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Join the Lumbee Tribe of N.C. as we remember the bravery of our ancestors at the Battle of Hayes Pond on January 18, 1958. This week is the 65th Anniversary of the historic event, which was talked about around the world. We look forward to hearing from some of our Lumbee elders that were at the battle that cold January night. The link below is a Curriculum sheet for educators and parents to share with students about the Hayes Pond Battle which took place against the KKK. Lesson plan: https://k12database.unc.edu/.../05/LumbeeFightforJustice.pdf

The Lumbee Tribe Tribal Support Services will begin host February's Talking Circle at 6:00 pm on February 7, 2023. The topic will focus on Lumbee Veterans Spouses. The location will be at the Lumbee Tribe Cultural Center on Terry Sanford Drive in Maxton with a rain location of the Lumbee Tribe Cultural Center Administration Building. Call 522.5055 for more information.

Press Release – Chief Legal Officer Announcement Pembroke, N.C., January 13, 2023 – Lumbee Tribe Holdings, Inc. (LTH) has named Heather McMillan Nakai as its chief legal officer effective January 3, 2023. In this role, Heather will lead the company’s efforts regarding contracts and other negotiations, dispute resolution, and policy matters across all of the LTH family of companies and affiliated organizations. She will report to LTH Chief Executive Officer Joshua D. Malcolm. With a juris doctorate from UCLA School of Law and bachelor’s degree in History and Native American Studies from Dartmouth, Heather has dedicated the past 16 years to representing the interests of tribes with respect to state and federal government matters. Heather began her career at the Indian Health Service as a policy analyst before transitioning to the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) where she spent 14 years as a staff attorney for the Oklahoma and Phoenix regions analyzing complex legal issues and drafting federal regulations to assist various tribal gaming interests in attaining and maintaining compliance across a wide spectrum of business operations. “Heather is an accomplished and highly skilled attorney whose practice of law has enabled her to assist tribes throughout Indian Country. We are extremely pleased she has decided to join an organization dedicated to bringing economic prosperity and opportunities to Lumbee Tribal members – her people,” said Mr. Malcolm. In addition to her professional endeavors, Heather has served the Lumbee Tribe in numerous capacities including as a member of the Constitutional Reform Committee and a consultant to the Federal Recognition Committee. Heather’s work resulted in an opportunity to challenge the Department of Interior’s interpretation of the Lumbee Act of 1956. “I have had a very rewarding federal career and I am now looking for an opportunity to use my expertise to contribute more directly to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina,” said Heather. Heather is an enrolled member of the Lumbee Tribe and grew up in the Allenton community. She currently resides in Lumberton with her husband, Benjamin, and their daughter. About Lumbee Tribe Holdings, Inc. Lumbee Tribe Holdings, Inc. (LTH) is headquartered in Pembroke, North Carolina and serves as a holdings company for several subsidiaries – Lumbee Tribe Enterprises, LLC; Lumbee IT Solutions, LLC, dba Lumbee Federal Solutions, LLC; and Lumbee 56 Construction, LLC, dba Lumbee 56, LLC – who are committed to providing world class services to a diverse array of government customers. Established in 2011, LTH is wholly owned by the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and provides economic resources to the Lumbee Tribal Government for the benefit of its Tribal members.

The Lumbee Tribal Enrollment Department is experiencing some technical difficulties. If you are planning to visit the department today, please be prepared for longer wait times. We are working to resolve this issue as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience.

The Lumbee Tribe Housing Complex and all Lumbee Tribal Offices will be closed Monday, January 16, 2023 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Thank you for to everyone who came out tonight for the Lumbee Tribe Inauguration Ceremony - Tribal Council elect. The Lumbee Tribal Council had seven members who were sworn in and three outgoing. Sworn in was Gerald Goolsby, Pam Hunt, Kristie Revels – Hunt, Yvonne Dial, Kathy Oxendine Hunt, Josephine Chavis-Doss, and Alex Baker. The outgoing Tribal Council members are Larry Chavis, Corbin Eddings, Shelley Strickland and Ricky Burnett. Thank you to Tobacco Road Drum members and John Oxendine for honoring the council tonight with special music. Thank you to the Lumbee Warriors Association and Sr. Miss Lumbee and everyone who made this evening special.

