Indian Country

Pembroke, North Carolina (AP) 2-08

Lumbee tribal leaders aren’t happy that a new cigarette bears the tribe’s name.

The Fayetteville Observer reports that the Lumbee tribe is working to distance itself from Lumbee cigarettes.

Tribal Chairman Jimmy Goins said he doesn’t want consumers to think sales of the cigarettes support the tribe. The cigarettes recently became available in Robeson, Scotland and Hoke counties.

The cigarettes are marketed by Rockingham-based Coastal Distributing.

Company president Wayne Moss said the market has several products named after American Indian tribes, and he felt using the Lumbee name would be good in this part of the country.

Moss said he believed the tribe would benefit by its name getting more attention as the tribe works to gain federal recognition.