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Catawba, other indigenous groups seek federal policy change
CATAWBA NATION — Spring saw the Catawba Nation welcome a U.S. senator for a brief tour of its reservation near Rock Hill along with the tribe’s chief traveling to Washington to lobby on behalf of his people.
“We’re having important conversations around tribal health, resources and the future of our communities,” Chief Brian Harris said in posts on Facebook.
The Catawba Indians have lived on their ancestral lands along the banks of the Catawba River for thousands of years. The Catawba Nation is South Carolina’s only federally recognized Native American tribe and has 3,300 members.
U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., visited the tribe in Rock Hill on April 8 to talk about federal policy issues affecting the tribe.
“This is the byproduct of forming a relationship over time,” Scott said of the visit. “You want to learn more, and sometimes the way to do that is to come see it for yourself.”
Scott is co-sponsoring a bill with fellow Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., to amend the Catawba Indian Tribe of South Carolina Land Claims Settlement Act of 1993.
The change would remove the federal requirement that individuals seeking tribal enrollment must have maintained continuous political relations with the tribe. Instead, eligibility would be based on lineal descent, allowing the Catawba Nation greater authority to determine its own membership.
In the House, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-Rock Hill, is sponsoring the companion bill.