Antonia Loretta Afraid of Bear–Cook

Spiritual Director

As founder and co-spiritual director of the organization, Loretta brings the vision of our organization to life. She and her husband, Tom, share a life-long commitment to improving daily life for her people and her Tiospaye. She is passionate about engaging youth in discovering and living their culture, and she is currently leading a multi-year initiative to revive sacred Oglala ceremonies and connect youth with their heritage.

Loretta grew up on the Pine Ridge Reservation. There, she was immersed in Lakota culture and language thanks to family elders who trained her to be the holder of ancestral knowledge – and  the Tiospaye’s Sun Dance pipe.  

While Loretta has served in tribal government as a communications director, she is more often found in advocacy roles. In 2016, she met with the Pope as the face of a movement to get the “Papal Bulls of Discovery” revoked, and she continues to work with community leaders on the return of the Black Hills to the Sioux Nation. She worked on the Indian Self-Determination and Educational Assistance Act and the American Indian Freedom of Religion Act and later amendments. She serves on several nonprofit boards, has received an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and has been honored as a Legacy Leader by the Spirit Aligned Leadership Program.