The federal Department of the Interior (DOI) has yet again delayed the recognition of the 500-member Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians of Michigan, this time by four months.
The department’s Office of Federal Acknowledgement (OFA) told the tribe October 4 that it was extending its previous deadline of October 12 by 120 days until February 2023.
Tribal Chairman Ron Yob, noting that the department has issued almost two dozen extensions on the decision since the tribe applied for federal recognition in 1994, told MiBiz, “I would have been more shocked to see it not get extended, really.” He added, “It’s sad to say, but you almost expect it. You just have to let it play out.”
Several times friendly legislators in Congress have proposed bills that would recognize the tribe, but none have been passed.
One thing the tribe would like to do with sovereignty is build and operate a casino. Earlier this year Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer cited the ongoing petition process when she didn’t approve the tribe’s proposal for a $180 million off-reservation casino in Fruitport Township.
The governor was placed between the Grand River tribes and another tribe, the Little River Band, over the latter’s casino proposal. The governor could only approve the Grand River Bands’ casino as part of a “two-part concurrence” process that could only happen if the tribes achieved federal recognition.
Whitmer April 15 wrote to the Department of the Interior about her dilemma. “My concurrence with the Little River Band’s two-part determination could frustrate the Grand River Bands, which may wish to open their own gaming facility on tribal lands not far from Fruitport Township.”
