The long-awaited federal recognition that the Jena Band of Choctaw obtained in 1995 was supposed to open the doors to funding that would help the tribe send their young people to college and provide adequate health care so members could improve their quality of life. Nothing magical happened, though, said Chief Jerry Jackson. I expected more. I thought the Bureau of Indian Affairs would be down here. But you're on your own.
Funding is a very complicated thing.
Most of the expense for federal recognition came through the Administration for Native Americans. Not one thing has changed since getting federal recognition. After receiving recognition, the tribe received a one-time lump sum payment from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Federal monetary benefits are few, Jackson pointed out, but federal recognition enables a tribe to apply for grant money to improve tribal members' educational opportunities and medical care. Scholarships would enable young people to go to college.