Judge upholds federal status of Delaware Tribe

<br>(Bartlesville-AP) -- The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma plans to appeal a ruling that upholds the federal status of the Delaware Tribe of Indians. <br><br>A federal judge in Tulsa has upheld the decision

Thursday, January 2nd 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Bartlesville-AP) -- The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma plans to appeal a ruling that upholds the federal status of the Delaware Tribe of Indians.

A federal judge in Tulsa has upheld the decision of the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1996 to re-establish government-to-government relations with the Delawares.

Judge Sven Erik Holmes says the U-S Supreme Court in 1977 explicitly declared the Delaware Tribe a federally recognized tribe.

The Cherokees believe the Delaware were incorporated into the Cherokee Nation under a treaty the US made with the two tribes in 1866