John Lowery, N.C. State Rep. and Chairman of the Lumbee Tribe of N.C., leads a toast to Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., center, front right, as members of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, celebrate the passage of a bill granting their people federal recognition, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Wearing a traditional bolo that says "Lumbee Tribal Council," a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, attends a celebration after the passage of a bill granting the tribe with federal recognition, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
People celebrate after passage of the National Defense Authorization Act by the U.S. Senate, during a watch party hosted by the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Pembroke, N.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)
People celebrate after passage of the National Defense Authorization Act by the U.S. Senate during a watch party hosted by the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Pembroke, N.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)
People attend a watch party for the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act by the U.S. Senate, hosted by the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Pembroke, N.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)
People attend a watch party for the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act by the U.S. Senate, hosted by the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Pembroke, N.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)
Austin Curt Thomas, 11, gets a celebratory fist bump from Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., as he and his father Aaron Thomas, of Pembroke, N.C., join fellow members of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, to celebrate after the passage of a bill granting their people federal recognition, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
People sing while playing drums during a watch party hosted by the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Pembroke, N.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)
John Lowery, N.C. State Rep. and Chairman of the Lumbee Tribe of N.C., right, is comforted by Rob Jacobs, as they join with other members of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, to celebrate with hugs, tears, and prayers after the passage of a bill granting their people with federal recognition, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. "It means a lot," says Lowery, "because we have been figuring out how to get here for so long. We have been second class natives, and we will never be that again. We will make sure this counts." (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Children pose for a photo with a man selling signs after passage of the National Defense Authorization Act by the U.S. Senate, during a watch party hosted by the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, in Pembroke, N.C. (AP Photo/Allison Joyce)
Audio By Carbonatix
4:05 PM on Wednesday, December 17
By ALLISON JOYCE and JACQUELYN MARTIN
PEMBROKE, North Carolina (AP) — The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina is celebrating the passage of a bill granting their people federal recognition. Once federally recognized, the tribe would become one of the largest tribal nations in the country, with about 60,000 members.
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
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