Tribal, Federal Leaders Honor Wounded Knee Victims on 135th Anniversary

Tribal and federal leaders gathered at the Wounded Knee site to mark the 135th anniversary of the 1890 massacre, an event that also celebrated a major milestone in protecting the land. All three members of South Dakota’s congressional delegation attended and were recognized for helping pass legislation placing 40 acres at the site into restricted fee status, ensuring it cannot be sold.
“This is an important step in acknowledging our weaknesses and trying to do right by them,” Rep. Dusty Johnson told KOTA Territory News. Sen. John Thune said the designation guarantees the land “will forever be possessed and controlled” by the Oglala Sioux Tribe and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Sen. Mike Rounds credited tribal leaders Frank Star Comes Out and Ryman LeBeau for driving the effort over three years.
The tribes jointly purchased the land in 2022. Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out said renaming the bill the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act was essential. “It needs to be called what it is… it was a massacre,” he said, adding that the bill’s passage reflects federal recognition of that truth.