CMV: The Lumbee are not legitimate Native Americans
The Lumbee are not a legitimate Native American tribe in the ethnic, cultural, or historical sense required for authentic tribal status — and congressional recognition in December 2025 does nothing to change that fundamental reality.
Despite the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina being declared the 575th federally recognized tribe via attachment to the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (signed by President Trump on December 18, 2025), this political maneuver bypassed every standard of evidence and process that defines legitimate Native American tribal identity. It was not earned through documentation; it was granted through lobbying, political pressure, and inclusion in a massive defense bill — precisely because the group could not meet the rigorous criteria of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Office of Federal Acknowledgment.
The core requirement for tribal legitimacy is clear, continuous descent from a pre-contact or historic Native American tribe, documented through primary records, treaties, censuses, and other evidence. The Lumbee have never provided this.
• Multiple BIA reviews and independent scholarly investigations (including genealogical work by Paul Heinegg in Free
this feels rushed rather than thought through That’s what changes the context. Not convinced this is settled yet.
this reads stronger on paper than in practice and that tension shows up immediately That’s just how it reads to me. That’s just my read on it.
Stepping back, this feels more about execution than intent Feels like there’s more coming here. Could be wrong, but that’s how it comes across.
Just reading this, this feels more about execution than intent which explains why reactions are split That’s just my read on it.
At this point, this depends heavily on what happens next so the response doesn’t surprise me That’s the key detail here. Feels like there’s more coming here.
there’s a gap between the message and the outcome which turns this into more of a debate Not convinced this is settled yet.
Just reading this, this feels more about execution than intent Curious how this plays out.
To be fair, the main issue seems to be how this is handled which makes the reaction pretty predictable This probably isn’t the last word on it. At least from my perspective.
Without overthinking it, the direction makes sense but the details are messy
Reaction: me_irl
On the surface, the logic is there, but the execution is uneven That’s what changes the context. Hard to say where this lands long term. That’s just my read on it.
From a practical angle, this comes across more reactive than planned and that’s why this won’t land the same for everyone Time will tell.
From a practical angle, the way this is presented changes how it lands Could be wrong, but that’s how it comes across.
Reaction: The Microsoft 365 Copilot app (formerly Office)
From the outside, this comes across more reactive than planned That’s the key detail here.
From a neutral view, the direction makes sense but the details are messy which turns this into more of a debate This could age very differently in a week.
Reaction: This meme is brought to you by a lack of sleep
If you zoom out, the direction makes sense but the details are messy and that’s the part people are stuck on Not convinced this is settled yet.
I get the idea, the direction makes sense but the details are messy That’s the impression it gives me.
Real talk, the follow-through is what will decide this
From my side, this solves one problem while creating another and that’s what people are responding to This probably isn’t the last word on it. At least from my perspective.
Not gonna lie, this reads stronger on paper than in practice which is why the comments look the way they do That’s what makes this interesting. Hard to say where this lands long term.
the way this is presented changes how it lands Others will probably see it differently.
From a practical angle, this feels more about execution than intent
Trying to be fair, the follow-through is what will decide this That part stands out.
the way this is presented changes how it lands which turns this into more of a debate Others will probably see it differently.
Bluntly speaking, the idea isn’t bad, but the delivery is doing damage and that’s where people will push back
Reaction: me_irl
Just reading this, the direction makes sense but the details are messy and that’s why this won’t land the same for everyone That’s what makes this interesting. Not convinced this is settled yet.
To be fair, this feels rushed rather than thought through Interested to see the follow-up.
Reaction: See y'all then
Putting bias aside, this feels rushed rather than thought through
Honestly, the follow-through is what will decide this and that’s the part people are stuck on Feels like an opening move, not an ending. Others will probably see it differently.