[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 119 (Wednesday, September 21, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H8169-H8171]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




PROVIDING FOR ACCEPTANCE OF STATUE OF PO'PAY FOR PLACEMENT IN NATIONAL 
                             STATUARY HALL

  Mr. NEY. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 242) providing for acceptance of a 
statue of Po'Pay, presented by the State of New Mexico, for placement 
in National Statuary Hall, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 242

       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), 

     SECTION 1. ACCEPTANCE OF STATUE OF PO'PAY FROM THE PEOPLE OF 
                   NEW MEXICO FOR PLACEMENT IN NATIONAL STATUARY 
                   HALL.

       (a) In General.--The statue of Po'Pay, furnished by the 
     people of New Mexico for placement in National Statuary Hall 
     in accordance with section 1814 of the Revised Statutes of 
     the United States (2 U.S.C. 2131), is accepted in the name of 
     the United States, and the thanks of the Congress are 
     tendered to the people of New Mexico for providing this 
     commemoration of one of New Mexico's most eminent personages.
       (b) Presentation Ceremony.--The State of New Mexico is 
     authorized to use the Rotunda of the Capitol on September 22, 
     2005, for a presentation ceremony for the statue. The 
     Architect of the Capitol and the Capitol Police Board shall 
     take such action as may be necessary with respect to physical 
     preparations and security for the ceremony.
       (c) Display in Rotunda.--The statue shall be displayed in 
     the Rotunda of the Capitol for a period of not more than 6 
     months, after which period the statue shall be moved to its 
     permanent location in the National Statuary Hall Collection.

     SEC. 2. TRANSMITTAL TO GOVERNOR OF NEW MEXICO.

       The Clerk of the House of Representatives shall transmit an 
     enrolled copy of this concurrent resolution to the Governor 
     of New Mexico.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Ney) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender-
McDonald) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney).
  Mr. NEY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise today in support of House Concurrent Resolution 242. As the 
chairman of the Joint Committee on the Library, which has the privilege 
and responsibility for the acceptance and placement of statues, the 
National Statuary Hall collection, I want to first thank my colleagues 
from the New Mexico delegation and their constituents for the statue of 
the Indian Pueblo leader Po'Pay. This resolution was introduced by the 
gentlewoman from New Mexico (Mrs. Wilson) and also supported by the 
gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Udall) and the gentleman from New Mexico 
(Mr. Pearce). I also want to thank all three of those Members for 
bringing this resolution before us.
  Po'Pay was the San Juan Pueblo Indian leader and organizer of the 
Pueblo Revolt of 1680 that drove the Spanish colonials from Pueblo 
lands. It was not until after his death that the Spanish recolonized 
the land. But because of Po'Pay, they granted the Pueblo more rights 
and freedoms during their recolonization.
  This statue will join the six other Native American leaders honored 
in the collection. It is significant because not only is it New 
Mexico's second; it is the 100th and final original statute to be 
accepted into the National Statuary Hall collection.
  Approximately 3 years after the bare 7.5-ton mass of Tennessee marble 
arrived in New Mexico, Native American sculptor Cliff Fragua unveiled 
his statue of Po'Pay at San Juan Pueblo.
  Again, I want to thank the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Mrs. Wilson), 
the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Pearce), and the gentleman from New 
Mexico (Mr. Udall). I want to thank the gentlewoman from California 
(Ms. Millender-McDonald), who serves as our ranking member but also as 
a member of the Joint Committee on the Library for helping us get this 
work product out so swiftly and for her concern about this issue.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much time as 
I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I am pleased to support House Concurrent Resolution 
242, authorizing use of the Capitol Rotunda on September 22 for a 
ceremony to receive the statue of the Indian leader Po'Pay, leader of 
the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 against the Spanish, from the State of New 
Mexico.
  This is New Mexico's second statute to be submitted for the National 
Statuary Hall Collection and the last of the 100 statues authorized to 
be submitted by the States since the collection was established by law 
in 1864. The collection is now finally complete, though in the future, 
some States may choose to replace their existing statues with different 
significant historical figures.
  In 1998, the New Mexico legislature selected Po'Pay as a subject of 
the State's second statue for the National Statuary Hall Commission and 
created the New Mexico Statuary Hall Commission, whose members were 
appointed by the Governor. Sculptor Cliff Fragua, a Pueblo Indian 
himself, was awarded the commission to create the statue in December 
1999.
  The 7-foot-high statue is carved from pink Tennessee marble and will 
stand on a 3-foot-high pedestal comprised of a steel frame clad in 
black granite.
  Po'Pay was born around 1630 in the San Juan Pueblo, in what is now 
called New Mexico. As an adult, he became a medicine man and was 
responsible for his people's spiritual life. He also shared their 
suffering at the hands of Spanish settlers and missionaries, who forced 
them to provide labor and food to support the Spanish community. The 
Spaniards also pressured them to give up their religion and way of life 
and to adopt Christianity, and those found practicing their religion 
were tortured and flogged, while others were executed.
  In 1675, Po'Pay and 46 other Pueblo leaders were convicted of 
sorcery. He was among those flogged while others were executed.
  In 1680, Po'Pay organized the Pueblo Revolt against the Spanish. To 
coordinate the timing of the uprising, he and his followers sent 
runners to each pueblo with knotted deerskin strips. One knot was to be 
untied each day, and the revolt would begin on the day the last one was 
untied. After the Spaniards arrested two of the runners, the pueblos 
were quickly notified to accelerate the revolt. The attacks began on 
August 10, 2 days before the last knot would have been untied. The 
Spaniards took refuge at Santa Fe; the besieging Indians cut off their 
water supply, but soon permitted them to leave the area.
  While the Spanish ultimately returned in 1692 and restored control 
over New Mexico as a Spanish territory, their interest in and ability 
to disrupt the native cultures were severely diminished. The Pueblo 
Revolt helped to ensure the survival of the Pueblo culture and shaped 
the history of the American Southwest.
  Madam Speaker, as a member of the Joint Committee on the Library, 
which supervises the National Statuary Hall Collection, I am pleased to 
participate in this significant milestone for such a piece of art to be 
placed in the Nation's Capitol Building.

