# Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act

This bill transfers about 40 acres of land at the Wounded Knee site in South Dakota to the Oglala Sioux Tribe and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. The land, which is part of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, is where the Wounded Knee Massacre occurred on December 29, 1890—a tragic event in which U.S. soldiers killed hundreds of Lakota people. The bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to complete all necessary paperwork and legal work within one year to make this transfer official.

Once the transfer is complete, the tribes will own and control this land under what's called "restricted fee status." This means the tribes will own it outright, but the land can't be sold without approval from Congress and the tribes themselves. The land won't be subject to state or local taxes, and the tribes won't need federal government permission to use it for most purposes. The tribes have already signed an agreement about how they plan to use the site—primarily as a memorial and sacred place to honor those who died there. The land will remain subject to any existing utility agreements or easements that were already in place, and the tribes have agreed not to use it for gambling operations.

For most people outside these tribes, this change won't have a direct impact. For tribal members and the Oglala Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes specifically, it represents a return of control over a historically significant and sacred site. It allows the tribes to manage the memorial and preserve the site according to their own values and traditions rather than having it managed by the federal government.

Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act

Johnson, Dusty

Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior to complete all actions necessary to place approximately 40 acres of land in Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota, into restricted fee status for the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Restricted fee status refers to land that is owned by a tribe or tribal member but is subject to restrictions by the United States against alienation (i.e., sale or transfer) or encumbrance (e.g., liens, leases, or rights-of-way) by operation of law. The bill requires the land to be held and maintained as a memorial and sacred site, as outlined by the document titled Covenant Between the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and dated October 21, 2022. Further, it prohibits commercial development and gaming activity on the land.