Code of Federal Regulations Title 25. Indians § 25.292.8 How does a tribe qualify as having been federally recognized?

(a) The United States at one time entered into treaty negotiations with the tribe;

(b) The Department determined that the tribe could organize under the Indian Reorganization Act or the Oklahoma Indian Welfare Act;

(c) Congress enacted legislation specific to, or naming, the tribe indicating that a government-to-government relationship existed;

(d) The United States at one time acquired land for the tribe's benefit;  or

(e) Some other evidence demonstrates the existence of a government-to-government relationship between the tribe and the United States.