[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 28, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S1284]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                     REMEMBERING TILLIE FAY WALKER

 Ms. HEITKAMP. Mr. President, on February 2, 2018, Tillie Fay 
Walker, 88, passed away in Bismarck, ND. Tillie was an enrolled member 
of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation, born on the Fort Berthold 
Indian Reservation on July 11, 1928, and was a member of the Alkali 
Lodge Clan.
  Tillie was a fierce champion for the rights of her tribe and a 
passionate advocate for the dignity of all American Indians, 
particularly women. Her energy and intellect were used to progress 
positive change, mentor future Native leaders, and push government 
institutions to acknowledge and address the serious problems facing 
Indian Country. During a period when many thought a Native woman 
attending college was a foolish idea, she was that much more driven to 
receive her degree. At times when Tribes and Federal officials were at 
odds, Tillie brought elders and officials together to improve Federal 
policy positions on tribal sovereignty and land rights.
  Her work on the national level caught the attention of Dr. Martin 
Luther King, Jr., as he began to organize for the Poor People's 
Campaign. Tillie served as one of the key Native organizers for the 
campaign and recruited Tribal members and leaders from across the 
country to participate in the marches, sit-ins, and testimonies. She 
also gave fiery and memorable testimony to the Interior Secretary and 
the Commissioner of Indian Affairs during the campaign. Through these 
decades of work on the national scene, Tillie influenced the very 
direction of activism and Federal Indian policy. She considered the 
implementation of Indian preference hiring for the Indian Health 
Service and the Bureau of Indian Affairs to be her biggest professional 
accomplishment.
  Above all, Tillie was a lifelong keeper of cherished Mandan and 
Hidatsa history, practices, and language, and many tribal traditions 
now live on in younger generations due to Tillie's careful stewardship. 
Her legacy of Native pride and community activism survives on Fort 
Berthold and in those who work to improve the lives of Native Americans 
across the country. My deepest sympathies are with her family and many 
friends.

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