[[Page H8170]]

  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. NEY. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from New 
Mexico (Mrs. Wilson).
  Mrs. WILSON of New Mexico. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague very 
much for bringing this resolution forward today. I wanted to thank the 
Statuary Hall Commission for its work and particularly to recognize the 
gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Udall) and his wife, Jill Cooper, who 
serves on that commission, and thank her for her work, as well as the 
sculptor, Cliff Fragua from Jemez Pueblo.
  This has been a great effort on the part of New Mexico, and it 
completes a collection here in the Capitol that was started in 1864. 
Every State can provide two statues of people from their States that 
are significant in the history of their States to a collection that is 
housed here in the Capitol. This statue will complete that collection 
for the first time in 141 years of this Nation's history, and this new 
statue will now be here so that the people of the country, the some 2 
million visitors who come here each year, can see this collection.
  Po'Pay represents a time in New Mexico's history that really shapes 
our heritage and our culture to this day. As my colleague mentioned, 
and explained the history of this very important man, when Francisco 
Vasquez de Coronado came to New Mexico in 1540 and then de Onate came 
in 1598, they took formal possession of New Mexico for Spain.
  In 1598, 7 years before the English landed at Jamestown, New Mexico 
was permanently settled by a European power. But the way they treated 
the Indians at that time was nothing to be proud of. The Indians were 
forced to work on Spanish grants. They were not recognized in their 
religion. At that time, Juan de Onate tried to exterminate the Pueblo 
religion. The treatment of the Indians led to a revolt in 1680 led by 
Po'Pay.
  Po'Pay is not without controversy. He suppressed others and served as 
kind of a dictator from Santa Fe for several years until his death. But 
he did have an important effect on New Mexico's history, because when 
Diego de Vargas returned in 1692 to New Mexico, the attitude toward the 
Pueblo people was profoundly different.
  The Spanish established an office of Indian protection that 
recognized the territorial integrity of the Pueblos and offered 
protection from outsiders. Where in other parts of America the Indian 
culture and territory were all displaced, in New Mexico they were 
protected.
  In particular, they allowed the blending of cultures; and while de 
Vargas brought with him priests and Catholicism was established and 
proselytized in New Mexico, they continued to recognize and allow the 
unique Pueblo religion, which is why in New Mexico today, just about 
two miles north of my home at Sandia Pueblo, is one of the most 
beautiful, newest Catholic churches in New Mexico on Sandia Pueblo, 
which also has its own unique traditional religious rights.
  The blending of cultures in New Mexico is one of the things that 
makes it unique. Po'Pay's revolt is one of the things that made that 
possible. It is with tremendous honor that this week we will offer this 
statue from the State of New Mexico and its people to the Capitol 
collection.
  Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to 
yield 4\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Udall) who 
really this Po'Pay would have been his constituent had we had a country 
at that time.
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Madam Speaker, as a cosponsor of the 
resolution before us, I rise in strong support of its passage and am 
looking forward to the unveiling of this beautiful statue at tomorrow's 
ceremony in the rotunda. My district is home to 14 of the 19 Pueblos in 
New Mexico, and I am very pleased this moment has finally arrived.
  Today and tomorrow are exciting days for our State as we at long last 
unveil our second statue in the United States Capitol. As every New 
Mexican knows, we are proud of our other statue, that of Senator Dennis 
Chavez, El Senador, the first Hispanic Member of the United States 
Senate and a champion of civil rights.
  The statue of Po'Pay has had a long journey to get here. The journey 
