A LEGISLATIVE COMMEMORATION honoring the life and legacy of Elizabeth Cook-Lynn.

WHEREAS, Elizabeth Cook-Lynn, a citizen of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe and widely regarded as the godmother of Native American studies, pioneered the field through her writing, scholarship, and advocacy; and

WHEREAS, holding faculty positions at Eastern Washington University and Arizona State University, where she helped found the Native American studies program, Elizabeth Cook-Lynn contributed to Indigenous-centered curricula and created academic spaces where Native stories, languages, and philosophies were dignified and acknowledged as important areas of study; and

WHEREAS, Cook-Lynn's published works, foundational in Native American studies and Indigenous literature, have contributed to a wider understanding of Native nations as sovereign political and cultural entities with inherent rights; and

WHEREAS, throughout her life, she used her voice to speak to and for the land, and encouraged young people and readers and listeners to do the same, reminding people of the connection Native nations have with their territories and the resulting moral obligations;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT COMMEMORATED, by the One Hundred First Legislature of the State of South Dakota, that the state and its people are grateful for the life, contributions, achievements, and enduring legacy of Elizabeth Cook-Lynn.