The Montaukett Indian Nation is seeing support for state recognition in New York.

Sen. Kenneth LaValle (R) and Assemblyman Fred Thiele (Independence) said they will push for recognition in 2012. A proposed bill would help undo a 1910 state court ruling that said the tribe was "disintegrated."

"It's going to end a lot of frustration over the years, knowing that we once had so much and now have nothing," Sachem Robert Pharaoh told Newsday.

The tribe is based on Long Island and filed a petition for federal recognition with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1995. The effort hasn't moved forward in the past decade.

The Shinnecock Nation, also in Long Island, recently won federal recognition.

Get the Story:
Tribe wins support for NY recognition bid (Newsday 9/19)

An Opinion:
Editorial: Right a wrong for Montaukett (Newsday 9/20)