began in 1997 when State Senator Manny Aragon and State Representative 
Nick Salazar introduced Senate bill 404 to the New Mexico State 
legislature which formally nominated Po'Pay to be the second figure 
placed in Statuary Hall to represent our State. The bill was soon 
passed and signed by the Governor, leading to the creation of the 
Statuary Hall Commission and Foundation which was responsible for 
determining the statue's appearance and fundraising.
  The appearance of Po'Pay was a particularly difficult problem because 
there are no pictures or physical descriptions of him. Nevertheless, 
the stunning sculpture that will be unveiled tomorrow gives us a 
powerful glimpse of who Po'Pay was.
  And who was Po'Pay? Very little is known of this man's life; but he 
was a native of San Juan Pueblo, soon to officially change its name to 
what it was before Spanish missionaries arrived in New Mexico more than 
400 years ago, Ohkay Owingeh, located in northern New Mexico and which 
I today have the honor of representing in the Congress. He was by most 
accounts a religious leader. But in 1680 he organized a widespread 
rebellion against the Spanish throughout the region on a single day.
  Po'Pay is considered to be the leader of the first American 
Revolution. He has been recognized throughout history as the man who 
made it possible for Pueblo culture to live and to sustain itself 
through the centuries. The 19 New Mexico Pueblos and Hopi villages in 
Arizona attribute their ability to continue their traditions and way of 
life to the efforts of the Pueblo revolt and its leader Po'Pay.
  The Pueblo Revolt of 1680, as it is now known, was the single most 
successful act of resistance by Native Americans against a European 
colonial power. It established Indian independence in the Pueblos for 
more than a decade; and even after Spanish rule was reimposed, it 
forced the imperial authorities to observe religious tolerance. Ever 
since the 17th century, the cross and the kiva have existed side by 
side in Pueblo communities.
  It is for these reasons that Po'Pay is being honored with a statue in 
the Capitol. It is fitting that Po'Pay is joining Senator Dennis Chavez 
as our State's representative in the Halls of Congress. As one member 
of the Statuary Hall Commission stated recently, ``The selection of 
Po'Pay to be placed in Statuary Hall serves as a unique reminder to the 
world that two unique cultures can coexist without destruction of their 
traditional cultural values and beliefs.''

                              {time}  1045

  Cliff Fragua, the sculptor who crafted this rendering of Po'Pay out 
of a 7-foot slab of Tennessee marble, also deserves a word of praise 
for his beautiful work. Thousands of visitors to Washington, D.C., each 
year will see this work and gain a sense of New Mexico's history and 
our country's history. I would also like to point out that this statue 
created by Mr. Fragua will be the first in Statuary Hall created by a 
Native American.
  Madam Speaker, passage of this resolution today is a precursor to 
what will be a great day and celebration tomorrow for our State. I am 
honored to be a part of it. I would also like to recognize my wife 
Jill's role on the Statuary Hall Commission and to thank Chris Romero 
and Theresa Aguilar of my staff for all the hard work they have put in 
with the commission during the planning of this event. I would also 
like to recognize Mr. Benny Shendo, secretary of the Department of 
Indian Affairs in New Mexico, who will be in Washington for this 
ceremony. And to close, to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney) and 
the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender-McDonald) for yielding 
me the time.
  Mr. NEY. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New 
Mexico (Mr. Pearce).
  Mr. PEARCE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge strong support for 
House Concurrent Resolution 242 and join with the other members of New 
Mexico's congressional delegation to celebrate the presentation of the 
Po'Pay statue for placement in the National Statuary Hall here in the 
United States Capitol.
  My colleagues have mentioned most of the specifics already, but the 
event

