Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 114 Part 4.djvu/307

 PUBLIC LAW 106-511—NOV. 13, 2000 114 STAT. 2369 TITLE II—BOSQUE REDONDO Bosque Redondo Memorial Act. New Mexico. 16 USC 431 note. MEMORIAL NeTSe^xico^*' SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE. This title may be cited as the "Bosque Redondo Memorial Act". SEC. 202. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. (a) FINDINGS.— Congress finds that— (1) in 1863, the United States detained nearly 9,000 Navajo and forced their migration across nearly 350 miles of land to Bosque Redondo, a journey known as the "Long Walk"; (2) Mescalero Apache people were also incarcerated at Bosque Redondo; (3) the Navajo and Mescalero Apache people labored to plant crops, dig irrigation ditches and build housing, but drought, cutworms, hail, and alkaline Pecos River water created severe living conditions for nearly 9,000 captives; (4) suffering and hardships endured by the Navajo and Mescalero Apache people forged a new understanding of their strengths as Americans; (5) the Treaty of 1868 was signed by the United States and the Navajo tribes, recognizing the Navajo Nation as it exists today; (6) the State of New Mexico has appropriated a total of $123,000 for a planning study and for the design of the Bosque Redondo Memorial; (7) individuals and businesses in DeBaca County donated $6,000 toward the production of a brochure relating to the Bosque Redondo Memorial; (8) the Village of Fort Sumner donated 70 acres of land to the State of New Mexico contiguous to the existing 50 acres comprising Fort Sumner State Monument, contingent on the funding of the Bosque Redondo Memorial; (9) full architectural plans and the exhibit design for the Bosque Redondo Memorial have been completed; (10) the Bosque Redondo Memorial project has the encouragement of the President of the Navajo Nation and the President of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, who have each appointed tribal members to serve as project advisors; (11) the Navajo Nation, the Mescalero Tribe and the National Park Service are collaborating to develop a symposium on the Bosque Redondo Long Walk and a curriculum for inclusion in the New Mexico school curricula; (12) an interpretive center would provide important educational and enrichment opportunities for all Americans; and (13) Federal financial assistance is needed for the construction of a Bosque Redondo Memorial. (b) PURPOSES. — The purposes of this title are as follows: (1) To commemorate the people who were interned at Bosque Redondo. (2) To pay tribute to the native populations' ability to rebound from suffering, and establish the strong, living communities that have long been a major influence in the State of New Mexico and in the United States.

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