User:Oneprincesslea/Charlotte Black Elk

Charlotte A. Black Elk is a political and environmental Native American activist. She is of the Oglala Lakota, and is the great-granddaughter of the holy man Nicholas Black Elk. She is well-known in recent years for her role as the primary advocate for the Lakota peoples regarding the protection of the Black Hills Land Claim. She is also known for her participation in documentaries based on the Lakota, such as The Way West.

Early life
Charlotte Black Elk grew up on the Pine Ridge Reservation, in the village of Manderson, which is where the Crazy Horse faction of the Lakota settled in the early twentieth-century. As a girl, she heard the stories of the elders and the rituals of the Lakota oral tradition. Today she speaks both English and Lakota.

Career
In 1983, Charlotte commenced her involvement with the Black Hills Land Claim as secretary for the Sioux Tribal Council. Today, she acts as their legal representative.