* I’ve added links to the bills…

Governor JB Pritzker signed three bills today offering increased protections for Native and Indigenous Illinoisans. HB3413, the Human Remains Protection Act, establishes procedures for encountering human remains or gravesites and returning remains to Native American Nations. SB1446 prohibits schools from banning students from wearing cultural regalia as graduation attire. HB1633 mandates instruction on Native American history in Illinois public schools.

“Today, we take another step forward in repairing generations of harm and building a brighter future for our state’s Native American and Indigenous Peoples,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “At its core, this legislation is about respect. Respect for those who came before us and those who will come after—and that is why we want to teach our children this history, to avoid the mistakes of the past and to instill that respect from an early age.”

“As we are seeking new ways to continue to make Illinois inclusive and welcoming to all, our administration is committed to expanding protections for our Native and Indigenous Illinoisans - past, present, and future. Today’s bill signing is a measure to address the generational injustice, while we extend our hand in support for our Native and Indigenous communities,” said Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton. “Thanks to the compassionate leadership of Governor Pritzker and members of the General Assembly, and the voices of residents in Illinois, together we honor the history, contributions, and experiences of Indigenous people with honesty and dignity at the forefront.”

HB3413 seeks to streamline and concentrate efforts to return known or newly discovered Native American remains and cultural artifacts to their nation of origin. Many Native remains and artifacts remain in museums across the country. This act, which amends the existing Human Remains Protection Act will coordinate with the Illinois State Museum and federally recognized tribes with ties to Illinois to determine tribal identity of the remains and be returned for appropriate burial. The bill also allows for creation of a cemetery for remains unable to be identified.

Illinois currently has the second largest collection of unrepatriated remains in the United States. The Illinois State Museum has committed to the largest repatriation effort in the state’s history. Violators of this bill will be subject to pay restitution, which will be held in a fund to aid in reinternment or restoration. The law is effective immediately.

SB1446 protects the rights of Illinois students to wear accessories that reflect cultural, religious, or ethnic heritage at graduation ceremonies. The bill was proposed following an incident where Nimkii Curley, an Illinois high school senior, was forced to sit out his graduation ceremony after refusing to remove traditional Native regalia. The act protects not only Native American and Indigenous cultural attire, but anything worn that is associated with a student’s protected characteristic as laid out under the Illinois Human Rights Act. The law is effective immediately.

HB1633 adds Native American history to the list of required curricula for public schools in Illinois. The law specifies that this includes teaching about the genocide and forced resettlement of Native Americans by settlers, alongside the history of tribes in the Midwest and nationwide. Governor Pritzker has previously signed laws mandating instruction on Asian American and LGBTQ+ history in Illinois schools.

“It is important that our children’s learning experiences are formulated in an atmosphere that is both inclusive and equitable,” said State Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs). “These new laws will empower students to express their cultural identity and provide them with a full picture of how our nation was founded. We need to invigorate our classrooms and present different perspectives to give our children learning opportunities they haven’t had before.”

“Native American history is Illinois’ history, from the awe-inspiring Cahokia mounds to the Illiniwek tribes encountered by French colonists to the tens of thousands of people of Native American ancestry who live in Illinois today,” said State Rep Maurice West (D-Rockford). “We must understand the history and experience of Native Americans if we want to truly understand our home state, but too many students miss out on this important aspect of our nation’s past and present. These laws will help preserve and promote the rich history of Native Americans in Illinois while ensuring students can freely honor their cultural, ethnic, or religious identity through their attire during their graduation ceremonies.”

“I can’t imagine how horrible I would feel if someone dug up the grave of my grandmother, stole a necklace she was buried with to be sold as a curiosity, and put her bones on display, but that’s what we’re talking about here,” said State Rep. Mark Walker (D-Arlington Heights). “Illinois’ past and present are better because of the history and impacts of Native Americans. Reconciling the sins of our past means ensuring these remains are reburied with the honor and respect they deserve.”

“We’ve longed for the day we can bring respect to our history and our ancestors the way they should’ve been respected centuries ago. Today means that can finally happen,” said Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Chairman Joseph “Zeke” Rupnick. “This new law puts Illinois on a path to free the remains of our ancestors so they can be buried with the dignity they always deserved.”

“The new Human Remains Protection Act is just one step in our commitment to continue to elevate Indigenous voices at the Illinois State Museum,” said Jenn Edginton, interim director of the Illinois State Museum. “Native people have always been on the land on which we stand. Their stories are the stories of Illinois. The Illinois State Museum and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources are committed to continuing to ensure Native stories are heard and that we continue to collaborate with them.”

* More from Sen. Glowiak Hilton…

“Native American history is American history. It’s time we introduce it in our classrooms,” said Glowiak Hilton (D – Western Springs). “It is important that our children’s learning experiences are formulated in an atmosphere that is both inclusive and equitable.”

House Bill 1633 requires public schools to make Native American history part of curriculum. Teachings will include the study of the genocide of and discrimination against Native Americans, as well as tribal sovereignty, treaties made between tribal nations and the United States, and the circumstances around forced Native American relocation.

Social studies courses pertaining to American history or government are required to include a unit of instruction studying the events of the Native American experience and Native American history within the Midwest and Illinois.

“By providing our students a better understanding of our history, we are presenting a brighter future ahead,” said Glowiak Hilton. “We need to invigorate our classrooms and present new perspectives to give our children learning opportunities they haven’t had before.”

House Bill 1633 was signed into law Friday. Native American history will begin being taught during the 2024-2025 school year.

