Will Federal Recognition for the Lumbee ‘Transform’ Southeastern North Carolina?  

Five days before Congress passed a mega bill in December that included full federal recognition for the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, the tribe’s for-profit entity, Lumbee Holdings, bought a large tract of land along Interstate 95 in Robeson County. 

Then, on December 17–the day of the historic U.S. Senate vote–Lumbee Holdings bought more land. The group paid $6.8 million for the two properties, which together span about 240 acres near the South Carolina border, and quickly transferred them to the tribe. 

For many Lumbee people, the days leading up to Christmas were a time to revel in the federal recognition, which they had been seeking for 137 years. Behind the scenes, tribal leaders were quietly working to secure property for an economic development prospect the recognition would afford them: a casino. 

John Lowery, the Lumbee tribal chairman and a Republican representative in the state House, publicly announced the land purchase in late January. The property, he said, could “benefit our people for generations to come.”  

Ultimately, it will be up to the tribe’s 60,000-plus members to decide whether to enter the gaming business. Lowery recently told The Assembly and Border Belt Independent that he hopes a tribalwide vote will take place “sooner rather than later.” 

“And it will be interesting to see what people decide to do,” he added. 

The casino would be the fourth in North Carolina and the first in the eastern half of the state. Its location–about 110 miles south of Raleigh and 75 miles north of Myrtle Beach–is about the halfway point between New York City and Miami on I-95. 

Proponents say a casino could inject a much-needed economic boost in the tribe’s distressed territory of Robeson, Scotland, Hoke, and Cumberland counties. The region, home to more than half a million people, has long struggled with population loss as young people seek job opportunities in larger cities. Some families are still rebuilding after hurricanes Matthew in 2016 and Florence in 2018 caused widespread damage.  

Lowery said the casino project, which could also include restaurants, conference spaces, and entertainment venues, would create up to 3,000 permanent jobs. 

A possible casino is only one part of the Lumbees’ plan now that it is the 575th federally recognized tribe. Leaders have been meeting with federal agency representatives to learn more about the potential funds that will be available to them each year for health, education, public safety, housing, and other services. 

The largest chunk of money will come from the Indian Health Service, according to Lowery. He said the tribe could partner with UNC Health Southeastern, Scotland Health, and other local hospital systems to enhance specialized care. He envisions the tribe opening health clinics throughout the four counties, and perhaps a drug addiction treatment center. 

Creating jobs and increasing access to health care are key to improving people’s lives, Lowery said. “I honestly believe this: In 10 years, if we do this right, we’re going to transform this whole region.” 

A Three-Year Wait 

It’s unclear exactly how much the Lumbee will get from the federal government now that it has full federal recognition. Estimates show the tribe will receive between $70 million and $80 million a year from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Indian Health Service, Lowery said, but other sources are also available. 

A spokesperson for the Bureau of Indian Affairs said the department’s eligibility review for the tribe is “ongoing.” 

The money isn’t yet flowing. The Lumbee Fairness Act, which was tucked into the National Defense Authorization Act, stipulates that the Lumbee won’t start getting federal funds until three years after Congress passed the bill. Lowery said it was a concession to some senators who resisted federal recognition for the tribe. 

In the meantime, the tribe is updating its list of members. Rolls closed to new members in October ahead of the tribal election, which is standard practice, but they have not reopened as they normally would, said Tammy Maynor, director of government affairs for the Lumbee. That way, she said, the tribe can gather an accurate number for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. 

Existing members have been flocking to tribal headquarters in Pembroke to renew their status. Lumbees who live outside the territory must return to Robeson County every seven years to maintain membership. “When something comes available,” Maynor said, “they want to know that they’re eligible.” 

The Lumbee already have a multimillion-dollar annual budget from state and federal funds. North Carolina recognized the tribe in 1885; Congress granted the tribe limited acknowledgement in 1956, but it was denied most of the resources available to fully recognized tribes. Still, the Lumbee received $33.9 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in fiscal year 2023-24, funds used to build housing for tribal elders and veterans and help first-time homeowners with down payments. Members can also access emergency rental assistance. 

Maynor said the three-year wait for additional money will give the tribe time to better understand new funding streams. “There’s not like a pot of unrestricted money where the tribe can say, ‘Oh, let me just put money over here to help elders or help children,’” she said. “It’s got to be within rules and regulations.”   

Lowery has been regularly posting video updates on social media about what tribal leaders are learning and doing. He said they met with Environmental Protection Agency representatives to “explore new opportunities that will help us protect our lands, strengthen our communities, and support long-term growth.” 

Lowery said he also met with the U.S. Department of Agriculture about its Intermediary Relending Program, which provides low-interest loans to groups that, in turn, lend money to businesses in rural areas. 

“My vision is for the tribe to one day be able to offer low-interest loans to our business owners, helping them grow, create jobs, train workers, and bring new opportunities back into our communities,” Lowery said in one video. “Programs like this have the potential to spark economic growth and empower our people to build lasting success right here at home.”

