The Fort Sill Apache Reservation in southern New Mexico. Photo from Fort Sill Apache Tribe.

The Fort Sill Apache Tribe hosted New Mexico lawmakers at its reservation in the southern part of the state.

The Legislature's Indian Affairs Committee held a meeting on the reservation on October 30. It marked the first official visit from representatives of the state since the New Mexico Supreme Court ordered the state to recognize the tribe on a government-to-government basis.

"In less than a year we have gone from being a tribe in the state with limited rights, to becoming recognized by the state and hosting this Indian Affairs Committee meeting," Chairman Jeff Haozous said in a press release. "We look forward to the continued collaboration between our tribe and the state and are eager to continue our economic development efforts in southwestern New Mexico."

The Bureau of Indian Affairs placed 30 acres in trust for the tribe in 2002. The land was declared a reservation in 2011.

The tribe's ancestors lived in New Mexico until they were taken as prisoners of war and forced to live in Oklahoma.

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