Biography

Luther Standing Bear (Óta Kté or "Plenty Kill," also known as Matȟó Nážiŋ or "Standing Bear", 1868 - 1939) was a Sicangu and Oglala Lakota author, educator, philosopher, and actor. He worked to preserve Lakota culture and sovereignty, and was at the forefront of a Progressive movement to change government policy toward Native Americans.

Standing Bear was one of the Lakota leaders of his generation who was born and raised in the oral traditions of his culture, and then also educated in white culture, who then went on to write historical accounts in English about his people and history. Standing Bear's writings about his early life, years at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, Wild Westing with Buffalo Bill, and life on the reservations presented a Native American viewpoint during the Progressive Era in American history.

Standing Bear's commentaries on Native American cultures educated the American public, deepened public awareness, and created popular support to change government policies toward Native American peoples. Standing Bear helped create the popular twentieth-century image that Native American culture is holistic and respectful of nature. His commentaries have become part of college-level reading lists in anthropology, literature, history, and philosophy. They constitute a legacy and treasury of Native American thought.