Native American tribes in Texas
Native American tribes in Texas are the Native American tribes who are currently based in Texas and the Indigenous peoples of the Americas who historically lived in Texas. Many individual Native Americans, whose tribes are headquartered in other states, reside in Texas. Federally recognized tribes. Texas has three federally recognized tribes. They have met the seven criteria of an American Indian tribe: The three federally recognized tribes in Texas are: American Indian reservations. These are three Indian Reservations in Texas: State-recognized tribes. Texas has "no legal mechanism to recognize tribes," as journalists Graham Lee  Brewer and Tristan Ahtone wrote. State-recognized tribes do not have the government-to-government relationship with the United States federal government that federally recognized tribes do. Texas has no state-recognized tribes. Texas Senate Bill 274 to formally recognize the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas, introduced in January 2021, died in committee. Historical tribes of Texas. These are some of the tribes that have existed in what is now Texas. Many were forcibly removed to Indian Territory, now Oklahoma, in the 19th century. Others no longer exist as tribes but may have living descendants. Unrecognized organizations. More than 30  organizations claim to represent historic tribes within Texas; however, these groups are unrecognized, meaning they do not meet the minimum criteria of federally recognized tribes and are not state-recognized tribes. Some of these cultural heritage groups form 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations.