Whereas the ancestors of today’s Native Peoples inhabited
the land of the present-day United States since time immemorial and for
thousands of years before the arrival of peoples of European descent;
Whereas the Native Peoples have for millennia honored,
protected, and stewarded this land we cherish;
Whereas the Native Peoples are spiritual peoples with a
deep and abiding belief in the Creator, and for millennia their peoples have
maintained a powerful spiritual connection to this land, as is evidenced by
their customs and legends;
Whereas the arrival of Europeans in North America opened a
new chapter in the histories of the Native Peoples;
Whereas, while establishment of permanent European
settlements in North America did stir conflict with nearby Indian tribes,
peaceful and mutually beneficial interactions also took place;
Whereas the foundational English settlements in Jamestown,
Virginia, and Plymouth, Massachusetts, owed their survival in large measure to
the compassion and aid of the Native Peoples in their vicinities;
Whereas in the infancy of the United States, the founders
of the Republic expressed their desire for a just relationship with the Indian
tribes, as evidenced by the Northwest Ordinance enacted by Congress in 1787,
which begins with the phrase, The utmost good faith shall always be
observed toward the Indians
;
Whereas Indian tribes provided great assistance to the
fledgling Republic as it strengthened and grew, including invaluable help to
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their epic journey from St. Louis,
Missouri, to the Pacific Coast;
Whereas Native Peoples and non-Native settlers engaged in
numerous armed conflicts;
Whereas the United States Government violated many of the
treaties ratified by Congress and other diplomatic agreements with Indian
tribes;
Whereas this Nation should address the broken treaties and
many of the more ill-conceived Federal policies that followed, such as
extermination, termination, forced removal and relocation, the outlawing of
traditional religions, and the destruction of sacred places;
Whereas the United States forced Indian tribes and their
citizens to move away from their traditional homelands and onto federally
established and controlled reservations, in accordance with such Acts as the
Indian Removal Act of 1830;
Whereas many Native Peoples suffered and perished—
(1)during the
execution of the official United States Government policy of forced removal,
including the infamous Trail of Tears and Long Walk;
(2)during bloody
armed confrontations and massacres, such as the Sand Creek Massacre in 1864 and
the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890; and
(3)on numerous
Indian reservations;
Whereas the United States Government condemned the
traditions, beliefs, and customs of the Native Peoples and endeavored to
assimilate them by such policies as the redistribution of land under the
General Allotment Act of 1887 and the forcible removal of Native children from
their families to faraway boarding schools where their Native practices and
languages were degraded and forbidden;
Whereas officials of the United States Government and
private United States citizens harmed Native Peoples by the unlawful
acquisition of recognized tribal land and the theft of tribal resources and
assets from recognized tribal land;
Whereas the policies of the United States Government
toward Indian tribes and the breaking of covenants with Indian tribes have
contributed to the severe social ills and economic troubles in many Native
communities today;
Whereas, despite the wrongs committed against Native
Peoples by the United States, the Native Peoples have remained committed to the
protection of this great land, as evidenced by the fact that, on a per capita
basis, more Native people have served in the United States Armed Forces and
placed themselves in harm’s way in defense of the United States in every major
military conflict than any other ethnic group;
Whereas Indian tribes have actively influenced the public
life of the United States by continued cooperation with Congress and the
Department of the Interior, through the involvement of Native individuals in
official United States Government positions, and by leadership of their own
sovereign Indian tribes;
Whereas Indian tribes are resilient and determined to
preserve, develop, and transmit to future generations their unique cultural
identities;
Whereas the National Museum of the American Indian was
established within the Smithsonian Institution as a living memorial to the
Native Peoples and their traditions; and
Whereas Native Peoples are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable rights, and that among those are life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness: Now, therefore, be it
That the United States, acting
through Congress—
1.Acknowledgement and
policyThe United States, acting through
Congress—
(1)recognizes the special legal and
political relationship the Indian tribes have with the United States and the
solemn covenant with the land we share;
(2)commends and honors the Native
Peoples for the thousands of years that they have stewarded and protected this
land;
(3)recognizes that there have been years
of official depredations, ill-conceived policies, and the breaking of covenants
by the United States Government regarding Indian tribes;
(4)apologizes on behalf of the people of
the United States to all Native Peoples for the many instances of violence,
maltreatment, and neglect inflicted on Native Peoples by citizens of the United
States;
(5)expresses its regret for the
ramifications of former wrongs and its commitment to build on the positive
relationships of the past and present to move toward a brighter future where
all the people of this land live reconciled as brothers and sisters, and
harmoniously steward and protect this land together;
(6)urges the President to acknowledge
the wrongs of the United States against Indian tribes in the history of the
United States in order to bring healing to this land by providing a proper
foundation for reconciliation between the United States and Indian tribes;
and
(7)commends the State governments that
have begun reconciliation efforts with recognized Indian tribes located in
their boundaries and encourages all State governments similarly to work toward
reconciling relationships with Indian tribes within their boundaries.
2.Nothing in this Joint Resolution—
(1)authorizes or
supports any claim against the United States; or
(2)serves as a
settlement of any claim against the United States.