# Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act

This bill designates the area around Wounded Knee, South Dakota as an official national memorial and sacred site to honor the hundreds of Native Americans—primarily Lakota Sioux—who were killed there in December 1890. The massacre is one of the most tragic events in American history, when U.S. Army soldiers opened fire on a camp of mostly unarmed Native Americans, including women and children. The bill recognizes this location as a place of historical and spiritual significance that deserves formal protection and commemoration.

The practical effect of this designation is that the federal government would officially acknowledge Wounded Knee's historical importance and work to preserve it as a memorial site. This could involve protecting the land from development, establishing visitor facilities or educational materials, and ensuring that Native American tribes—particularly the Lakota Sioux—have a meaningful role in managing and interpreting the site's history. The bill essentially says that this ground is sacred and should be treated with the respect and protection that comes with being a national memorial.

For most Americans, this won't directly change their daily lives, but it does represent a formal government recognition of a dark chapter in American history and an acknowledgment of the suffering inflicted on Native Americans. For the Lakota Sioux and other Native American communities, it provides official validation of their historical trauma and gives them a voice in how this important site is preserved and remembered for future generations. It's part of a broader effort to ensure that Native American history and perspectives are properly honored in America's national story.

Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act

Rounds, Mike

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.