BIO: DAVID LITTLE ELK
Hau, Mitakuyepi! Hello, everyone! My name is David Little Elk and I am a Lakota Sioux Indian from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of South Dakota in the USA. I am a Spiritual Advisor and Consultant, and I give seminars on Lakota Spirituality. I have also written a book on Lakota Spirituality book titled "WICOH'AN OTEHIKE - the difficult way". This book contains an account of Lakota Creation and includes Lakota Star Knowledge stories, as well as other information that provides the foundation for Lakota Spirituality, Wisdom, Thought & Philosophy.
I am also a certified Lakota Language & Culture Teacher and have written a book titled "CANTE ETANHAN OWOGLAKE", which means, "speaking from the heart". This book includes 5 audio CD's.
In August 2002, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal Council proclaimed that my Lakota Language book and CD's, as well as the Little Elk Orthography that I made, to be the OFFICIAL Lakota Language materials of the tribe.
I began my teaching career on 18 January 1999, on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The school where I taught at that time is a public school in South Dakota, and public schools in South Dakota do not observe that holiday. Hence, my first day at work on a holiday. From 1999 until 2004, I have taught Lakota language and culture at the high school level. In 2003, I taught university level Lakota Language Courses at the tribal university on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation. Also in 2003, I taught Lakota Language over a long distance education system to students from other schools.
I am also a classically trained musician, as well as being a musician of traditional Lakota music. I compose contemporary music, incorporating the Lakota language in many of my compositions. And I also compose traditional Lakota music, as well. I have been playing guitar since I was eight years old. Soon thereafter, I began classical training on other instruments. I have been writing songs since then, and I record them in my personal recording studio. I have independently released several music CD's. All of my music is produced, arranged, recorded, and mixed by myself. And I perform all the instruments on all of my recordings, as well.
I also record spoken word CDs, in which I tell Lakota Stories. One spoken word CD is titled "Pte Hincala San Cannumpa", which is the complete story of how the White Buffalo Calf Pipe came to the Itazipco Lakota people. The other spoken word CD is titled "Wamakaskan: The Black Hills Race & The Turtle Who Wanted To Fly". This CD has two stories. The first story is about a race in which all the animals ran a race around the Black Hills of South Dakota. The second story is told entirely in Lakota followed by the English translation, and is about identity.
I believe that Communication is the transfer of medicine through our thoughts, feelings, actions, and words. The Lakota Natural Law of Generosity states that the medicine we use to communicate with others will return to us fourfold. Thus, when a person tries to hurt someone else, that person is only hurting him/her-self more, because the energy he/she sent will return to him/her fourfold. And when a person does something healthy to others, that healthy medicine returns to help and heal himself/herself fourfold, too. This is the foundation of the belief that, "The Honor of One is the Honor of All." Therefore, it is Lakota tradition to communicate in a most clear and effective manner with each other so that there are no misunderstandings. I compose music and teach the Lakota language, culture and spirituality, based on the Lakota Natural Law of Generosity.
A crisis has now begun to unfold among the Lakota nations, as many of the fluent Lakota Elder speakers are now few in number, and many of the younger Lakota are losing interest to learn the Lakota language and culture, as well as the spirituality. Thus, the Lakota language, culture and spirituality are fast becoming extinct. I embrace Lakota spirituality, culture and language, and vow to do my best in preserving them through the creation of my books and CD's, along with my music CD's, which incorporate the use of the Lakota language and include Lakota spiritual concepts. I am also helping to preserve the Lakota language and spirituality by giving seminars and teaching via Zoom technology.
Dreams and visions are very important to the Lakota Sioux people, and I have received much instruction from my dreams to help others. These dreams paved the way for me to become a Lakota language, culture and spirituality teacher. After teaching on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation for six years, I received a new vision to share my knowledge with the rest of world. Currently, I live in Germany, and I teach Lakota Language and Spirituality throughout the world by traveling to other countries and by teaching over the Internet.
Ho, Mitakuye Oyas'in! All my relations! Everything inside of my us is connected, just as we are connected to everything around us, and to each other!
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(c) 2023 David Little Elk
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