III 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 597 

Recognizing the heritage, culture, and contributions of American Indian, 

Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women in the United States. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 19, 2024 

Ms. MURKOWSKI (for herself, Mr. SCHATZ, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. BENNET, Mr. 

BLUMENTHAL, Mr. BOOKER, Ms. BUTLER, Ms. CANTWELL, Ms. COLLINS, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mr. CRAMER, Mr. CRAPO, Mr. DAINES, Mr. 

HEINRICH, Mr. HICKENLOOPER, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. HOEVEN, Mr. KING, 

Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. LUJA ́N, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. 

PADILLA, Mr. RISCH, Ms. ROSEN, Mr. ROUNDS, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Ms. 

SINEMA, Ms. SMITH, Mr. SULLIVAN, Mr. TESTER, Mr. WARNER, Ms. 

WARREN, and Mr. WYDEN) submitted the following resolution; which was 

considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the heritage, culture, and contributions of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women 

in the United States. 

Whereas the United States celebrates National Women’s History Month every March to recognize and honor the 

achievements of women throughout the history of the 

United States; 

Whereas an estimated 4,718,255 American Indian, Alaska 

Native, and Native Hawaiian women live in the United 

States; 


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Whereas American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women— 

(1) have helped shape the history of their communities, Tribes, and the United States; 

(2) have fought to defend and protect the sovereign 

rights of Native Nations; and 

(3) have demonstrated resilience and courage in the 

face of a history of threatened existence, constant removals, and relocations; 

Whereas American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women contribute to their communities, Tribes, and 

the United States through military service, public service, 

and work in many industries, including business, education, science, medicine, literature, and fine arts, including Pablita ‘‘Tse Tsan’’ Velarde, a Santa Clara Pueblo 

artist and painter whose art work depicted traditional 

Pueblo life and preserved Pueblo stories and knowledge, 

and whose paintings were commissioned for display at 

Bandelier National Monument; 

Whereas, as of 2023, more than 4,400 American Indian, 

Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women were bravely 

serving as members of the Armed Forces of the United 

States; 

Whereas, as of 2023, more than 20,800 American Indian, 

Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women were veterans who made lasting contributions to the Armed 

Forces of the United States; 

Whereas American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women broke down historical gender barriers to enlistment in the military, including— 


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(1) Laura Beltz Wright, an Inupiat Eskimo sharpshooter of the Alaska Territorial Guard during World 

War II; 

(2) Minnie Spotted Wolf of the Blackfeet Tribe, the 

first Native American woman to enlist in the United 

States Marine Corps in 1943; and 

(3) Marcella LeBeau of the Cheyenne River Sioux 

Tribe, a decorated veteran who served as an Army combat nurse during World War II and received the French 

Legion of Honour for her bravery and service; 

Whereas American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women have made the ultimate sacrifice for the 

United States, including Lori Ann Piestewa, a member of 

the Hopi Tribe who was the first Native American 

woman to be killed in action while serving on foreign soil 

and the first woman serving in the Armed Forces of the 

United States to be killed in the Iraq War in 2003; 

Whereas American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women have contributed to the economic development 

of Native Nations and the United States as a whole, including Elouise Cobell of the Blackfeet Tribe, a recipient 

of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, who— 

(1) served as the treasurer of the Blackfeet Tribe; 

(2) founded the first Tribal-owned national bank; 

and 

(3) led the fight against Federal mismanagement of 

funds held in trust for more than 500,000 Native Americans; 

Whereas, as of 2020, American Indian, Alaska Native, and 

Native Hawaiian women owned an estimated 161,500 

businesses; 


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Whereas, as of 2020, Native women-owned businesses employed more than 61,000 workers and generated more 

than $11,000,000,000 in revenue; 

Whereas American Indian and Alaska Native women have 

opened an average of more than 17 new businesses each 

day since 2007; 

Whereas American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women have made significant contributions to the 

fields of medicine and health, including— 

(1) Susan La Flesche Picotte of the Omaha Tribe, 

who is widely acknowledged as the first Native American 

to earn a medical degree; and 

(2) Annie Dodge Wauneka of the Navajo Nation, 

who— 

(A) advocated for better public health, education, and living conditions on the Navajo Nation 

leading to her becoming 1 of the first female council 

members for the Navajo Nation in 1951; and 

(B) was the first Native American to receive a 

Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963; 

Whereas American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women have contributed to important scientific advancements, including— 

(1) Floy Agnes Lee of the Santa Clara Pueblo, 

who— 

(A) worked on the Manhattan Project during 

World War II; and 

(B) pioneered research on radiation biology and 

cancer; 

(2) Native Hawaiian Isabella Kauakea Yau Yung 

Aiona Abbott, who— 


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(A) was the first woman on the biological 

sciences faculty at Stanford University; and 

(B) in 1997, was awarded the Gilbert Morgan 

Smith medal, the highest award in marine botany 

from the National Academy of Sciences; and 

(3) Mary Golda Ross of the Cherokee Nation, who— 

(A) is considered the first Native American engineer of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; 

(B) helped develop spacecrafts for the Gemini 

and Apollo space programs; and 

(C) was recognized by the Federal Government 

on the 2019 1 dollar coin honoring Native Americans and their contributions; 

Whereas American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women have achieved distinctive honors in the art of 

dance, including Maria Tallchief or Wa-Xthe-Thon-ba of 

the Osage Nation, who— 

(1) was the first major prima ballerina of the United 

States and was a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement 

Award from the Kennedy Center; and 

(2) was recognized by the Federal Government on 

the 2023 1 dollar coin with her sister Marjorie Tallchief 

of the Osage Nation, Yvonne Chouteau of the Shawnee 

Tribe, Rosella Hightower of the Choctaw Nation, and 

Moscelyne Larkin of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma and the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, collectively known as the ‘‘Five Moons’’, for the legacy they 

left on ballet; 

