Arvol Looking Horse was born on the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota in 1954.  Raised by his Grandparents Lucy and Thomas Looking Horse, he learned the culture and spiritual ways of the Lakota. He speaks both Lakota and English. At age twelve, he was given the enormous responsibility of becoming the 19th generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe,  the youngest in history. He is a spiritual leader among the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota People. He holds an honorary Doctorate from the University of South Dakota, and travels and speaks extensively on peace, environmental and native rights issues. He has been the recipient of several awards, including the Wolf Award of Canada for his dedicated work for peace. A skilled horseman, he shares his knowledge with the youth on the long distance rides that take place in South Dakota throughout the year

Chief Looking Horse was raised in an era that gave witness to the suppression of his peoples’ spiritual practices. He decided to “work for change and let the world know how beautiful our way of life is, so the Seventh Generation can have a better life.” His life has revolved around his commitment to work towards religious freedom, cultural survival and revival.

Chief Looking Horse rides with the Bigfoot Riders by horseback each December 15-29th in severe temperatures to understand the immensity of the hardship of Chief Bigfoot and his band in advancing the “Mending the Sacred Hoop of the Nation” prophecy.

Later, he began a four year commitment to organize World Peace and Prayer Day on June 21st in the four directions and to secure sacred sites that, according to Lakota tradition, dwell every 100 miles around Mother Earth.

Arvol Looking Horse was invited to speak on peace and unity at President Clinton’s 1996 inauguration.

Since the early 90’s, Chief Looking Horse has served on the Board of the Society of Peace of Prayer that plants Peace Poles around the world, carrying the inscription “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in four different languages. Among his international visits, he traveled to Iraq to pray for peace, acting on the spiritual advice of Elders from his Nation who feared a great war if the Lakota did not pray for peace. He has taken the World Peace and Prayer Day ceremony around the World, beginning in 2001 in Ireland, then to South Africa, Australia, Japan and back to Turtle Island (Americas) in 2005 for a thank-you ceremony.

In July 2000, he was nominated to receive the “Forgiveness Award” in San Francisco, on behalf of the atrocities that have been inflicted upon the Indigenous People of North America.

Chief Looking Horse also assists in retrieving the remains of the ancestors from museums such as the Smithsonian. He continues to work towards the retrieval of sacred bundles and human remains in an effort to bring respect and ritual rites back to the sacred.

Also, Clyde Bellecourt returns from his talk before the UN conference on Indigenous People and reads the speech he gave to the Assembly there.

Join Laura Waterman Wittstock and Richard LaFortune (with Andy Driscoll) and their conversation with Arvol Looking Horse, founder of the annual World Peace and Prayer Day and the outgrowth organization, Wolakota Foundation, and with Clyde Bellecourt

Guests:

ARVOL LOOKING HORSE – Chief among Cheyenne River Tribe of Dakota

CLYDE BELLECOURT – Executive Director, Heart of the Earth and cofounder of the American Indian Movement (AIM)