “almost,” the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina has officially received full federal recognition. For Lumbee people, this moment is part celebration, part relief, and part “about damn time.” The recognition finally puts the Lumbee on equal footing with other federally recognized tribes, opening access to federal programs, services, and resources that were long out of reach.

The Lumbee have been recognized by North Carolina since 1885, and Congress acknowledged the tribe by name in 1956 — but with a major catch. That earlier law denied them the very benefits that recognition is supposed to bring. Generations of Lumbee leaders kept showing up anyway, navigating federal red tape with reziliance patience and persistence. Now, with one of the largest tribal populations in the country, the Lumbee are finally being recognized as what they have always known themselves to be: a sovereign Indigenous nation.

Across Indian Country, the news sparked both celebration and conversation. Many tribes see this as a long-overdue correction of a historic wrong. Others are openly discussing questions about process, precedent, and how recognition decisions are made. That dialogue — sometimes supportive, sometimes skeptical — reflects bigger conversations about sovereignty, identity, and who gets to decide what “counts” as Native.

For now, though, the Lumbee are celebrating. And in a year where good news can feel scarce, Indian Country can agree on at least this much: it’s powerful to see a tribe finally get the recognition it never should have had to fight this hard for.