The Ramapough Mountain Indians’ Unsuccessful Bid for Federal Acknowledgement

Abstract

This exploratory study used content analysis to examine socio-cultural factors associated with the unsuccessful bid of the Ramapough Mountain Indians (RMI) for federal acknowledgment. It applied the McCulloch & Wilkins 4-factor framework for explaining success in the Federal Acknowledgement Process (FAP): (1) meeting the social construction of the image of an Indian, (2) cohesiveness of the self-identity of the tribe’s members, (3) perceived legitimacy of benefits or burdens directed toward the group, and (4) tribe’s resources to assist acknowledgement effort. The study hypothesized that if the framework is applicable, then newspaper articles will reflect weakness or negativity with regard to the four factors. With a sample of 50 newspaper articles from 21 newspaper outlets, thematic and quantitative analyses revealed that application of the framework offered socio-cultural insights about RMI’s unsuccessful bid. The analyses coded for the presence and prevalence over time of each factor with inter-rater reliability 80-100%. Results indicated varied depictions of the RMI in the newspaper media during the FAP, with some articles centering indigenous experiences and leadership and other articles focusing on negative stereotypes of indigenous communities. The study illuminated the powerful role over time of economic and political opponents in shaping negative media narratives particularly in relation to Indian gaming. Given critiques of bias in the FAP, this study supports the argument for reforming this process with input from indigenous communities. Limitations of this study include the exploratory nature of the research, manualized data analysis of a complex data source, and the impact of researcher bias.