Whereas American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women have accomplished notable literary achievements, including Northern Paiute author Sarah 


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Winnemucca Hopkins, who wrote and published 1 of the 

first Native American autobiographies in United States 

history in 1883; 

Whereas American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women have regularly led efforts to protect their traditional ways of life and to revitalize and maintain Native 

cultures and languages, including— 

(1) Esther Martinez, a Tewa linguist and teacher 

who developed a Tewa dictionary and was credited with 

revitalizing the Tewa language; 

(2) Mary Kawena Pukui, a Native Hawaiian scholar 

who published more than 50 academic works and was 

considered the most noted Hawaiian translator of the 

20th century; 

(3) Katie John, an Ahtna Athabascan of Mentasta 

Lake, who was the lead plaintiff in lawsuits that 

strengthened Native subsistence fishing rights in Alaska 

and who helped create the alphabet for the Ahtna language; 

(4) Edith Kenao Kanaka‘ole, a Native Hawaiian language and cultural practitioner who— 

(A) founded her own hula school, Ha ̄lau o 

Kekuhi; 

(B) helped develop some of the first courses in 

Hawaiian language and culture for public schools 

and colleges; and 

(C) was recognized by the Federal Government 

on the 2023 quarter honoring her significant contributions and accomplishments perpetuating Native 

Hawaiian culture and arts; and 

(5) Dr. Gladys Iola Tantaquidgeon, a Mohegan medicine woman and anthropologist, who worked for 50 years 

at the Tantaquidgeon Indian Museum in Connecticut, the 


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oldest Native American owned and operated museum in 

the United States, which she founded with her father and 

brother to preserve the culture and history of their Tribe, 

and which contributed to the Tribe’s Federal recognition 

in 1994; 

Whereas American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women have excelled in athletic competition and created opportunities for other female athletes within their 

sport, including Rell Kapoliokaehukai Sunn, who— 

(1) was ranked as longboard surfing champion of 

the world; and 

(2) co-founded the Women’s Professional Surfing 

Association in 1975, the first professional surfing tour 

for women; 

Whereas American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women have played a vital role in advancing civil 

rights, protecting human rights, advocating for land 

rights, and safeguarding the environment, including— 

(1) Elizabeth Wanamaker Peratrovich, Tlingit, a 

member of the Lukaaxl.a ́di clan in the Raven moiety 

with the Tlingit name of Klaaxlgal.aat, who— 

(A) helped secure the passage of House Bill 14, 

commonly known as the Anti-Discrimination Act of 

1945 (H.B. 14, Laws of Alaska. 17th Regular Session, Territorial Legislature. Feb. 16, 1945), in the 

Alaska Territorial Legislature, the first anti-discrimination law in the United States; and 

(B) was recognized by the Federal Government 

on the 2020 1 dollar coin honoring Native Americans and their contributions; 

(2) Zitkala-Sa, a Yankton Dakota writer and advocate, whose work during the early 20th century helped 


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advance the citizenship, voting, and land rights of Native 

Americans; and 

(3) Mary Jane Fate, of the Koyukon Athabascan village of Rampart, who— 

(A) was the first woman to chair the Alaska 

Federation of Natives; 

(B) was a founding member of the North American Indian Women’s Association; and 

(C) was an advocate for settlement of Indigenous land claims in Alaska; 

Whereas American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women have succeeded as judges, attorneys, and legal 

advocates, including— 

(1) Eliza ‘‘Lyda’’ Conley, a Wyandot-American lawyer and the first Native woman admitted to argue a case 

before the Supreme Court of the United States in 1909; 

and 

(2) Emma Kailikapiolono Metcalf Beckley Nakuina, 

a Native Hawaiian who served as the first female judge 

in Hawaii; 

Whereas American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women are dedicated public servants, holding important positions in the Federal judicial branch, the Federal 

executive branch, State governments, and local governments; 

Whereas American Indian and Alaska Native women have 

served as remarkable Tribal councilwomen, Tribal court 

judges, and Tribal leaders, including Wilma Mankiller, 

who— 

(1) was the first woman elected to serve as Principal 

Chief of the Cherokee Nation; 


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(2) fought for Tribal self-determination and the improvement of the community infrastructure of her Tribe; 

and 

(3) was recognized by the Federal Government on 

the 2022 quarter honoring her legacy of leadership for 

Native people and women; 

Whereas American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women have also led Native peoples through notable 

acts of public service, including— 

(1) Kaahumanu, who was the first Native Hawaiian 

woman to serve as regent of the Kingdom of Hawaii; and 

(2) Polly Cooper, of the Oneida Indian Nation, 

who— 

(A) walked from central New York to Valley 

Forge as part of a relief mission to provide food for 

the Army led by General George Washington during 

the American Revolutionary War; and 

(B) was recognized for her courage and generosity by Martha Washington; 

Whereas the United States should continue to invest in the 

future of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native 

Hawaiian women to address the barriers those women 

face, including— 

(1) access to justice; 

(2) access to health care; and 

(3) opportunities for educational and economic advancement; and 

Whereas American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women are the life givers, the culture bearers, and 

the caretakers of Native peoples who have made precious 

contributions, enriching the lives of all people of the 

United States: Now, therefore, be it 


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1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) celebrates and honors the successes of 

3 American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawai4 ian women and the contributions those women have 

5 made and continue to make to the United States; 

6 and 

7 (2) recognizes the importance of providing for 

8 the safety and upholding the interests of American 

9 Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women. 

Æ 


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