The Talimali Band of Apalachee Indians is one of several cultural heritage organizations of individuals who identify as descendants of the

Apalachee people The Apalachee were an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, specifically an Indigenous people of Florida, who lived in the Florida Panhandle until the early 18th century. They lived between the Aucilla River and Ochlockonee River,Bobby ...

. The historical Apalachee were a

Muskogean language Muskogean (also Muskhogean, Muskogee) is a Native Americans in the United States, Native American language family spoken in different areas of the Southeastern United States. Though the debate concerning their interrelationships is ongoing, the ...

-speaking tribe who lived at the Florida-Georgia border north of the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

until the beginning of the 18th century. The Talimali Band of Apalachee Indians is one of more than 517 unrecognized organizations. This organization is neither a

federally recognized tribe This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States of America. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes were legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United ...

nor a

state-recognized tribe State-recognized tribes in the United States are organizations that identify as Native American tribes or heritage groups that do not meet the criteria for federally recognized Indian tribes but have been recognized by a process established under ...

.. They were previously called the Apalachee Indians of Louisiana. About 300 people belong to this organization.

Nonprofit organizations

In 1995, the Talimali Band of Apalachee Indians organized as a

501(c)(3) nonprofit organization A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

, based in

Pineville, Louisiana Pineville is a city in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is located across the Red River from the larger Alexandria. Pineville is hence part of the Alexandria Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,555 at the 2010 cens ...

. Arthur R. Bennett was the organization's principal officer. Zina Lee Spears served as the organization's registered agent. Arthur R. Bennett currently leads the organization. There is also the Apalachee Indians Talimali Band, formed by Troy Kerry in 2019, based in

Stonewall, Louisiana Stonewall is a town in northern DeSoto Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 1,814 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Shreveport– Bossier City Metropolitan Statistical Area. North DeSoto High School and the Garland Sco ...

. Kerry registered this group as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with the EIN of 84-3710212 in 2019. This newer organization tried and failed to gain state recognition from Louisiana in 2022.

Petition for federal recognition

The Talimali Band, The Apalachee Indians of Louisiana, formerly called the Apalachee Indians of Louisiana sent a letter of intent to petition for federal recognition in 1996. Gilmer Bennett of Libuse, Louisiana, sent the letter. The Talimali Band never submitted a completed petition for federal recognition. This group is not to be confused with the Apalachee Indian Tribe in

Alexandria, Louisiana Alexandria is the ninth-largest city in the state of Louisiana and is the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the prin ...

, another unrecognized organization claiming Apalachee identity who also submitted a letter of intent to petition for federal recognition in 1996.

Status

The

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

Office of Indian Affairs oversees state–tribal relations, and there are 11 state-recognized tribes in Louisiana Four

federally recognized tribes This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States of America. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes were legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United ...

are headquartered in Louisiana. State and Federal Recognition of Tribes serves as a tool to identify tribal communities that can exist as sovereign entities under the Trust Responsibility and is not a declaration of a tribe's historical legitimacy. In 2019, Senator Gerald Long introduced Louisiana Senate

Concurrent Resolution A concurrent resolution is a resolution (a legislative measure) adopted by both houses of a bicameral legislature that lacks the force of law (is non-binding) and does not require the approval of the chief executive (president). Concurrent resoluti ...

9, titled "Recognizes the Apalachee Indians' Talimali Band as a tribe in the state of Louisiana," which died in committee that same year. Regarding the band's attempts to receive state recognition, Louisiana State Senator Louie Bernard stated: "All of us have this lingering thing that we’ve had forever, that anybody that seeks recognition and in this fashion has another motive in mind. And we all know what that is. But I guess I’m just naive enough to believe that some of these tribes really are not interested in that. They are interested solely in having the pride of having been recognized by their state as who they say they are." The topic of federal and state recognition is a controversial one among the estimated 400 unrecognized tribes.

Legal issues

In 2020, Troy Kerry, chief and chairman of the Apalachee Indians Talimali Band, sued the Talimali Band of the Apalachee Indians in ''Chief Troy Kerry v. Talimali Band of the Apalachee Indians'' in the USPTO Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, case no. 92074759-CAN. In 2021, the organization countersued in ''Talimali Band the Apalachee Indians of Louisiana v. Apalachee Indians Talimali Band et al'' in the US District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.

Activities

Officials from the Talimali Band of the Apalachee participated in the inaugural Supreme Chiefs Council that met in

Oakdale, Louisiana Oakdale is a city in Allen Parish, Louisiana, Allen Parish in south Louisiana, United States. The population was 7,780 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Oakdale was founded as "Dunnsville" by William T. Dunn. The history of All ...

, in 2020.

References

External links

Talimali Band of the Apalachee Indians of Louisiana
Pineville, LA, organized 1995
Apalachee Indians of the Talimali Band
Stonewall, LA, organized 2019 {{authority control Cultural organizations based in Louisiana Non-profit organizations based in Louisiana 1995 establishments in Louisiana Unrecognized tribes in the United States