Congress passes bill to protect Wounded Knee Massacre site

The U.S. Senate has approved legislation to protect a portion of the Wounded Knee Massacre site on the Pine Ridge Reservation, according to the North Dakota Monitor. The bill, sponsored by U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds with Majority Leader John Thune as a cosponsor, now awaits President Donald Trump’s signature. U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson introduced the measure in the House, where it passed in January.

The legislation would place 40 acres at the site in restricted-fee status, preventing its sale, taxation or lease without approval from Congress and the Oglala Sioux and Cheyenne River Sioux tribes, which jointly purchased the land three years ago.

Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out was quoted as saying the measure promotes “tribal self-determination” and protects the sacred site “in perpetuity.”