Haliwa-Saponi may be federally recognized

Sep. 1—HENDERSON — H.R. 5236, a bill to recognize the Haliwa-Saponi Tribe at the federal level, is moving through the nation's legislature.

Interim Tribal Administrator Kathy Harris noted the tribe is "truly excited about the introduction of the bill."

Should the bill be ratified, citizens of the tribe would be entitled to health services and educational opportunities among other benefits from the federal government. It would make a "vast difference" for members, said Harris. North Carolina recognized the tribe in 1965, which also made a difference, she said.

Indeed, recognizing the tribe would "open up doors," said Rep. Don Davis, who introduced the bill on Aug. 18. A federally recognized tribe has an official, government-to-government relationship with that of the United States.

Davis' predecessor, G.K. Butterfield, introduced a similar bill in December 2022, but it died in Congress.

The representative attended the tribe's annual powwow after it was reinstated following the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I was really able to connect to the heritage, the culture, and it's very rich," said Davis. "I believe what makes it complete, then, would be federal recognition. Recognizing the great contributions, the heritage... I believe strongly in supporting the recognition."

Haliwa is a portmanteau of Halifax and Warren counties, where most members of the tribe live. The Halifax County town of Hollister houses the tribe's Tribal Center.

The bill recognizes that the tribe is a "political successor" to the former Saponi Nation, which made peace with the Tuscarora tribe in 1733 and moved to a section of the latter's reservation in what is now Bertie County.

Some members of the Nansemond Tribe migrated from Virginia, later, following the American Revolution, banding together with the Saponi for mutual protection. Some members of the Haliwa-Saponi trace their ancestry back to the Nansemond Tribe.

Today, the Haliwa-Saponi has around 4,060 members across the United States and the globe. Most members live in Halifax and Warren counties, though the bill notes that Nash, Franklin, Vance and Granville counties would be a part of the tribe's service area for the sake of federally delivered services.

As of the time of writing, the bill has yet to come back out of the House of Representatives' Committee on Natural Resources, where it was sent the day it was introduced.