Luther Standing Bear (1868–1939,) Óta Kté (“Plenty Kill,”) also Matȟó Nážiŋ, was a Sicangu and Oglala Lakota author, educator, philosopher, and actor, dedicated to preserving Lakota culture and sovereignty.
Born in December 1868 on the Spotted Tail Agency, Rosebud, Dakota Territory, he was raised in Lakota oral traditions. In 1879, he attended the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, among the first Native American students there. His father, George Standing Bear, viewed education as vital for survival in the white world.
Standing Bear became a teacher, store owner, and Native American rights advocate, later joining Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show as a performer and interpreter. He moved to California, acting in Hollywood films and advising on Native American representation in cinema.
His key publications include My People, the Sioux (1928,) recounting his youth and Carlisle experiences; My Indian Boyhood (1931,) an autobiographical work for young readers; Land of the Spotted Eagle (1933,) critiquing white assimilation policies; and Stories of the Sioux (1934,) a collection of Lakota legends. His writings educated Americans on Lakota culture, shaping anthropology, literature, and history.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Luther Standing Bear
The old Lakota was wise, He knew that man’s heart, away from nature, becomes hard; he knew that lack of respect for growing, living things soon led to lack of respect for humans too.
—Luther Standing Bear
Topics: Wilderness
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