Kentucky legislation · 2026 Regular Session
Kentucky SR202: A RESOLUTION honoring Shawnee Chief Nonhelema Hokolesqua as part of Women's History Month.
Status: Passed both chambers, April 1, 2026
Honor Shawnee Chief Nonhelema Hokolesqua as part of Women's History Month.
What the bill says
A resolution honoring Shawnee Chief Nonhelema Hokolesqua as part of Women's History Month.
From the introduced text:
A RESOLUTION honoring Shawnee Chief Nonhelema Hokolesqua as part of Women's History Month. WHEREAS, Nonhelema Hokolesqua was a tall, powerful Shawnee woman born in 1718. She spent a portion of her life in Pennsylvania where she married. By 1750, Nonhelema Hokolesqua was a village chief; and WHEREAS, when Nonhelema Hokolesqua's first husband died in 1754, she remarried and relocated to the Ohio and Kentucky area. Originally Shawnee and Eastern Cherokee territory, Kentucky was overtaken by the Iroquois during the early years of the French fur trade. As Iroquois power waned in the early 18th century, the Shawnee and Cherokee reestablished their presence; and WHEREAS, Nonhelema Hokolesqua became a wife, a chief, an overseer of domestic productions, and a warrior. This was all made possible through the Shawnees' view of the world as a system of balance. As in most other Native American cultures, such balance among the Shawnees assured prosperity, and while not ensuring gendered equality, it made gendered hierarchy difficult. Shawnee women exerted life-power as producers of crops, clothes, domestic goods, and children; and WHEREAS, this role as producers of crops gave women economic power. This elevated Shawnee women's status compared to their white counterparts and some Eastern tribes. Shawnee women could also serve alongside or as chiefs, both in war and peace. Nonhelema Hokolesqua was one such chief, …
Sponsors
- Reginald Thomas (D, SD-013) · primary sponsor
Latest actions
- : adopted by voice vote
- : to Senate Floor
- : to Committee on Committees (S)
- : introduced in Senate
Subjects: Women, Commendations And Recognitions, Historical Affairs
Common questions
- What is SR202?
- SR202 is a bill in the Kentucky Legislature (2026 Regular Session): A RESOLUTION honoring Shawnee Chief Nonhelema Hokolesqua as part of Women's History Month.
- What does SR202 do?
- In its own words: A resolution honoring Shawnee Chief Nonhelema Hokolesqua as part of Women's History Month.
- What is the status of SR202?
- Passed both chambers as of April 1, 2026. Latest action: adopted by voice vote (April 1, 2026).
- Who sponsored SR202?
- Reginald Thomas (D, SD-013).
- Where is the official record for SR202?
- On the Kentucky Legislature website: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26rs/sr202.html
Source: official Kentucky record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.