The Ramapough Mountain Indians (also spelled Ramapo), also known as the Ramapough Lenape Nation, Ramapough Lunaape Munsee Delaware Nation, or Ramapo Mountain people, are a New Jersey state-recognized tribe based in Mahwah. They have approximately 5,000 members living in and around the Ramapo Mountains of Bergen and Passaic counties in northern New Jersey and Rockland County in southern New York, about from New York City.
The Ramapough Lenape Indian Nation claims a line of descent from the Lenape, whose regional bands included the Hackensack, Tappan, Rumachenanck, Munsee, and Ramapo people. They have historically been alleged to have Tuscarora, African, Romani, Hessian, and Dutch ancestries.Pritchard, Evan T. (2002), Native New Yorkers: The Legacy of the Algonquin People of New York, Council Oak Books, pp. 265–271, ISBN 978-1-57178-135-2 The Ramapough membership are working to learn the Munsee language.
They were recognized in 1980 by the state of New Jersey as the Ramapough Lenape Nation but are not recognized federally or by the state of New York. Their claim of descent is contested by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, who rejected their petition for federal recognition. It is also contested by some scholars, who write they instead descend from free Black landowners in New Netherland.
Governance The Ramapough Mountain Indians organized in 1978. That year, they filed a petition with the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs of intent to gain federal recognition as a tribe. They have a chief and council form of government.
Nonprofit organization The Ramapough Mountain Indians, or the Ramapough Lunaape Nation Inc., incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 1980.
Government The Ramapough are organized into clans for self-government: the Wolf, the Turtle, and the Deer, related to their three main settlements of Mahwah and Ringwood, New Jersey, and Hillburn, New York.
As of 2023, their executive director is Vince Morgan. Vincent Mann is the current chief. He created the Three Sisters Farm, and has spoken at universities on the effects of toxic waste dumping, and advocated against dumping by Ford at the Ringwood site.
The tribe has required members to be descended directly from an identified Ramapough parent listed in tribal records. Applicants must provide certified birth certificates and documentation of at least three generations to a listed ancestor., Ramapough Lenape Indian Nation website
Recognition status
Recognition in New Jersey
The Ramapough and two other tribes were recognized as Indian tribes in 1980 by the state of New Jersey by Resolution 3031. The New Jersey citation stated: Be it resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey (the Senate concurring): 1. That the Ramapough Mountain People of the Ramapough Mountains of Bergen and Passaic counties, descendants of the Iroquois and Algonquin nations, are hereby designated by the State of New Jersey as the Ramapough Indians.Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 3031, State of New Jersey, filed January 8, 1980.
The tribe asked its New Jersey Assembly member, W. Cary Edwards, to seek state recognition. After several months of research, Edwards and Assemblyman Kern introduced Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 3031 (ACR3031) on May 21, 1979. It passed the Assembly and was passed by the Senate on January 7, 1980.
Edwards said later that debate in the assembly related to a book written by historian David Cohen; he noted that he and other endorsers of recognition had to demonstrate the historical basis of the Ramapough. At the time, the state had not developed its own criteria or regulations related to tribal recognition. The state resolution also requested federal recognition of the Ramapough but is non-binding in that regard.Ramapough Mountain Indian Final Determination, CD-2, file 2_4_Part01.pdf pp.138-141 AR005026 through AR005029 (available from the BIA under the Freedom of Information Act) The state of New Jersey has also recognized the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape, who it says share Lenape ancestry with the Ramapough.New Jersey Department of State web page. Retrieved January 22, 2006.
Commission on Native American Affairs Because of increased issues related to Native Americans, the state of New Jersey created the Commission on Native American Affairs by P.L.1134, c. 295, and it was signed into law on December 22, 1995, by Governor Christine Todd Whitman.
Withdrawal and reinstatement of recognition (2012 – 2019)
In 2012 during the governorship of Chris Christie, Christie said the state of New Jersey had no recognized tribes in a filing to the federal government. The Ramapough said they required state recognition to obtain healthcare, education, and career training grants, as well as the right to sell their crafts as Native American-made. They also said that Christie had permitted state bureaucrats to deny their status when communicating with agencies at state and federal levels.
Their recognition was restored during the governorship of Phil Murphy, after recognition was restored to the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape. When affirming their recognition, Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said the tribes had agreed that state recognition did not grand them the right to open casinos.
