Connecticut's Golden Hill Tribe Sues Bureau of Indian Affairs To Put Federal Recognition of Tribe Back on Track.Government, Political & Legal Writers BRIDGEPORT, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 4, 2001 Recognition Needed for Golden Hill to be Eligible for Federal Health, Education and Economic Development Programs Recognition Process Derailed by CT Attorney General's Attacks on State's Recognized Tribes The Golden Hill Tribe A hill tribe is any one of around twenty ethnic groups living in Northern Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar. Most of these groups also exist outside Thailand, but the term is most often used to refer to the Thai groups. The hill tribes together number approximately 550,000. , a Connecticut Indian tribe INDIAN TRIBE. A separate and distinct community or body of the aboriginal Indian race of men found in the United States. 2. Such a tribe, situated within the boundaries of a state, and exercising the powers of government and, sovereignty, under the national officially recognized by the Connecticut government for more than 350 years, has filed suit against the Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the Department of the Interior charged with the administration and management of 55.7 million acres (87,000 sq. in Washington, DC to force the BIA BIA abbr. Bureau of Indian Affairs to finally decide the tribe's federal recognition petition. The suit seeks to put BIA's consideration of Golden Hill's petition for federal recognition back on track after more than a year of political delays. A number of other tribes, both in Connecticut and in other states, have filed similar claims in recent months. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Golden Hill's longstanding Chief Quiet Hawk, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal's persistent attacks against Connecticut's recognized tribes has forced the tribes into a "race to the courthouse race to the courthouse n. slang for the rule that the first deed, deed of trust, mortgage, lien or judgment which is recorded with the County Recorder will have priority and prevail over later recordings no matter when the documents were dated. " to protect their rights to federal recognition, which is necessary for the tribes to be eligible for federal health, education and economic development programs. The Golden Hill Tribe has been recognized by Connecticut on a continuous basis since the 17th Century, and enjoys strong support from its Bridgeport-area neighbors. Since the tribe originally began its pursuit of federal recognition in 1982, its petition has been repeatedly delayed by procedural abuses. BIA's first preliminary decision to deny the petition was reversed by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 1999, because BIA had failed to follow its own regulations, or to consider the tribe's evidence demonstrating its right to federal acknowledgement. BIA was required to issue a new decision in March 2000, but failed to do so. Throughout the past year, BIA set three separate schedules for deciding Golden Hill's petition - and missed them all. Chief Quiet Hawk, whose family has led the Golden Hill tribe for generations, is confident the tribe will obtain federal acknowledgement, once BIA completes review of the tribe's petition. Under BIA's longstanding precedent, the documented governmental relations between Connecticut and its recognized tribes dating back to the Colonial period Colonial Period may generally refer to any period in a country's history when it was subject to administration by a colonial power.
The problem is not with the evidence, it is with BIA's delay in reviewing it, the tribe argues in its complaint. As a number of officials have pointed out, this delay has been largely caused by Attorney General Blumenthal's politically motivated obstruction obstruction /ob·struc·tion/ (ob-struk´shun) 1. the act of blocking or clogging. 2. block; occlusion; the state or condition of being clogged.obstruc´tive ob·struc·tion n. . Connecticut Governor John Rowland recently described the situation by stating: "Number one, it's great politics for Dick Blumenthal and that's what it's all about. . . . He's having a political game, and he's beating up on (Connecticut's recognized tribes)." Many Connecticut tribes, including the Eastern Pequot, the Paucatuck Eastern Pequot and the Schaghticoke, as well as tribes from other parts of the country, have been forced to litigate to protect their rights to federal recognition. With BIA's decision on the Golden Hill petition now more than a year overdue OVERDUE. A bill, note, bond or other contract, for the payment of money at a particular day, when not paid upon the day, is overdue. 2. The indorsement of a note or bill overdue, is equivalent to drawing a new bill payable at sight. 2 Conn. 419; 18 Pick. , Chief Quiet Hawk said the tribe had no choice but to go to court as well. Please call if you would like a copy of the 14-page complaint, filed April 3rd in Federal District Court in the District of Columbia District of Columbia, federal district (2000 pop. 572,059, a 5.7% decrease in population since the 1990 census), 69 sq mi (179 sq km), on the east bank of the Potomac River, coextensive with the city of Washington, D.C. (the capital of the United States). , or would like to speak with Evan van Hook of the law firm of Sidley & Austin, which represents the Golden Hill Tribe. |
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