Rabb welcomes leaders of federally recognized Tribal Nations to Capitol
Rep. Christopher M. Rabb October 20, 2026 | 4:58 PM
HARRISBURG, Oct. 20 – For the first time in the Pennsylvania House's 344-year history, leaders of federally recognized Tribal Nations with ancestral ties to Pennsylvania were welcomed into the House chamber this week at the invitation of state Rep. Chris Rabb.
Rabb brought the leaders to Harrisburg for recognition in the House chamber during Monday's House session and to meet with lawmakers from across the commonwealth.
"This is a historic moment for the Pennsylvania House. For the first time in our legislative body's 344-year history, dating back to the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly of 1682, we are welcoming leaders of federally recognized Tribal Nations with ancestral ties to Pennsylvania into our legislative chamber, on lands never ceded by the Indigenous Nations who have called this region home for centuries," Rabb said. "Our Commonwealth's history is rooted in relationships between Indigenous Nations and colonial leaders dating back to the 1600s. Today, we have an opportunity to honor that history by building relationships grounded in respect, sovereignty and meaningful consultation. 'Nothing about us, without us' must guide how we approach legislation affecting Indigenous communities."
Guests included:
• Michael McLane, president of Delaware Nation
• Dr. Katelyn Lucas, historic preservation officer for Delaware Nation
• Chief Brad KillsCrow, chief of the Delaware Tribe of Indians
The Delaware Nation is a sovereign, federally recognized nation of Lenape people whose ancestral homelands have encompassed eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and parts of New York, Connecticut and Maryland. The Delaware Tribe of Indians is a federally recognized tribe of Lenape people with longstanding ties to the Delaware River region.
Also this week, Rabb introduced House Resolution 671, which directs the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to study the intergenerational impact of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School on Indigenous youth taken to Pennsylvania. The study would also examine the complicity of state government, religious institutions, academia, philanthropy and the private sector in a broader campaign of cultural genocide waged against Indigenous children across North America.
Founded in 1879, Carlisle was the first federal off-reservation Indian boarding school and the blueprint for a nationwide system built on its founder's creed: "Kill the Indian in him, and save the man." Children were separated from their families and stripped of their names, languages, clothing and spiritual traditions. Many never went home.
"Carlisle was not an educational experiment. It was an instrument of erasure, designed to sever Indigenous children from their families, their languages and their nations," Rabb said. "That happened here, on Pennsylvania soil, sustained by institutions that still exist today. We cannot atone for what we refuse to name. This study puts truth-telling first, led by Indigenous voices, so that any path toward atonement and healing rests on the full truth, not on euphemism."
For more information on the resolution, visit: https://www.palegis.us/legislation/bills/2025/hr671. A 2023 speech on the subject by Rabb can be viewed at: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?mibextid=wwXIfr&v=303069455406225&rdid=SSbuD34gyI0WCdYC.