"It's fitting that onMartin Luther King Jr. Day, Maryland's Piscataway Indians were recognized as a legitimate Native American tribe by Gov.Martin O'Malley.

If there is one group deserving support, it is the indigenous peoples of our continent. It was heartbreaking to learn that Mervin Savoy, chairwoman of the Piscataway-Conoy Confederacy, was never allowed to write "American Indian" when school officials asked about her race. Talk about discrimination!

Another American Indian tribe in Maryland, the Lumbee, is also seeking state recognition, and our governor should consider granting it the same rights and privileges as the Piscataway. When I think of the effort this nation has made since its inception to stamp out Native Americans' identity, language and culture while appropriating their ancestral lands, I feel sick. It is not a heritage to be proud of."

Get the Story:
Rosalind Ellis Heid: Time to do right by Maryland's indigenous peoples (The Baltimore Sun 1/18)

Related Stories:
Two Maryland tribes celebrate recognition of their identities (1/13)
Maryland governor recognizes two Piscataway tribal groups (1/10)
Maryland governor to recognize two tribes in executive order (1/9)