Indian tribes are unique legal entities in the United States and are distinct political communities with extensive powers of self-government. Tribal sovereignty predates the U.S. government. Treaties, federal statutes and executive agreements over the past 200 years have established a special trust relationship between tribes and the federal government. The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs (B.I.A.) has been designated by the Secretary of the Interior as the primary agency to protect tribal interests and administer trust responsibilities.
Inclusion on this site does NOT mean an endorsement has been made for recognition of any particular tribe. All entities claiming to be US indian tribes that we are aware of have been included for completeness. Where known, we have indicated official tribal status with our Key Chart. In many cases we have not verified the validity of the claim of tribal status, and leave it to your own common sense or further research to validate tribal claims.
Alternate names in parenthesis are either older names that were once used to identify that tribe, or they are misspellings.
Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians
of the Bad River Reservation (Wisconsin) (F)
Bay Mills Indian Community (Michigan) (F) (formerly Bay Mills Indian Community of the Sault Ste. Marie Band of Chippewa Indians, Bay Mills Reservation, Michigan)
Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians (Michigan)(F) (formerly the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians of Michigan)
Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (Michigan) (F)(formerly the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community of L'Anse and Ontonagon Bands of Chippewa Indians of the L'Anse Reservation)
Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (Wisconsin)(F)
Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (Wisconsin) (F)
Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians (Michigan) (F) (formerly the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Michigan)
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (Oregon) (F)
Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs (Oregon) (F)
Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation (formerly the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Indian
Nation of the Yakama Reservation) (also known as Yakima Tribe) (F)
Coos:
Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua & Siuslaw (Oregon) (F)
Coquille:
Coquille Tribe of Oregon (F)
Couer d’Alene:
Coeur D'Alene Tribe of the Coeur D'Alene Reservation (Idaho) (F)
Three more Indian tribes recognized in SC
Three more American Indian groups have been officially recognized as tribes in South Carolina. The tribes are the Pee Dee Indian Tribe of South Carolina, the Beaver Creek Indians and the Santee Indian Organization.
Two Nez Perce warriors returned for burial
Two Nez Perce warriors were buried in northcentral Idaho on Friday and Saturday, more than a century after they died in the 1877 Battle of the Big Hole.
Hannahville Potawatomi Indian Community
The Hannahville Potawatomi Indian Community is located in the south-central section of Michigan's Upper Peninsula in Menominee Country, 20 miles west of Escanaba, MI and 95 miles northeast of Green Bay, WI.
