Long before the arrival of European settlers, Pennsylvania was home to many indigenous groups, including the Erie, Iroquois Confederacy, Shawnee and Ohio Valley, Munsee, Susquehannock, and Lenni Lenape.  With a rich, diverse culture and history demanding respect for the local wildlife and land, each of these groups were able to make use of the many natural resources available, including fish and deer, to feed and sustain themselves and their loved ones.  However, further settlement of the state and the introduction of European government has put a price on this once-free practice, with paid fishing and hunting licenses required for all individuals, including the 20,798 indigenous Americans living in Pennsylvania.
 
I believe it is time to recognize the historical significance and right of indigenous Americans to once again freely hunt and fish on the land that was taken from them hundreds of years ago.  To do this, my legislation would provide indigenous Americans in Pennsylvania with hunting and fishing licenses at no cost upon proof of indigenous ancestry.  Ancestry could be proven through a variety of means and, because Pennsylvania does not recognize any indigenous tribes, would allow members of both federally recognized and unrecognized organized tribes to apply for this fee exemption.
 
As legislators, it is our duty to identify and right the wrongs of our predecessors, regardless of if it has been three or three hundred years.  Please join me in co-sponsoring this legislation to give indigenous Pennsylvanians back their historical rights to hunting and fishing in the Commonwealth.