BARTLESVILLE, Okla. (AP) — A tribe that has been trying to regain federal recognition since 2004 may be a step closer to reaching that goal.
Delaware Tribe members have until April 21 to register for a May 26 election on a tribal constitution.
All tribal members who have registered to vote will get a ballot. Tribe spokesman Ernest Tiger said ballots that aren’t returned will count as “no” votes.
The Bartlesville-based tribe has been associated with the Cherokee Nation for years. It gained federal recognition in the 1990s, but lost it in 2004 under a federal court decision.
The tribe is separate from the federally recognized Delaware Nation, which has its headquarters in Anadarko.
The Delawares had been in a dispute with the Cherokee Nation over its attempts to break away, but the tribes’ councils agreed to the split in October, Tiger said.
With the loss of its federal recognition, the tribe went from about 100 employees to five and had to sell its former headquarters, Tiger said. Federal recognition will help the tribe regain federal funds, he said.
“... This is a momentous occasion for the tribe. We have our economic development projects on hold until after we get federal recognition, at which time we’ll become very active in advancing the tribe through economic development projects,” Tiger said.
The Delaware Tribe, headed by Chief Jerry Douglas, has about 10,800 members.
