Luther Standing Bear

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Luther Standing Bear 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, but educated in white culture. He went on to write historical accounts in English about his people and their 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. His commentary on Native American culture educated the American people, deepened public awareness, and created popular support to change government policies toward Native American groups. Standing Bear helped create the popular twentieth-century image that Native American culture is traditionally holistic and deeply respectful of nature. His works have become part of college syllabi in anthropology, literature, history, and philosophy, and constitute a legacy and treasury of Native American thought.