[[Page H8171]]

is particularly an honor for the State of New Mexico as the Po'Pay 
statue is the 100th and last presented to the hall, completing the 
Capitol's collection which began in 1864. The statue also completes the 
Capitol's collection in another way. As the gentleman from New Mexico 
mentioned, Mr. Fragua is the only American Indian sculptor who will be 
represented among the 100 statues here in Statuary Hall.
  It is fitting that the last vacancy memorializing America's heroes be 
filled by a statue that represents not only New Mexico's rich and 
unique multicultural heritage, but America's great multicultural 
composition of many languages, customs, and traditions.
  In facing the monumental task of creating Po'Pay out of a 7.5-ton 
block of pink Tennessee marble, sculptor Cliff Fragua began with no 
physical references of his subject. There was no drawing, no 
description of Po'Pay's features, only a rich oral history manifesting 
a humble man who, caring deeply about the survival of his culture, 
became a hero for defending his way of life.
  Madam Speaker, what a superb way to complete America's storybook of 
characters. America has no one face, no one color, no one feature from 
which to reference its likeness, only a humble determination for 
freedom and liberty that unites us all.
  Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Madam Speaker, I fully support H. Con. Res. 
242, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. NEY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Again I want to thank the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Mrs. Wilson), 
the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Pearce) and the gentleman from New 
Mexico (Mr. Udall) for bringing this important resolution to us and, 
again, our ranking member from California (Ms. Millender-McDonald) for 
her service on both committees. Also, I would note we are going to have 
an historic unveiling today at 2 o'clock with the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Millender-McDonald) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
(Mr. Fattah) of Representative Rainey, who was the first elected 
African American to the U.S. House, and will be the first time an 
African American portrait will be placed in the House, which is going 
to be a glorious ceremony we will be sharing with our ranking member. 
So we are busy today with the committees. It has been a pleasure to be 
a part of this.
  Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I congratulate the New Mexico delegation 
and urge the House to approve this resolution placing a second statue 
honoring a New Mexico citizen in Statuary Hall. I must take this 
opportunity as well to urge the House to do the same for the District 
of Columbia. Our citizens do not have even one statue. Surely, the time 
is overdue for the District to receive at least this small recognition 
of our citizenship for all to see.
  The District of Columbia was born with the Nation itself. The city 
has more than two centuries of its very own rich and uniquely American 
history. The District boasts distinguished figures in history from whom 
selections for statues could readily be made. It should go without 
saying that the almost 600,000 American citizens who live in the 
Nation's capital deserve the honor of having two of their history 
makers represented in the Capitol as citizens of New Mexico and all 50 
States have long enjoyed. D.C. residents have not yet obtained the same 
full political equality and voting rights as States, but they have 
always had every one of the responsibilities of the States, including 
paying all Federal taxes and serving in all wars. Every time we allow 
the District to be excluded from its place among the 50 States, we 
undermine our own leadership role for democracy around the world. 
Authorizing two District statues has special importance for our 
residents because the statues would be seen by millions of visitors 
every year, reinforcing our proud citizenship and unity with other 
Americans, whose historical figures are commemorated.
  A bill for the District has failed to get the necessary word from the 
Speaker, which is necessary for hearings, despite my request and the 
written request from Leader Pelosi. Yet, this recognition for the 
District of Columbia, whose citizens are serving our country as I 
speak, in Iraq, Afghanistan, and throughout the world is no more 
controversial--nor should it be--than the New Mexico bill.
  New Mexico and its citizens deserve this honor and get it simply 
because they are American citizens. As we pass this resolution for New 
Mexico and its citizens today, I ask the House to remember that we are 
all equal in this country, and that it is time that our legislature and 
the halls where these statues will stand reflected that equality.
  Mr. NEY. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Miller of Michigan). The question is on 
the motion offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 
242.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was 
agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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