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The ceremony, which took place at the State House, marked the first time the state formally acknowledged the Maryland Indian Status of any American Indian groups.
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Following a process established by the General Assembly to recognize tribes, bands, and clans, the Maryland legislature authorizes a commission on Indian affairs to consider recognition. And, after long-pending applications, the two Piscataway groups now achieved their approval.
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The 103-member Piscataway Indian Nation is led by Chief William Red Wing Tayac, who was profiled in What's Up?'s October story "We Are Still Here: The Voices of Maryland's first People" by Anne McNulty.
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McNulty's article can be read here.