…Adding… Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation…

llinois Governor JB Pritzker signed into law today three bills that overwhelmingly passed the state legislature with bipartisan support, bringing long overdue honor to past, present and future Native communities in Illinois.

The three newly signed laws will:

• Allow the state of Illinois to create cemeteries protected from public use on state lands for the reburial of repatriated Native American remains and materials
• Allow for the expansion of Illinois public school curriculum to include Native history
• Require schools to permit students to celebrate their cultural or religious identity during graduation ceremonies, including wearing traditional Native regalia

“Illinois has made tremendous strides this year in its work to repair the centuries-long injustices that started with colonizers doing everything they could to extinguish our people and the origins of this land on which the United States of America was constructed,” said Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Chairman Joseph “Zeke” Rupnick. “Illinois today proved that a government is capable of reflecting on its past injustices and planning for a future that respects and celebrates our interconnectedness.”

Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation was integral in the advocacy efforts for all of the new laws signed today, particularly HB 3413 which allows for the burial of Native remains on state lands. Illinois possesses the remains of thousands of Native people – some dug up by the Department of Transportation during highway construction and unceremoniously housed in desk drawers – but that’s set to change as the state is on track to return 1,100 of the 7,000 Native American remains the state currently holds.

“Native tribes have existed since before colonization, and our land and culture are the foundation of our society. Yet the remains of thousands of our ancestors have been in the hands of governments and institutions, just as our Native lands have been for centuries,” Chairman Rupnick said. “By signing this bill today Governor Pritzker is undoing a modern-day extension of colonization. This new law will bring respect to our ancestors the way they should’ve been respected centuries ago.”

Despite the progress in Illinois this year as it relates to the state’s Native origins, Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation still faces the reality that its identity in Illinois remains diminished due to an overreach by the United States government.

Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation has roots in Illinois with DeKalb County being home to a Reservation that belongs to Chairman Rupnick’s great grandfather four generations removed.

However, the U.S. Government in 1849 illegally auctioned off more than 1,280 acres of Chief Shab-eh-nay’s home Reservation near the village of Shabbona in southern DeKalb County when he traveled from his family in Kansas. Illinois is the only state in the Midwest – one of just 15 states nationwide – without a federally recognized Tribe.

Legislation recently filed in the House by state Rep. Mark Walker (D-Arlington Heights) would return state-owned lands comprising the Shabbona Lake State Recreation Area to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.

Although the U.S. Congress is the only governing body that has the authority to designate land titles for Native nations, the state of Illinois owns and operates a state park on a portion of Prairie Band’s 1,280 acres, they have the agency to return that to Prairie Band with legislation or through executive action.

“Although our land was illegally taken from us, we’re still here, living and contributing to life in Illinois, all while practicing our traditions and serving our country,” said Chairman Rupnick, a U.S. Army Veteran who served for 13 years. “We may not yet have our Reservation land back in the hands of our Tribe, but we have the truth and increasing acknowledgement that our cause is just.

“Thanks to Governor Pritzker, state Representatives Mark Walker (D-Arlington Heights), and Maurice West (D-Rockford), state Senator Suzy Glowiak Hilton (D-Western Springs), former state Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas, and Republicans and Democrats in the Illinois legislature, today is an important day for policy changes that put Illinois on a path to break down oppressive structures and the lingering effects of colonization that upended our Native communities.”

…Adding… Rep.West…

Today, Gov. JB Pritzker signed HB1633 and SB1446, both sponsored by State Rep. Maurice West (D-Rockford). HB1633 will require the experience and history of Native Americans to be taught to all Illinois elementary and high school students. SB 1466 prohibits K-12 schools from restricting students from wearing or accessorizing graduation attire that reflects their cultural, ethnic, or religious identity.

“Native American history is Illinois’ history, from the awe-inspiring Cahokia mounds to the Illiniwek tribes encountered by French colonists to the tens of thousands of people of Native American ancestry who live in Illinois today,” said Chief House Sponsor State Rep. Maurice West. “We must understand the history and experience of Native Americans if we want to truly understand our home state, but too many students miss out on this important aspect of our nation’s past and present. This law will help preserve and promote the rich history of Native Americans in Illinois while helping our young people understand the important contributions Native Americans make to Illinois in the present day.”

“Furthermore, graduation ceremonies should be a time for students and their families to celebrate their educational journey and their personal identity,” said West. “Now, students can freely honor and recognize their cultural, ethnic, or religious identity through their attire during their graduation ceremonies. I am deeply grateful to the amazing advocates from Illinois’ Native American community as well as the Illinois State Board of Education for their multi-year collaborative effort to make these pieces of legislation a reality, and I thank Gov. Pritzker for signing these bills into law.”

HB1633 requires certain history courses to include teaching about Native American nations’ sovereignty and self-determination with a focus on urban Native Americans, as well as information about the Native American genocide in North America. The legislation also includes requirements for the State Board of Education to provide curriculum materials developed in consultation with the Native American community that school districts can choose to use regarding Native American history. Instruction will be required as of the 2024-2025 school year.

The bill passed the Illinois House of Representatives by a vote of 81 in favor to 31 opposed and the Illinois Senate by a vote of 44 to 8. More information can be found HERE.

SB1446 arose from an incident when a student was prohibited from wearing graduation clothing that reflected their Native American heritage during a graduation ceremony at an Evanston, Ill. high school. The bill passed the Illinois House of Representatives by a vote of 104 to 7 and the Illinois Senate by a vote of 49 to 4. More information can be found HERE.