[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 555 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 555
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 22, 2022
Ms. Murkowski (for herself, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Booker, Mr.
Brown, Ms. Cantwell, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. Daines, Ms. Duckworth, Ms.
Hassan, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Hoeven, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Kelly, Ms. Klobuchar,
Mr. Lujan, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Moran, Mr. Padilla, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Rounds,
Ms. Sinema, Ms. Smith, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Tester, Ms. Warren, and Mr.
Bennet) 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 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;
(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 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 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--
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) 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--
G (A) is considered the first Native American engineer of the
National Aeronautic 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 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;
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;
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--
G (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
G (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 Wyandot-American 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 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--
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
they face, including 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
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) celebrates and honors the successes of American Indian,
Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women and the contributions
they have made and continue to make to the United States; and
(2) recognizes the importance of supporting equity,
providing safety, and upholding the interests of American
Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women.
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