Little Shell federal recognition finally achieved

A Montana Native American tribe finally has federal recognition as a tribe, something for which its members have been fighting for a century or more.

President Donald Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act into law Friday, including its provision that the federal government recognize the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians.

Native American Tribes must be recognized as sovereign nations by the federal government to exercise full self-governance. The nation-to-nation relationship created by federal recognition allows the tribes to access resources for economic development, h...