March 28, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 54 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Pages S2099-S2100]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE HERITAGE, CULTURE, AND CONTRIBUTIONS OF AMERICAN 
 INDIAN, ALASKA NATIVE, AND NATIVE HAWAIIAN WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Indian 
Affairs Committee be discharged from further consideration and the 
Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 100.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 100) recognizing the heritage, 
     culture, and contributions of American Indian, Alaska Native, 
     and Native Hawaiian women in the United States.

  There being no objection, the committee was discharged and the Senate 
proceeded to consider the resolution.
  Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize two 
remarkable female leaders of the Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot Tribes 
in honor of National Women's History Month. Both Tribes have 
reservations in the State of Connecticut and are an integral part of 
our community. The women I recognize today represent so many other 
Native American women who were strong in conviction, fearless in 
leadership, and dedicated to preserving their Tribal identity.
  Dr. Gladys Iola Tantaquidgeon was a Mohegan Medicine Woman born in 
1899. After learning tribal spirituality and herbalism from her 
``grandmothers,'' Dr. Tantaquidgeon studied at the University of 
Pennsylvania, writing in the field of anthropology and working with 
noted anthropologist Frank Speck. She researched herbal medicine among 
related east coast Tribes in order to broaden her Mohegan pharmacopeia. 
For her impressive academic achievements, Dr. Tantaquidgeon received 
honorary doctorates from the University of Connecticut and Yale 
University. She was also inducted into the Connecticut Women's Hall of 
Fame and received the National Organization for Women's Harriet Tubman 
Award, the Connecticut Education Association's Friend of Education 
Award, and numerous Native American honors.
  Her contributions extended beyond academia. In 1931, she, her brother 
Harold and their father, John, founded the Tantaquidgeon Indian Museum 
in Uncasville, CT, using education to help remedy prejudice. Then in 
1934, John Collier, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, recruited Dr. 
Tantaquidgeon to serve as a community worker on the Yankton Sioux 
Reservation in South Dakota. For 9 years, she served as a specialist 
for the newly formed Federal Indian Arts and Crafts Board to promote 
Indian art, encouraging the restoration of critically important ancient 
practices the Federal Government had prohibited at that time.
  Dr. Tantaquidgeon used her strong sense of social justice to support 
women in difficult situations by working as the Niantic Women's Prison 
librarian in the 1940s. She continued her life of service to others 
when her personal records of correspondence about Mohegan births, 
graduations, marriages, and deaths played a pivotal role in gaining 
Federal Recognition for the Mohegans in 1994.
  Throughout her amazing 106 years of life, she led the way for women, 
especially women of color, to seize new opportunities and for everyone 
to engage in a greater level of discussion and education about Native 
American history and culture. Her legacy will leave a positive academic 
and social impact for years to come.
  The other exceptional woman I wish to remember today is Martha Ann 
``Matt'' Langevin, a Mashantucket Pequot Indian. Born in 1901, she 
spent her entire life in Mashantucket and dedicated her years to 
researching traditional medicinal uses for indigenous plants and herbs.
  Ms. Langevin strongly advocated for the preservation of the 
Mashantucket Pequot land, culture, and way of life. She stood at the 
forefront of efforts to defend the Tribe's lands whenever State or 
local government officials tried to take them away. Her readiness to 
protect her community demonstrates Ms. Langevin's indomitable 
determination.
  She was also an incredibly thoughtful, loving friend to many. With 
three siblings and seven half-siblings, Ms. Langevin was considered a 
beloved aunt by her nieces and nephews, as well as by other Pequot 
children who stayed with her when their parents left to find work. She 
took excellent care of the children.
  Much of Ms. Langevin's life focused on gardening, preserving food, 
and watching over her ancestral lands. One of her most important 
undertakings was her constant work to preserve Pequot traditions and 
land, a task she took up with great passion and conviction. An inductee 
into the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame, Ms. Langevin will be 
remembered for her compassion and zeal for continuing traditions and 
looking after the people and the lands she loved.
  I applaud both of these women's immense accomplishments, and I hope 
my

[[Page S2100]]

colleagues will join me in recognizing Dr. Tantaquidgeon and Ms. 
Langevin as we celebrate National Women's History Month.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I know of no further debate on the resolution.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there further debate?
  Hearing none, the question is on agreeing to the resolution.
  The resolution (S. Res. 100) was agreed to.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the preamble be agreed to 
and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the 
table with no intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  (The resolution, with its preamble, is printed in the Record of March 
7, 2019, under ``Submitted Resolutions.'')

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