President Donald Trump signed legislation Friday directing the federal government to formally protect land associated with the Wounded Knee Massacre by placing it into restricted fee status for two Sioux tribes.
The bill, H.R. 165 — known as the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act — instructs the Secretary of the Interior to complete all administrative actions necessary to ensure that approximately 40 acres of land in South Dakota are held in restricted fee status by the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.
The land is located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in Oglala Lakota County and is identified in the law as part of the site of the December 29, 1890, Wounded Knee Massacre. The designation applies to the surface land as well as subsurface and mineral estates.
Under restricted fee status, the land remains owned by the tribes but cannot be sold or transferred without the consent of both Congress and the tribes. The land is also exempt from state and local taxation and is placed under the civil and criminal jurisdiction of the Oglala Sioux Tribe.
The law requires the Interior Department to complete surveys, documentation, and legal corrections within 365 days of enactment to finalize the land’s status. Existing utility agreements, easements, and rights-of-way remain in effect.
The legislation also explicitly prohibits gaming on the land and limits its use to purposes outlined in a 2022 covenant between the two tribes, which designates the property as a memorial and sacred site.
The measure was signed into law on December 19, 2025.
