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List of federally recognized tribes by state facts for kids

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Federally recognized tribes by state
Map of states with US federally recognized tribes marked in yellow. States with no federally recognized tribes are marked in gray.

Federally recognized tribes are those Native American tribes recognized by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs as holding a government-to-government relationship with the US federal government. For Alaska Native tribes, see list of Alaska Native tribal entities. As of January 8,  2024 (2024 -01-08), 574 Indian tribes were legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United States. Of these, 227 are located in Alaska and 109 are located in California.

Description

In the United States, the Native American tribe is a fundamental unit of sovereign tribal government. As the Department of the Interior explains, "federally recognized tribes are recognized as possessing certain inherent rights of self-government (i.e., tribal sovereignty)...." The constitution grants to the U.S. Congress the right to interact with tribes. More specifically, the Supreme Court of the United States in United States v. Sandoval (231 US. 28 [1913]) warned, "it is not ... that Congress may bring a community or body of people within range of this power by arbitrarily calling them an Indian tribe, but only that in respect of distinctly Indian communities the questions whether, to what extent, and for what time they shall be recognized and dealt with as dependent tribes" (at 46). Federal tribal recognition grants to tribes the right to self-government, as well as certain benefits. The recognition process is largely controlled by the United States federal agency the Bureau of Indian Affairs, in consultation with federally recognized tribes.

In January 2015, the United States' Federal Register issued an official list of 566 tribes that are Indian Entities Recognized and Eligible To Receive Services From the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs. The number of tribes increased to 567 in July 2015 with the federal recognition of the Pamunkey tribe in Virginia. USA.gov, the federal government's official web portal, maintains a list of tribal governments which is constantly updated. Ancillary information present in former versions of this list but no longer contained in the current listing have been included here in italics print.

In 2018, six more Virginia-based tribes were added to the list, then in 2020 the Little Shell Chippewa were recognized bringing the total to 574. Of these, 231 are located in Alaska.

Except for Hawaii, states that have no federally recognized tribes today forcibly removed tribes from their region in the 19th century, mainly to the west and especially to Indian Territory, now Oklahoma.

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Multiple states:

Arkansas

No federally recognized tribes

California

Multiple states:

Colorado

Multiple states:

Connecticut

  • Mashantucket Pequot Tribe of Connecticut
  • Mohegan Indian Tribe of Connecticut

Delaware

No federally recognized tribes

Florida

  • Miccosukee Tribe of Indians
    (previously listed as Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida)
  • Seminole Tribe of Florida
    • Big Cypress Reservation
    • Brighton Reservation
    • Hollywood Reservation
    • Tampa Reservation

Georgia

No federally recognized tribes

Hawaii

No federally recognized tribes

Idaho

Multiple states:

  • Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation, Idaho and Nevada

Illinois

No federally recognized tribes

Indiana

Multiple states:

Iowa

Kansas

Multiple states:

Kentucky

No federally recognized tribes

Louisiana

Maine

  • Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians
    (previously listed asHoulton Band of Maliseet Indians of Maine)
  • Mi'kmaq Nation
    (previously listed as Aroostook Band of Micmacs; Aroostook Band of Micmac Indians)
  • Passamaquoddy Tribe
    (previously listed as Passamaquoddy Tribe of Maine)
  • Penobscot Nation
    (previously listed as Penobscot Tribe of Maine)

Maryland

No federally recognized tribes

Massachusetts

Michigan

Multiple states:

Minnesota

Multiple states:

Mississippi

Multiple states:

Missouri

No federally recognized tribes

Montana

Multiple states:

  • Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians of North Dakota (also in Montana and South Dakota)

Nebraska

Multiple states:

Nevada

Multiple states:

New Hampshire

No federally recognized tribes

New Jersey

No federally recognized tribes

New Mexico

Multiple states:

New York

  • Cayuga Nation
    (previously listed as Cayuga Nation of New York)
  • Oneida Indian Nation
    (previously listed as Oneida Nation of New York)
  • Onondaga Nation of New York
  • Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe
    (previously listed as St. Regis Band of Mohawk Indians of New York)
  • Seneca Nation of New York
  • Shinnecock Nation
  • Tonawanda Band of Seneca Indians of New York
  • Tuscarora Nation of New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Multiple states:

Ohio

No federally recognized tribes

Oklahoma

Oregon

Multiple states:

Pennsylvania

No federally recognized tribes

Rhode Island

  • Narragansett Indian Tribe of Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Multiple states:

Tennessee

Multiple states:

Texas

Further information: Native American tribes in Texas

Utah

Multiple states:

Vermont

No federally recognized tribes

Virginia

  • Chickahominy Indian Tribe
  • Chickahominy Indian Tribe–Eastern Division
  • Monacan Indian Nation
  • Nansemond Indian Nation
  • Pamunkey Indian Tribe
  • Rappahannock Tribe, Inc.
  • Upper Mattaponi Tribe

Washington

West Virginia

No federally recognized tribes

Wisconsin

Wisconsin tribal flags at state capitol
Flags of Wisconsin tribes in the state capitol
  • Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians of the Bad River Reservation, Wisconsin
  • Forest County Potawatomi Community, Wisconsin
  • Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin
  • Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of the Lac du Flambeau Reservation of Wisconsin
  • Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin
  • Oneida Nation
    (previously listed as Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin)
  • Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin
  • St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin
  • Sokaogon Chippewa Community, Wisconsin
  • Stockbridge Munsee Community, Wisconsin

Multiple states:

Wyoming

  • Arapahoe Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming
  • Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, Wyoming

See also

Native Americans in the United States

  • Federally recognized tribes, continental United States
  • List of Alaska Native tribal entities
  • List of Indian reservations in the United States
    • List of historical Indian reservations in the United States
  • State recognized tribes in the United States
  • Organizations that self-identify as Native American tribes

Indigenous peoples in Canada

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