McALLEN, TX—The Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas is suing the federal government over the seizure of eagle feathers at a powwow. An agent from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service raided a powwow in McAllen on March 11, 2006. According to a complaint filed in federal court, over 50 eagle feathers and eagle parts were taken from participants.

Robert Soto, the tribe’s vice chairman, said the raid violated his religious rights. “If I got caught speeding, I deserve a speeding ticket, but if I get caught worshipping God the way He created us as Native people, that’s not violating the law,” he tells The McAllen Monitor.

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Robert Soto, Lipan-Apache, protocols the Mayor of Altensteig in Germany.

Federal law protects golden and bald eagles, as well as certain migratory birds. A new Department of Justice policy states that members of federally recognized tribes will not be prosecuted for using feathers or parts in connection with cultural and religious practices.

But the Lipan Apache lack federal recognition so its members aren’t protected. Also a pastor with the Grace Brethren Church, Soto stated that “If you’re going to say, ‘Well, you violated the law.’ Yeah, we violate the law. But, we violate the law because the law is keeping us from practicing who we are,” Soto told the newspaper. Soto, a renowned hoop dancer, has travelled the world presenting his Apache culture and also sharing his faith as a follower of Jesus.

The lawsuit has been pending in the federal court for Southern District of Texas since March 2007.