The Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act directs the Interior Department to formally secure approximately 40 acres at the site of the 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota under "restricted fee" status, jointly held by the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Under restricted fee status, the land stays permanently in the tribes' ownership, cannot be transferred without consent from both Congress and the tribes, and is exempt from state and local property taxes. The Secretary of the Interior has one year from enactment to complete all paperwork and finalize the legal description of the land. The land cannot be used for gaming, and its permitted uses are governed by a 2022 covenant signed between the two tribes.
Congressional Summary
Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site ActThis act directs the Department of the Interior to complete all actions necessary to place approximately 40 acres of land in Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota, into restricted fee status for the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Restricted fee status refers to land that is owned by a tribe or tribal member but is subject to restrictions by the United States against alienation (i.e., sale or transfer) or encumbrance (e.g., liens, leases, or rights-of-way) by operation of law.The act requires the land to be held and maintained as a memorial and sacred site, as outlined by the document titled Covenant Between the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and dated October 21, 2022. Further, it prohibits commercial development and gaming activity on the land.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Public Law
- Action Date
- 2025-12-19
- Date Added
- 2026-06-23
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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