It was more than 34 years ago, on August 15, 1992, that I was deeply honored and traditionally recognized as a Hereditary Chief of the White Swan Oyate of the Ihanktonwan Nation.
When the Elders first told me they had decided to recognize me in this sacred manner, I did not receive the news lightly. I spoke with my beloved father and my Leksi, Oliver Eagleman, who grew up together in Wakpala on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. I told them that I wished, with all respect, to avoid the Ceremony.
I understood enough about leadership to know that such recognition does not place a person above the People. It places that person beneath a greater weight of responsibility. I also knew that by accepting it, I would meet with bullets from the front and arrows from behind.
My father and Leksi listened carefully. Then they told me, with love and firmness, that this was the decision of the Elders and that I must respect and honor their judgment.
They reminded me that the recognition was not something I had sought for myself, nor was it mine to refuse merely because I feared the hardship that might follow. The Elders had prayed, reflected, and made their decision according to their own sacred responsibilities.
My responsibility was to receive it humbly and do my very best to live in a manner worthy of their trust. And so, with some trust and fear in my heart, I accepted.
Throughout the 34 years that have followed, I have done my best to honor and fulfill the responsibilities that come with that recognition. I have never believed that a title, a headdress, or a public ceremony makes anyone greater than another human being.
True leadership is not found in what we are called, but in how faithfully we serve; how honestly we walk; how we treat the most vulnerable among us; and whether we remain present when the road becomes difficult, painful, and lonely.
I cannot say I have always walked the Red Road perfectly. I have made painful mistakes, failed, and faced moments when the burden felt almost overwhelming. At times, the journey has been very hard, and without my beloved wife walking beside and supporting me over the 35 years, I would certainly be in the Other Side Camp.
There have been misunderstandings, betrayals, disappointments, and long periods of carrying responsibilities that few people could fully see or understand. There have indeed been many bullets from the front and arrows from behind.
Yet there have also been immeasurable blessings: beloved Elders who guided me, relatives who stood beside me, young people whose courage renewed my hope, and communities throughout Mother Earth whose faith, love, prayers, and generosity reminded me why we must continue.
Through every hardship and every blessing, I have tried to remember that this responsibility was never primarily about me. It was, and remains, about serving the People, protecting the Sacred, honoring our Ancestors, and helping prepare a more peaceful and just world for the generations yet unborn.
At the time of the Ceremony, I did not fully understand why the Elders specifically requested that it be filmed. Sacred recognitions of this kind were not ordinarily recorded simply for public attention.
The Elders understood that such a recording carried historical and spiritual significance. They wanted the Ceremony preserved as a witness, not only to the recognition itself, but also to the responsibilities entrusted through it.
Only during these past few months have I begun to understand more clearly why they may have made that request. As new doors open into circles of global leadership, and as the call to Choose Peace, Live Peace, and End War reaches farther across Mother Earth, questions may naturally arise about who I am, where I come from, and by what authority I speak. For that reason, I feel it may be time to share this video.
I do so not to elevate myself, seek praise, or claim importance. I share it to honor the Elders, to preserve the truth of what took place, and perhaps to reduce some of the arrows and bullets that inevitably come when a person steps forward into greater public responsibility.
The film allows the Elders to speak for themselves. It preserves their voices, their intentions, their prayers, and their decision.
At the same time, I understand that no video, explanation, title, or historical record can prevent all criticism. There will always be bullets and arrows when we sincerely attempt to walk the Red Road. The sacred path of kindness, courage, humility, truthfulness, compassion, forgiveness, justice, healing, and service to all life. I know many challenges lie ahead, and I am ready.
I am ready not because I believe I possess all the answers, and not because I consider myself stronger or wiser than others. I am ready because I trust the vision placed before us. I trust the sacred teachings and prophecies of our beloved Elders and Ancestors. I trust the spiritual capacity within the Human Family to awaken, heal, unite, and choose another way.
Most importantly, I know that this is not my vision alone. It is our collective vision: a vision carried by Indigenous peoples, spiritual leaders, peacebuilders, young people, women, men, elders, communities, nations, and compassionate human beings throughout Mother Earth. Together, we can Choose Peace. Together, we can Live Peace. Together, we can End War.
As we move forward, we must not surrender our precious spiritual energy by endlessly fighting everything negative that appears along the way. We will meet falsehood with truth, hostility with courage, division with unity, and hatred with love.
We will not allow opposition to determine our direction or consume the strength needed for our sacred work. Our attention must remain upon the world we are helping to bring into being.
With humility, gratitude, and renewed determination, I offer this video as a living historical record and as an expression of accountability to the Elders who placed their trust in me more than 34 years ago.
May I continue to honor that trust. May I always remain teachable and accountable to the People; may I have the courage to correct my steps whenever I fall short, and may all that remains of my life be offered in faithful service to our beloved Human Family, to Mother Earth, to all our Relatives, and to the generations still to come.
Choose Peace. Live Peace. End War.
Čhaŋnúŋpa Sápa Hé Miye Do! Čhaŋnúŋpa Sápa Hé Miye Do!
Chickasaw and Iháŋktȟuŋwaŋ Nations. Maǧá Ska Oyáte