Attempts for recognition in New York
The Ramapough Indians claim to have been recognized by the state of New York by Legislative Resolution 86 in 1979.Ramapough Mountain Indian Final Determination, CD-6, file 6_4.pdf p. AR029381 (available as a matter of public record from the BIA by the Freedom of Information Act) According to Alexa Koenig and Jonathan Stein, who have reviewed state recognition processes, New York uses a hybrid recognition process based on historic relationships with tribes.
The New York State Gaming Commission states that New York only enters into relationships with federally recognized tribes as policy. However, it says it has relationships with the Shinnecock and Poospatuck (state recognized) due to their historic relationships with the state. They say that the Ramapough have been unsuccessful in achieving state-recognition. In 2009, the New York legislature had a bill pending to recognize the Ramapough people as Native Americans.Incalcaterra, Laura (September 6, 2009), "Ramapough Lenape seek state recognition, get boost from Rockland", The Journal News
As of 2021, they are not recognized in New York.
Petition for federal recognition
In August 1978, the Ramapough Mountain Indians (RMI) filed a letter of intent to petition for federal recognition as a tribe. They did not submit a documented petition until April 23, 1990. On June 15, 1990, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) responded with a letter outlining the deficiencies in the petition.Kraft, Herbert C., 2001. The Lenape-Delaware Indian Heritage, Lenape Books, pp. 564–66 During the process, it repeatedly offered to have representatives meet with the tribe to review topics of research, specifically court records and land deeds, for the period between 1750 and 1820, in which records are scarce. The RMI submitted a partial response on January 28, 1991. A fully revised petition was determined to be ready for active consideration on March 5, 1992. The petition had active consideration status on July 14, 1992.
In December 1993, the BIA issued its proposed finding, rejecting the tribe's petition. The finding said the documented petition did not satisfy all the regulatory criteria, and identified areas of weakness. The BIA granted the tribe an opportunity to respond, including extensions requested by the tribe.
Final Determination against Federal Acknowledgment of the Ramapough Mountain Indians, Inc.
The Final Determination against Federal Acknowledgment of the Ramapough Mountain Indians, Inc. was issued by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in December 1995. It concluded that the Ramapough Mountain Indians had failed to meet three of seven criteria for recognition; namely, that it did not provide adequate proof of descent from a historical tribe, nor of genealogical, social, and political continuity since 1950. The latter two issues were of concern since 1950, when the Office of Federal Acknowledgment felt that the tribe had not demonstrated a distinct Indian culture different from its neighbors. They concluded:
This Final Determination survived an internal BIA appeal in 1997, and a federal court appeal in 2001.
D.C. Court of Appeals judgement The Ramapough Mountain Indians appealed the BIA's decision. In November 2001, the Ramapough presented their case to the D.C. Court of Appeals. The Court upheld the judgement, stating that they could not conclude the Secretary had made an arbitrary judgement or error on the Ramapough by requiring documentation, as the regulations require documentation of tribal descent.
Oversight hearing before the Subcommittee on Native American Affairs
U.S. Representative Marge Roukema testified to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Native American Affairs on October 5, 1993, about the Ramapough Lenape Indian efforts to gain recognition. She said that, since tribal representatives had approached her during the 1980s seeking a private federal bill for recognition, their "sole interest" appeared to be to establish casino gambling in Bergen County, and that they did not contact her regarding housing or education.
Roukema testified that the Ramapough had contracted a Robert Frank to finance their bid for recognition in return for 49% of their future gaming profits. She also testified that Frank had recently resigned from his previous firm due to criminal allegations related to Native American gaming in California.
Referencing a report from the New Jersey Law Journal, she said Frank had a long-standing relationship with Anthony Accetturo of the Lucchese crime family. She said she was worried that federal acknowledgement of the Ramapough would bring organized crime along with Native American gaming to northern New Jersey.
External commentary In April 1993, Donald Trump (then a casino owner) and two Bergen County United States Representatives said that "the Ramapo would bring in Indian gaming associated with organized crime"."Calculated Gamble; Trump cries foul over Indian casino", Newsday, May 4, 1993, p. 41
Roger D. Joslyn, a certified genealogist and one of the consultants to the tribe in their petition, wrote he had traced Ramapough members to people in the 18th century. He said that tribal members were descended from the historical Munsee tribe.
After rejection John "Bud" Shapard was the former chief of the Bureau of Research at the BIA from 1978 to 1987, when the regulations were written. Asked to examine the Ramapough's case after the BIA declined their petition, in 1999 he said, "It's pretty clear they've got an Indian community as strong as some that have been recognized. There's no question about that."Greene, David L. (July 17, 1999), "Tribe fights for place in history", The Baltimore Sun