List of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States

This list shows the federally recognized tribes located in the contiguous United States, which means the lower 48 states that touch each other. The list is ordered alphabetically. For a list ordered by state, see List of federally recognized tribes by state. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes, which are not part of this list.

As of December 18, 2025, 575 Indian tribes are legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United States. Of these tribes, 228 are located in Alaska, and 109 are located in California. The remaining tribes are spread across the country.

Of the 575 federally recognized tribes, 347 are located in the contiguous United States. Recognition means that the federal government officially acknowledges a tribe as a separate community with its own government.

Description

Further information: Tribal sovereignty in the United States

Federally recognized tribes are Native American tribes that the Bureau of Indian Affairs recognizes as having a special relationship with the US federal government. For Alaska Native tribes, see list of Alaska Native tribal entities. In the United States, each tribe is its own basic unit of self-governing tribal government. The Department of the Interior explains that "federally recognized tribes are recognized as having certain built-in rights of self-government (that is, tribal sovereignty) ..." The U.S. Congress has the power to deal with tribes. In United States v. Sandoval, the Supreme Court of the United States said that Congress cannot place a group under this power just by calling it an Indian tribe. Federal tribal recognition gives tribes certain benefits, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs mostly manages it.

In the 1970s, government leaders saw that they needed clear steps for deciding which groups could be recognized. Some tribes that were not federally recognized had trouble making land claims. In United States v. Washington (1974), a court confirmed the fishing treaty rights of Washington tribes. Other tribes asked the government to recognize their aboriginal titles. These needs led to the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975, which made tribal groups official and gave back some Native American self-determination.

Federal acknowledgment

After decisions made by the Indian Claims Commission in the 1950s, the BIA published final rules in 1978. These rules explained the steps that groups must take to be officially recognized as tribes by the federal government. Four of the seven criteria have been especially hard for many groups to prove. These are a long history as a community, being recognized as Indians by outsiders, having political authority, and being descended from a historical tribe. Groups that want recognition must send detailed petitions to the BIA's Office of Federal Acknowledgment.

A tribe can be officially recognized if the US Congress passes a law doing so. A tribe can also be recognized if it meets seven criteria. These criteria include being known as an American Indian group since 1900, forming a distinct community, and having political influence over its members. They also include having a governing document with membership rules, being descended from a historical tribe, having members who are mostly not part of another recognized tribe, and not having its federal relationship ended by Congress.

The process can take years, and sometimes decades. Some groups have waited 12 to 14 years. The Shinnecock Indian Nation petitioned in 1978 and was recognized 32 years later, in 2010. At a hearing of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, witnesses described the process as "broken, long, expensive, burdensome, intrusive, unfair, arbitrary and capricious, less than transparent, unpredictable, and subject to undue political influence and manipulation."

Recent additions

The number of tribes rose to 567 in May 2016, when the Pamunkey tribe in Virginia was added. The Pamunkey had received federal recognition in July 2015. The number then rose to 573 after six tribes in Virginia were added under the Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2017. This law was signed in January 2018, after the annual list had been published. In July 2018, the Federal Register published an official list of 573 tribes. These are Indian Entities Recognized and Eligible To Receive Services From the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana became the 574th tribe to gain federal recognition on December 20, 2019. The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina became the 575th on December 18, 2025. The website USA.gov, the federal government's official web portal, also keeps an updated list of tribal governments. Information that appeared in former versions of this list but is no longer in the current listing is shown here in italic print.

Alphabetical list of federally recognized tribes

This section lists federally recognized tribes in alphabetical order by name, with a separate group for each letter from A to Z. Many entries also show an older name that the tribe used before. Some entries name the state where the tribe's land is, such as Hopi Tribe of Arizona and Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin.

Some tribes are listed under their own names, such as the Navajo Nation and the Cherokee Nation. Others are listed by the name of their reservation or community. Use the letters to find a tribe quickly.