President Signs Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act

WASHINGTON, June 10, 2026 — President Biden signed Public Law 119-61, the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act, on June 10, 2026.

The law affects the approximately 40-acre site in southwestern South Dakota where U.S. Army troops killed an estimated 300 Lakota men, women and children on Dec. 29, 1890. It covers the massacre location, burial grounds and surrounding area long held sacred by the Oglala Sioux Tribe and other Lakota descendants.

The statute changes the land from federal ownership without special designation to a protected national memorial. It directs the National Park Service to assume management responsibility, develop a preservation plan, and consult formally with the Oglala Sioux Tribe on all decisions. The law takes effect immediately upon signing.

Downstream, the Interior Department must begin the formal consultation process with tribal governments within 90 days. The National Park Service is required to produce a management plan within 18 months that governs public access, historic interpretation and protection of sacred elements.

Federal funding for initial planning and preservation work is now authorized. The designation also triggers compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act and Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act at the site.

This is the first time Congress has granted national memorial status to the Wounded Knee site. Previous legislative efforts to protect the location date back more than a decade, including earlier bills introduced in both the House and Senate that did not reach final passage. The Oglala Sioux Tribe has sought federal recognition and co-management of the site since the 1970s.

No members of Congress voted against the final bill, per the public law record.