Congratulations to newly sworn-in NC House Representative Jarrod Lowery. Rep. Lowery was sworn in this afternoon in a ceremony in Raleigh. He will represent District 47, which comprises most of Robeson County and is in the Lumbee Tribal Territory. Rep. Lowery is a former Lumbee Tribal Council Member. He is an enrolled member of the Lumbee Tribe of N.C. He is also the brother of Lumbee Tribal Chairman John L. Lowery. He is the sixth Lumbee to hold a seat in the N.C. General Assembly. Many blessings to him and his family.

Does your child need additional help in Reading or Math? The Project IndigeCHOICE Tutoring Program provides FREE tutoring for Native youth in the Lumbee Tribal Service Area of Cumberland, Hoke, Robeson, and Scotland Counties. Please visit https://indigeCHOICE.lumbeetribe.com/ to register for this awesome opportunity and to learn about additional services offered by the Project IndigeCHOICE Grant.

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the Swearing-in of Lumbee Tribal Chairman John Lowery. Chairman Lowery took time today to reflect on the past year. He looks forward to putting out a list of accomplishments and successes of 2022. “I am so honored and thankful to celebrate this one-year anniversary. We have accomplished a great deal during this time for the Lumbee People and I look forward to continued success in 2023. #LumbeeTribe

Today wraps up the first week of the new year and our Lumbee Tribal Enrollment office has re-opened and has been busy welcoming back and assisting our new or updating tribal members. Today Lumbee Tribal Chairman Lowery and our staff welcomed one of our newest enrolled members Madelyn Claire Bullard. Madelyn is the daughter of Annette and Don Bullard. She is a Lumberton native, but her family now lives in South Carolina. She is a December graduate of Clemson University, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Life Sciences. She was also recently accepted to Campbell University Medical School. Her grandparents are Juanita Graham and Linda Bullard and the late Donald Bullard. Congratulations to Madelyn on her enrollment. She hopes to work in the medical field with dreams of becoming a physician and coming back to serve in her community.

Today we say thank you to the Reading Nation Waterfall Project and their partners for distributing books to our Lumbee Children and other Tribal communities to encourage reading and promote literacy. On Thursday, the Reading Nation Waterfall team distributed books to children at the Lumbee Tribe Boys & Girls Club. The 3-year program is federally funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The Lumbee Tribe is one of five American Indian Tribes included in the grant to support and encourage literacy in Native communities around the nation. Dr. Anthony Chow, director of the San José State University School of Information, and Reading Nation Waterfall received the $1.4 million grant to foster Native American literacy. Chow said the program is focusing on early children’s literacy and increasing the relevance of libraries. “We are here at the Lumbee Tribe Boys & Girls Club to get books into the hands of children,” said Chow. “In the end, it is about focusing our resources to ensure that children build a love of reading and increase the convenience and equity of access to those children. We find that your reading must be grade equivalent at third grade and children that are not at that level by third grade really have a hard time with academic performance,” said Chow. The other partners in the project include the Robeson County Public Library, UNC Pembroke, Head Start and the Public Schools of Robeson County. In addition to books, the children also received a personal book library box. Chow said the group is partnering with National Little Free Library Organization to place little free libraries in the local Boys & Girls clubs, Head Starts, and elementary schools and stocking them with brand new books every week all in an effort to increase both access to the books and convenience to the books. Tammy Maynor, Director of Governmental Affairs for the Lumbee Tribe, said the project will make a difference for children in the area of literacy. “The smile on the faces of both the parents and the children said it all. We know that books are expensive and this program will put new free books in our community, every week for our children,” said Maynor. The program has been working with tribal librarians to systematically address barriers to access reading resources and libraries, while also providing culturally relevant programs. Katie Fountain, Director of the Robeson County Public Library read books to the children during the book giveaway and also dressed up as Petunia the Unicorn mascot from the Robeson County Library. “We have 7 wonderful libraries across our county and we are excited that this project is going to increase community outreach, bring more families into our local Pembroke library, as well as our other ones while also increasing our partnership with the Lumbee Tribe long- term," said Fountain. The five tribal partners in the project are the Crow Tribe of Montana, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, and the Santo Domingo Pueblo. Special thanks also to M. Greig Metzger of the Little Free Library for the donation of 250 books for this event. Books will be distributed each week at several Little Free Library locations including Pembroke Elementary, the Pembroke Boys & Girls Club and several Head Start locations in the Pembroke area. To see video from the distribution visit https://youtu.be/6qkRk66SSfg For more information or to see how to purchase books and donate directly to one of the tribes, please visit the at https://myreadingnation.com

You are invited to the Inauguration of the Newly Elected Lumbee Tribal Council on Thursday, January 12, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. at the Lumbee Tribe Boys & Girls Club.