BIA recognition decision database v2.0 now online

The database is an online version of the Acknowledgment Decision Compilation (ADC), a record of documents that the Bureau of Indian Affairs has on file for dozens of groups that have made it through the federal recognition process. The ADC contains over 750 MB of documents -- up from over 600MB in version 1.2 -- that were scanned in and cataloged by the agency's Office of Federal Acknowledgment.

The BIA has changed a couple things since the version 1.2. First, all the documents are now in Adobe PDF format, a widely-used and popular Internet format. The PDFs replace the TIFF image files that some viewers might have found difficult to use.

Second, the BIA has added decision documents for the Burt Lake Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, a Michigan tribe that was denied federal recognition in March 2004, and the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation of Connecticut, whose status is now being reconsidered after receiving a favorable final determination.

Other than that, the ADC is still a Microsoft Access database that contains links to PDF images of the documents. Indianz.Com converted the database to a web page that you can find at http://www.indianz.com/adc20/adc20.html.

The database only contains information on petitioners that have received an answer -- preliminary or final -- on their status. Groups that are still in the process are not included.


Full article located here:
http://www.indianz.com/News/2005/008383.asp