February 15, 2016
Contact: Arnold Vigil
(505) 986-4263
Arnold.Vigil@nmlegis.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Senate Indian Affairs Committee Passes Pair of Important Native American Memorials
The Senate Indian Affairs Committee (SIAC) passed a joint memorial on Monday that would have the state officially encourage the federal government to further honor the Navajo Code Talkers for their contributions to the victory of the United States during World War II.
Senate Joint Memorial 16 (SJM 16) , Navajo Code Talker Museum & Veterans Center, sponsored by Senator John Pinto, would request that the United States Congress provide funding and support to the planning, design and construction of the Code Talker Museum and Veterans Center. The memorial would also be sent to the appropriate parties of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and the Navajo Nation. SJM 16 now heads to the floor.
The museum and veterans center is proposed to be located in Tse Bonito in western New Mexico and would provide an immersive learning environment with interactive exhibits and activities, living demonstrations of the military code spoken in Diné, the Navajo language, and classrooms for educational seminars and programs. It would also serve as a community center in the heart of Indian Country and a place for all military veterans to gather and access services.
“For decades the United States failed to officially acknowledge the contributions of the Navajo Code Talkers during World War II,” said Senator Pinto, (D-3, McKinley & San Juan), who was trained as a Code Talker in the U.S. Marine Corps toward the end of the war in 1945. “Their heroic contributions that helped defeat the tenacious Japanese military in the Pacific Theater should be acknowledged and remembered forever. And there is not a better place to do this than in western New Mexico, the beautiful homeland of these brave men.”
SIAC also passed House Joint Memorial 1 (HJM 1), Enhanced Protection of Cultural Items, co-sponsored by Senator Carlos R. Cisneros (D-Los Alamos, Rio Arriba, Santa Fe, & Taos) and Representative James E. Smith (R-22, Bernalillo, Sandoval & Santa Fe). HJM 1 asks the NM Attorney General and the Cultural Affairs Department work with tribal and community leaders to review the Cultural Properties Act and make recommendations about enhanced protection of cultural items. HJM 1 intends to further prevent the theft and wrongful sale of cultural items especially on the Internet or at auctions.
“I am very pleased that we are looking to further protect the cultural items of our great state,” said Senator Pinto, who is also the chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee. “These unique items sacred to many NM Tribes are highly sought after by collectors and we need to put a stop to the very serious problem of theft and illegal sales.”
HJM 1 has already passed the House of Representatives on a 65-0 vote, the Senate Rules Committee and now heads to the Senate Floor for a vote.
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