The tests the Shinnecocks had to meet
To win federal acknowledgment, the Shinnecocks had to meet seven mandatory criteria laid down by the federal government.
1 They had to be
continuously identified as an American Indian entity since 1900.
2 They had to be a distinct community since historical times.
3 They had to have maintained political influence over members.
4 They had to have a governing document describing governance procedures needed to show membership criteria.
5 They needed a list of current members who descend from a historical Indian tribe.
6 The members are not members of another federally recognized tribe.
7 The tribe is not
the subject of
any congressional legislation that forbids its being recognized by the federal government.