Bill to Preserve Wounded Knee Site Passes House

The U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill in September to safeguard the location of the Wounded Knee massacre, one of the most tragic events in U.S. history.

The legislation, named the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act, was put forth by Republican Representative Dusty Johnson of South Dakota in May and received unanimous approval in the House through a voice vote. The Senate is now reviewing a similar bill.

In 1890, over 200 Native Americans, spanning from the young to the elderly, lost their lives at Wounded Knee. This event became a pivotal point in the conflicts between the U.S. Army and Native American tribes. To preserve the site’s sanctity, the Oglala Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes collaboratively acquired roughly 40 acres surrounding the Wounded Knee National Historic Landmark in South Dakota last year.

Tribal leaders from both groups have voiced their support for the House bill, which aims to grant federal protection to the land within the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The site has long been a symbol of the challenges Indigenous communities have faced with the U.S. authorities.

The property was bought by James Czywczynski in 1968. His family managed a trade outlet and a museum on the premises until 1973. That year, protesters from the American Indian Movement took over the site, leading to the destruction of both the trading post and Czywczynski’s residence.

This occupation, which lasted 71 days and resulted in the death of two tribal members and severe injuries to a federal officer, heightened public consciousness about the issues faced by Native Americans and spurred broader activism.