Over the past few years, the Lumbee tribal government created departments to handle specific issues, much like the state and federal government. It now has departments of health and human services, agriculture and natural resources, and economic development and tourism. Lowery said these departments are already equipped to apply for federal grants and put the money to good use. 

But federal money can only do so much, according to Lowery. He said a casino would be a huge money-maker that would allow the tribe to create and expand programs for the Lumbee people. 

Hitting the Jackpot 

A casino has been a subject of discussion for the Lumbee for years. In 2023, the Republican-led state legislature proposed four rural casinos, including one operated by the Lumbee in southeastern North Carolina. 

But the effort to expand gaming died amid pushback in other parts of the state. State Senate Leader Phil Berger’s pitch for a casino in Rockingham County near the Virginia border contributed to his primary election defeat last month. 

Lumbees have long said their quest for full federal recognition was not about gaining permission to operate a casino. To them, it was about righting a 70-year-old wrong and securing their rightful place in history.  

Marcus Deese, 35, said he faced ridicule as a Lumbee child in Robeson County and beyond because his tribe was not fully recognized. Some people told him he wasn’t really Native American. “Everybody wanted proof,” he said. “It’s hard to try and prove who you are.” 

Now, as a husband and father of four children in Pembroke, Deese said a casino would bring new life to Robeson County, where about 41% of the 120,000 residents are Native American. He and his family attended the Wild Game Festival at the Lumbee Tribe Cultural Center in late March, one of several events planned this year to celebrate recognition. 

“It will bring in a lot of revenue,” Deese said. “It’ll open up job opportunities. It could be a big positive for the tribe.”

Others hold a dimmer view, especially more conservative, Christian members of the tribe. 

“I think in a community with a church on every corner, some people will think a casino would bring in sin,” said Joann Cummings, 67, of Pembroke. 

But Cummings, who was also at the festival, said she would vote in favor of a casino. “It’s going to provide lots of jobs. Maybe that would help get people off the streets, because they would have someplace to work.” 

Robeson County had an unemployment rate of 4.7% in December, one of the highest among the state’s 100 counties, according to the N.C. Department of Commerce. It also had among the highest crime rates. Robeson recorded 40 murders in 2024–three more than Wake County, the largest in the state with a population of more than 1.2 million. Robeson also had among the state’s highest rates of drug overdose deaths in 2024, despite a sharp decline from the previous year. 

David Edge, chairman of the Robeson County Board of Commissioners, said he would welcome the jobs a casino might bring. But he questioned other potential benefits. After the tribe got the land from Lumbee Holdings, it put the property in a federal government trust. That means that businesses that open on the site would likely be exempt from paying state and local taxes. Ultimately, he said, the project could become “a burden on the citizens.” 

Even if members vote against a casino, the tribe still plans to develop the site, Lowery said, perhaps as a business park.  

But a casino could generate millions of dollars in income. Some tribes with gaming operations distribute part of the revenue to their members, but Lowery said that’s highly unlikely for the Lumbee. 

Members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the state’s only other federally recognized tribe, receive thousands of dollars a year from casino revenues in Cherokee and Jackson counties. (The tribe also plans to issue payments from its cannabis operation, which began on the Qualla Boundary in Western North Carolina in 2024.) 

The South Carolina-based Catawba tribe, which is building the $1 billion Two Kings Casino 35 miles west of Charlotte and reportedly has plans for a second casino, also issues payments. 

But those tribes are smaller than the Lumbee. The Eastern Band has about 15,000 members, and the Catawba has about 3,000. “We’re too large,” Lowery said. 

Long Road to Recognition 

Getting full federal recognition was a hard-fought process for the Lumbee. The U.S. House passed the Lumbee Fairness Act several times in recent years, but the measure continually stalled in the Senate. 

Some other tribes, including the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, vehemently opposed recognition, arguing that the Lumbee people lack a shared history. Historians say the Lumbee descend from several tribes whose members settled along the Lumber River in Robeson County in the 18th century to avoid violence and diseases from newly arriving Europeans. 

Days after President Donald Trump was sworn into office for the second time in January 2025, he ordered the Department of the Interior to outline potential paths for the Lumbee to get full federal recognition. Former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden had also pledged support for the Lumbee, but many saw Trump’s directive as a long-overdue plan of action. 

“I don’t feel like anybody else really cared,” said Deese, who attended the festival last month. 

Voters in Robeson, which was a Democratic stronghold for decades, have shifted their support to Republican candidates in recent years. Trump won the county all three times he ran. 

The Interior Department told the Lumbee to continue lobbying Congress for recognition. Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina emerged as an outspoken advocate for the tribe. When the Senate voted, Robeson County was filled with joy. 

“We’re not giving them special treatment,” Tillis said in a video in December. “We’re finally giving them the fair treatment they have earned through their over century of resilience, service, and dignity.” 

Doing so, Tillis said, would provide funding for services that will “transform Robeson County and the surrounding communities.” 

Any transformation will undoubtedly take years. But if their century-long fight for recognition is any indication, the Lumbee are patient.