H.R. No. 962 R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives is proud to 1-2 commend the First American League, Southwest Texas State 1-3 University, the City of San Marcos, Hays County, the Texas 1-4 Department of Agriculture, and boy and girl scouts from Texas and 1-5 Oklahoma on the momentous occasion of a Sacred Springs Pow-Wow and 1-6 Western Swing Festival; and 1-7 WHEREAS, The significance of the event is the celebration of 1-8 the "Return of the Native American," beginning with a public 1-9 welcoming ceremony being held in San Marcos at Southwest Texas 1-10 State University near the ancient Sacred Springs at Aquarena Park; 1-11 and 1-12 WHEREAS, In 1988, the State of Texas officially welcomed back 1-13 to the state those Native American tribes who had lived in Texas 1-14 prior to their banishment in the 1880s; Governor Bill Clements, 1-15 Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby, and Speaker of the House Gib Lewis 1-16 formally welcomed the tribes on the Capitol grounds in Austin, and 1-17 they sealed their agreement by smoking a peace pipe which had not 1-18 been used since the Treaty of Medicine Lodge in 1867; and 1-19 WHEREAS, For three days beginning on May 19, 1995, Texas will 1-20 celebrate the "Return of the Native American" with a special 1-21 ceremony that will officially welcome Native American tribes, 1-22 including the four major nations originally from Texas, the Kiowa 1-23 Nation, the Comanche Nation, the Apache Tribe of Oklahoma, and the 2-1 Wichita Tribe, as well as all other Native Americans residing in 2-2 Texas; and 2-3 WHEREAS, This historic greeting by state, university, county, 2-4 and city officials of a distinguished group of American Indian 2-5 leaders and their people will kick off a Texas-sized three-day 2-6 weekend entitled the Sacred Springs Pow-Wow and Western Swing 2-7 Festival; and 2-8 WHEREAS, This gala weekend hosted by Southwest Texas State 2-9 University, the City of San Marcos, Hays County, and the State of 2-10 Texas will include a Pow-Wow, concert, Western Swing dance, special 2-11 exhibitions of history and culture, Native American arts and 2-12 crafts, plays at the courthouse, and many other entertaining 2-13 events; and 2-14 WHEREAS, The First American League, a nonprofit Native 2-15 American Organization, will sponsor the festival with production by 2-16 Texas World Records Production Company; the First American League's 2-17 major areas of interest are young people, education, and cultural 2-18 preservation and revival; the league is working with Southwest 2-19 Texas State University to establish scholarships for deserving 2-20 Native Americans and other long-term projects for the study and 2-21 preservation of native cultures indigenous to this region; and 2-22 WHEREAS, All scouting organizations in Texas and Oklahoma 2-23 will be invited to attend; there will be certain events and 2-24 exhibitions designed to enable interested scouts to earn credit 2-25 toward their Indian Lore Merit Badges; now, therefore, be it 3-1 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas 3-2 Legislature hereby welcome Native American Tribes and the four 3-3 major nations, the Kiowa Nation, the Comanche Nation, the Apache 3-4 Tribe of Oklahoma, and the Wichita Tribe, as well as other Native 3-5 Americans residing in Texas, to the Sacred Springs Pow-Wow and 3-6 Western Swing Festival; and, be it further 3-7 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 3-8 prepared for the participants and sponsors as an expression of the 3-9 highest esteem of the Texas House of Representatives.