[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 38 (Tuesday, March 19, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S2323]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        PASSING OF TRIBAL ELDER

  Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, the Northern Cheyenne and native 
Americans across the country are mourning the loss of an elder, 
statesman, and ambassador for our people, and I would like to take a 
few moments to pay tribute to this extraordinary man whose death is a 
great loss not only for all Indian nations but for the entire country.
  William ``Bill'' Tallbull's life exemplifies service and dedication 
to one's country and people. A World War II veteran, Bill spent much of 
his life on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation serving his tribe, 
including a position as a councilman for the Northern Cheyenne. He 
retired in 1972, and while most people dream of retirement, Bill was 
not the type of man to be idle. He came out of retirement a few short 
years later, and went on to serve his tribe and his country for another 
two decades.
  Bill's list of accomplishments is a long and impressive list. He has 
done more in his lifetime than most people ever dream of doing. He 
became an assistant history professor at Dull Knife Memorial College, 
located on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, teaching oral traditions 
and ethno-botany classes. From 1983 through 1995, he served as chairman 
of the Northern Cheyenne Tribal Cultural Resource Program, and in 1990, 
he received the Montana State Historic Preservation Award becoming the 
first native American so honored by the State of Montana.
  Bill was also instrumental in the formation of the Native American 
Grave Protection and Repatriation Act, having worked with former 
Senator Melcher of Montana on the initial draft of that legislation. He 
was later appointed by former Secretary of the Interior Manual Lujan, 
Jr., to sit on the committee which wrote the regulations for this act. 
Bill was the only native American to serve on that committee.
  In his ongoing efforts to safeguard the native American culture and 
heritage, Bill was a founder of the Medicine Wheel Alliance, an 
organization committed to preserving the Medicine Wheel National 
Historic Landmark in the Bighorn Mountains. This commitment to landmark 
preservation led President Clinton, in 1994, to appoint Bill to become 
the first native American ever to serve on the Advisory Council on 
Historic Preservation, a national panel committed to protecting 
historical landmarks across the country.
  A professor, author, historian, and ethno-botanist, Bill was also a 
devoted husband, father, and tribal elder. He was admired and respected 
by all who knew him, and his commitment to the promotion of cultural 
awareness and to the protection of the native American heritage 
benefited all Americans, regardless of race or ethnicity.
  I was honored to have known this distinguished tribal leader, and his 
death is a great loss for all of us. However, I'm certain Bill would 
not have wanted his death to create a void where his work is concerned. 
We can all learn from this great man and continue his work for cultural 
awareness and spiritual integrity of the land. There could be no better 
tribute to such a man as Bill Tallbull.

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