NEWS
By Frank D. Roylance and Frank D. Roylance,Staff Writer | May 4, 1992
Piscataway Indians say it's time to rebury the bones of several dozen of their ancestors, which now lie in boxes in the locked steel cabinets of the state's archaeological collection in Annapolis.The Piscataway, descendants of those who met Maryland's first European settlers, may finally have won that right under legislation passed by the 1992 General Assembly.The law, when it is signed by Gov. William Donald Schaefer, will end the state's claim to human remains and burial objects in the collection and permit any group -- not just Indians -- to reclaim them by showing evidence of "cultural affiliation."
NEWS
November 28, 1997
A CIVIL RIGHTS coalition is being criticized by conservatives for settling a lawsuit by a white Piscataway, N.J., teacher laid off instead of a black teacher who held a similar job. Affirmative-action foes should blame themselves for being outflanked. They should have known in a case where the plaintiff asked only for a money judgment that she might settle if offered enough.So consumed were conservatives with getting the Piscataway case before the Supreme Court that they apparently assumed )
NEWS
By John W. Frece and John W. Frece,Staff Writer | September 29, 1993
A Maryland confederation of Piscataway Indians, hoping to take advantage of a federal law that allows commercial gambling on Indian property, wants to build a huge gambling casino and resort in the heart of populous Southern Maryland.The proposal, still in its earliest stages, could include one or more casinos and hotels, a theme park, a marina, thoroughbred and trotter horse racing, and an Indian history museum.The project could employ thousands of people and generate millions of dollars in tax revenue for the state, said Lewis A. Rivlin, a Rockville lawyer who is crafting the casino proposal on behalf of the Piscataway Conoy Confederacy and Subtribes Inc.The group claims to represent 5,000 to 7,000 Marylanders of Piscataway ancestry.
NEWS
By Jeff Barker and Jeff Barker,SUN STAFF | March 13, 2003
After eight years of study, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development has completed a review of whether the Piscataway Conoy Confederacy and Sub-Tribes should be formally recognized as an Indian tribe by the state. The recommendation - not made public - was sent yesterday to Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. for the final decision. Yesterday's recommendation was a secret even to the Southern Maryland confederacy, which claims as many as 3,500 members. The group filed its request for recognition during former Gov. Parris N. Glendening's first year in office in 1995, but the issue never made it as far as his desk.
NEWS
By Greg Garland and Greg Garland,SUN STAFF | April 2, 1999
Almost four years after a Maryland Indian tribe asked the state for recognition, the tribe's petition appears close to reaching Gov. Parris N. Glendening for a decision -- stirring questions about the identity of its members and their intentions.Leaders of the Piscataway-Conoy Confederacy and Subtribes (PCCS) say state recognition is a long overdue matter of pride and would benefit members by allowing them to tap federal grants for educational, cultural and economic development programs.But a competing tribal group, the Piscataway Indian Nation, contends the PCCS is angling for casino gambling and is pursuing state recognition as a step toward that goal.
NEWS
By Howard Libit and Howard Libit,SUN STAFF | March 4, 2004
Their bid for state recognition as an Indian tribe has been rejected by two governors in a row. But with the possibility of legalized slot machines looming, the Piscataway Conoy Confederacy and Subtribes yesterday urged the General Assembly to pass legislation to circumvent the governor's office and secure their status as a recognized Indian tribe in Maryland. "We were the original people," said tribe member Rene Proctor. "We pay our taxes. We vote. But we're still invisible. ... This is a way to respect our ancestry."