The following Illinois Senate Resolution was passed on May 20, 1999.
State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
Legislation
91_SR0108
SENATE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The members of the
Illinois Senate wish to
support Midwest SOARRING (Save Our Ancestors
Remains &
Resources Indigenous Network Group) and their endeavors
on
the behalf of Native American causes; and
WHEREAS, Midwest SOARRING has two major issues
that they
believe need to be brought before
the General Assembly:
(1) the provision of land for reburial of ancestral
human
remains that were removed from Illinois
grounds, for the
Native Nations who require that their ancestors be reburied
in the region of their original gravesites,
and (2) the
establishment of a burial board with Native representation
that will act in the event of
inadvertent discovery of
unmarked Native burials during land development; and
WHEREAS, Midwest SOARRING believes that ancestral
remains
should be reburied for the spiritual good of the ancestors,
Native people living today, and future generations; and
WHEREAS, Midwest SOARRING also
requests support for the
acquisition of land in the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie
for the reburial of ancestral remains, or an alternate site;
and
WHEREAS, There will soon be an
estimated 12,000 remains
eligible for reburial, including 6,000 from
the Illinois
State Museum; serious consideration needs
to be given to
these requests; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF
THE NINETY-FIRST GENERAL
ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge support
for
the request for a section of land in the Midewin
National
Tallgrass Prairie for the reburial
of Native Nations
ancestral remains, or suitable land if
that area is
unavailable; and that we urge support for the establishment
of a burial board with Native representation.
PAGE 2
Short description:
SUPPORT OF MIDWEST SOARRING
Synopsis of Bill as introduced:
Urges support of Midwest
SOARRING and their requests regarding
land for the reburial of Native Nations ancestral remains.
Last action on Bill: RESOLUTION ADOPTED
Last action date: 99-05-20
Location: Senate
Amendments to Bill: AMENDMENTS ADOPTED: HOUSE - 0 SENATE - 0
Urges support of Midwest SOARRING and their requests
regarding
land for the reburial of Native Nations ancestral remains.
99-05-04 S REFERRED TO SENATE RULES COMMITTEE
RULES
99-05-07 S ASSIGNED TO COMMITTEE
EXECUTIVE
99-05-19 S BE ADOPTED
009-002-000 SEXC
99-05-19 S PLACED ON CALENDAR ORDER OF RESOLUTIONS
SECRETARY'S DESK
99-05-20 S RESOLUTION ADOPTED
Midwest Save
Our Ancestors Remains & Resources Indigenous Network Group (Midwest
SOARRING) is
a Native-based, not-for-profit organization formed in 1994 to facilitate
the
repatriation
of Native American ancestral remains and burial goods, to work for the
preservation
of the burial and sacred sites in Illinois and the Midwestern states, and
to protect
and conserve
the natural environment. While thousands of the ancestors' remains are
still
held in museums
and government agencies, land development continues to expand,
threatening
more burial and sacred sites with destruction. Midwest SOARRING has a close
working relationship
with a network of individuals among Native Nations and U.S.
government agencies
to facilitate protection of these sites and communication among all
parties in the
interest of preservation.
Midwest SOARRING
2835 Aurora Avenue, Suite 115-133
Naperville, IL 60540
Phone: (630) 961-9323
FAX: (630) 961-9489
Email: soarring@juno.com
WEB: www.geocities.com/~soarring
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