III 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 125 

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 18, 2021 

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

BLUMENTHAL, Mr. BOOKER, Ms. CANTWELL, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mr. 

DAINES, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. HEINRICH, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. HOEVEN, 

Mr. KAINE, Mr. KELLY, Mr. KING, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. LUJA ́N, Mr. 

MORAN, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. PADILLA, Ms. ROSEN, Mr. 

ROUNDS, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. SCHUMER, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Ms. SINEMA, 

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

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

was referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs 

MARCH 23, 2021 

Committee discharged; 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; 


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Whereas an estimated 3,081,000 American Indian, Alaska 

Native, and Native Hawaiian women live in the United 

States; 

Whereas American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women helped shape the history of their communities, 

Tribes, and the United States; 

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; 

Whereas American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women have fought to defend and protect the sovereign rights of Native Nations; 

Whereas American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women have demonstrated resilience and courage in 

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

Whereas more than 6,000 American Indian, Alaska Native, 

and Native Hawaiian women bravely serve as members of 

the United States Armed Forces; 

Whereas more than 17,000 American Indian, Alaska Native, 

and Native Hawaiian women are veterans who have made 

lasting contributions to the United States military; 

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

(1) Inupiat Eskimo sharpshooter Laura Beltz 

Wright of the Alaska Territorial Guard during World 

War II; and 


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

first Native American woman to enlist in the United 

States Marine Corps in 1943; 

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 and the first woman in the United States 

military 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 her Tribe; 

(2) founded the first Tribally owned national bank; 

and 

(3) led the fight against Federal mismanagement of 

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

Whereas American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women own an estimated 154,900 businesses; 

Whereas these Native women-owned businesses employ more 

than 50,000 workers and generate over $10,000,000,000 

in revenues as of 2016; 

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 

field of medicine, including Susan La Flesche Picotte of 


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the Omaha Tribe, who is widely acknowledged as the first 

Native American to earn a medical degree; 

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

(1) Floy Agnes Lee of 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— 

(A) was the first woman on the biological 

sciences faculty at Stanford University; and 

(B) was awarded the highest award in marine 

botany from the National Academy of Sciences, the 

Gilbert Morgan Smith medal, in 1997; and 

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

(A) is considered the first Native American engineer of the National Aeronautic 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 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 Tall Chief of the Osage Nation, 

who was the first major prima ballerina of the United 

States and was a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement 

Award from the Kennedy Center; 


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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 one 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) Tewa linguist and teacher Esther Martinez, who 

developed a Tewa dictionary and was credited with revitalizing the Tewa language; 

(2) Native Hawaiian scholar Mary Kawena Pukui, 

who published more than 50 academic works and was 

considered the most noted Hawaiian translator of the 

20th century; and 

(3) Ahtna Athabascan Katie John 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; 

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) 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; 


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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 of the Tlingit 

Nation, who— 

(A) helped secure the passage of the Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945 of the Alaska Territory, the 

first anti-discrimination law in the United States; 

and 

(B) was recognized by the Federal Government 

on the 2020 $1 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 was the first woman to chair the 

Alaska Federation of Natives, a founding member of the 

North American Indian Women’s Association, and 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 Eliza ‘‘Lyda’’ Conley, a WyandotAmerican lawyer and the first Native woman admitted to 

argue a case before the Supreme Court of the United 

States in 1909; 

Whereas American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women have paved the way for women in the law, including Native Hawaiian Emma Kailikapiolono Metcalf 


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Beckley Nakuina, 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; and 

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

Whereas American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women have also led their People 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 they face, inVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:15 Mar 24, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR125.ATS SR125

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cluding access to justice, health care, and 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 

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 they have made 

5 and continue to make to the United States; and 

6 (2) recognizes the importance of supporting eq7 uity, providing safety, and upholding the interests of 

8 American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawai9 ian women. 

Æ 


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