New Jersey has restored official recognition for two native tribes that had charged that concerns over casino rights had led to a lapse in their recognized status.
New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced separate agreements with the Powhatan Renape Nation and the Ramapough Lenape Nation.
According to a report in the Courier-Post newspaper, the two tribes have claimed in a statement that former Governor Chris Christie was responsible for allowing “state bureaucrats to deny and undermine the tribes’ status.” They said the former administration was mistakenly concerned about the tribes offering casino competition in the state.
Grewal said in a press statement that all parties have agreed state recognition does not provide the tribes with federal casino gaming rights. The state will notify “all relevant” agencies of the newly formalized recognition status of Powhatan and Ramapough nations within 30 days, he said.
The tribes charged that the lapse in recognition cost the tribes access to federal grants, student loans and the right to sell products as “Indian made.” The New Jersey tribes, including a third tribe the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation, said in a press release that they have never had an interest in pursuing casino gaming.
