The enrolled version added four additional legislators (Senators Duhamel and Perry, and Representatives Pourier, Emery, Moore, and Muckey) as co-introducers of this commemorative resolution honoring Joseph M. Marshall III. This change broadens the legislative support for the commemoration by expanding sponsorship beyond the original sole introducer.
26.1052.9 101st Legislative Session SC828 2026 South Dakota Legislature Senate Commemoration 828 Introduced by: Senator Foster Underscores indicate new language. Overstrikes indicate deleted language. Senators Foster, Duhamel, and Perry and Representatives Pourier, Emery, Moore, and Muckey A LEGISLATIVE COMMEMORATION honoring the legacy of Joseph M. Marshall III. 1 WHEREAS, born on April 8, 1945, on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, 2 Joseph M. Marshall III was an enrolled member of the Sicangu Oyate, and was raised by his 3 maternal grandparents in a traditional Lakota household, in which he learned the Lakota oral 4 tradition, storytelling, and the lifeways of his people--gifts he would later share with the world 5 as a teacher, historian, author, craftsman, and public speaker; and 6 WHEREAS, Joseph received the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation Educator of the Year 7 Award in 2022 for his lifelong leadership in education, first teaching English at Todd County 8 High School in Mission, South Dakota, and later teaching Native American studies, Lakota 9 language, and history at various colleges and universities, including Sinte Gleska University, 10 of which he was a founding board member in 1971; and 11 WHEREAS, in addition to contributing to the arts as a cultural and historical consultant, 12 technical advisor, actor, and craftsman, Joseph became a prolific and internationally 13 recognized author, publishing more than twenty books that have informed and inspired 14 readers across cultures and, as a result, receiving the 2008 PEN/Beyond Margins Award and 15 the 2023 Owen Wister Award from Western Writers of America, as well as being inducted into 16 the Western Writers Hall of Fame in 2023; and 17 WHEREAS, on April 18, 2025, Joseph, a sacred voice of the Sicangu Oyate, returned to 18 the ancestors, and his passing is mourned by individuals and communities in South Dakota 19 and around the world, even as his contributions, teachings, and stories continue to impart 20 lessons on character, leadership, perseverance, and spiritual resilience and strengthen the 21 sovereignty, dignity, and future of Native nations; 22 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT COMMEMORATED, by the One Hundred First Legislature of the 23 State of South Dakota, that honor, deepest respect, gratitude, and sympathy are extended 24 in memory of Joseph M. Marshall III for his extraordinary life, his achievements as an advocate 25 26.1052.9 2 SC828 Underscores indicate new language. Overstrikes indicate deleted language. and culture bearer, and his enduring legacy as a Lakota leader whose words and works will 1 continue to walk beside future generations and bridge understanding between Native and 2 non-Native communities. 3