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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 597 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

<DOC>

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. 
Lujan, 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;
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--

    (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;
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--

    G    (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

    G    (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--

    G    (A) worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II; and

    G    (B) pioneered research on radiation biology and cancer;

    (2) Native Hawaiian Isabella Kauakea Yau Yung Aiona Abbott, who--

    G    (A) was the first woman on the biological sciences faculty at 
Stanford University; and

    G    (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--

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

    G    (B) helped develop spacecrafts for the Gemini and Apollo space 
programs; and

    G    (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 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--

    G    (A) founded her own hula school, Halau o Kekuhi;

    G    (B) helped develop some of the first courses in Hawaiian language 
and culture for public schools and colleges; and

    G    (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 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 
Lukaax_.adi clan in the Raven moiety with the Tlingit name of 
K_aax_gal.aat, who--

    G    (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

    G    (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 advance the citizenship, voting, and land 
rights of Native Americans; and

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

    G    (A) was the first woman to chair the Alaska Federation of Natives;

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

    G    (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;

    (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--

    G    (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

    G    (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
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) celebrates and honors the successes of American Indian, 
        Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women and the contributions 
        those women have made and continue to make to the United 
        States; and
            (2) recognizes the importance of providing for the safety 
        and upholding the interests of American Indian, Alaska Native, 
        and Native Hawaiian women.
                                 <all>
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