Rep. Dusty Johnson is reintroducing the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act.
The act preserves a section of the land on the Pine Ridge Reservation where hundreds of Lakota were massacred by the U.S. Army in 1890.
The bill passed the House in 2023 but was never signed into law.
The Oglala Sioux Tribe and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe purchased the land together in 2022. The two then signed a covenant saying the land should be held and maintained as a memorial and sacred site.
The bill grants continued outright ownership to both tribes and applies restricted fee status to be held by the tribes.
That status grants some protections to the land, like restricting taxation from state and local governments.
“This critically important bill protects and secures the grounds of Wounded Knee Memorial site, which we consider to be hallowed land where hundreds of our unarmed ancestors were chased down by the United States military and brutally murdered in the dead of winter," Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Chairman Ryman LeBeau said. "We thank Congressman Dusty Johnson for his steadfast support and dedication to diligently working to advance this bill and bring the truth to light in honor of the original stewards of these sacred lands."
If passed, the bill would prohibit the land to be sold unless agreed upon by Congress and both tribes.
“I’m hopeful the bill passes this Congress to provides greater tribal sovereignty to this sacred land," Johnson said. "Memorializing the Lakota lives lost will ensure this site remains sacred for generations to come.”
