Keynote Speakers

Starr Chief Eagle (Sicangu Lakota) was born with the Lakota name Wichahpi Tokahe (First Star) and was later given the Lakota name Wichahpi Ohitika Winyan (Brave Star Woman) as she entered into adulthood. Starr is an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. She grew up in the Black Hills of South Dakota including Rapid City and the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and started hoop dancing before she could walk. Since then, she has been practicing every year to perfect her techniques and skills. Starr was raised up in hoop dancing by her father Dallas Chief Eagle and continues to carry on his teachings with a combination of her own. Starr enjoys sharing her culture through art, language, dance, and song for future generations in hopes of restoring and maintaining the Lakota culture. She has performed the art of Hoop Dancing throughout the world and continues to further reach out at home and in the heart of the Paha Sapa (Black Hills of South Dakota) at Crazy Horse Memorial. She also works closely with schools, camps, museums, and other gatherings throughout South Dakota and surrounding areas. In her free time, she continues to learn more about the art, history, and language of the Lakota people. This knowledge can be seen in her crafts such as beading, sewing, and other artworks as well as influences her performances and teachings, enriching her everyday life.

Cecelia Fire Thunder (Oglala Lakota) is a nationally recognized speaker for tribal education, wellness, and women's rights. She is the Executive Director of Truth and Healing at Maȟpiya Lúta Owáyawa | Red Cloud School. She has a wealth of leadership experience as a nurse, artist, writer, and strong advocate for health and education in Indian Country. She was given the Lakota name of Good Hearted Woman (Tawachin Waste Win). 

Cecelia brings a deep understanding and personal connection to the Maȟpiya Lúta’s Truth and Healing initiative, which seeks to explore the organization’s past as a former American Indian Boarding school known as Holy Rosary Mission. She was born on the Pine Ridge Reservation and is an enrolled citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation. While her early education was largely in Lakota, Cecelia was enrolled at Holy Rosary Mission for high school, which forbade speaking Lakota and imposed strict rules through fear, intimidation, and violence.

As part of the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ relocation program, her family moved to Los Angeles, CA. There, Cecelia completed high school, and became a nurse, and co-founded the American Indian Free Clinic in Los Angeles. She left the reservation when she was 15 years old but returned home in 1987. Cecelia is the founder of the Oglala Lakota Women's Society and much more. In 2002, she lost her hearing and received surgery for cochlear implants. Cecelia made history as the first female President elected to the Oglala Sioux Tribe in 2004. Cecelia's dedication to preserving Lakota culture extends to her work at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., where she, along with her Uncle John Around Him and Cousin Robert Two Crow, designed and created the Lakota Philosophy Exhibit. In her spare time, she indulges in her creative pursuits, such as sewing, beading, and doll making.

Melvin E. Monette-Barajas is the President and CEO of The Cobell Scholarship Program, which is administered by Indigenous Education, Inc. He is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians. During his eight-year tenure as CEO, Melvin has successfully launched various scholarship programs, including those for graduate and undergraduate students, vocational and summer scholarship initiatives, a Summer Graduate Research Fellowship, and most recently, a PhD Dissertation Writing Fellowship.

Melvin's extensive professional involvement extends to his current role as Treasurer on the Board of Directors for the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), his past presidency in 2015 for the National Indian Education Association (NIEA), his leadership as Chairman of the Native American Network at ACPA-College Educators International, and his dedicated service on the St. Paul Foundation's Two Feathers Endowment Committee.

Throughout his career, Melvin has held significant positions, including Director for Scholarships at the formerly named American Indian Graduate Center, Director of Recruitment and Student Diversity at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, and as a Community Education Specialist for the State of Minnesota Office of Indian Education, where he was responsible for managing the MN Indian Scholarship Program and Success for the Future Grants. He has also fulfilled various program coordination roles at the University of North Dakota American Indian Student Services. Melvin holds both a BS and an MS in Education and Leadership from the University of North Dakota and has attended both Turtle Mountain Community College and Cankdeska Cikana Community College.

While the Cobell Scholarship offices are located in New Mexico, Melvin resides with his husband, John, in Grand Forks, where they enjoy summers on Devils Lake and spend all their free time with their four grandchildren.

Donald F Montileaux (Oglala Lakota) is a master ledger artist and following in the footsteps of his forefathers, he has rekindled ledger art with striking images that capture the unique Lakota way of life.

Donald F Montileaux was born in Pine Ridge, SD. He received his formal art training at the Institute of American Indian Art in Santa Fe, NM. He continued to refine his skills and participated in numerous area art shows and many prestigious arts shows nationally. Montileaux interned under noted artist Oscar Howe at the University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, along with the late Herman Red Elk who became a close personal friend and mentor.

These influences and his own drive have taken his art on a dramatic journey. With work spanning the globe, numerous awards and commissions to date, and his work being represented in numerous private and public collection, Montileaux continues to push the envelope. Always looking forward to new endeavors. He has authored and illustrated children’s books which have won numerous awards – the Western Writers of American Silver Spur Award in 2015 for Tasunka: A Lakota Horse Legend along with the Mom’s Choice Award, Moonbeam Award, Aesop Award. In 2017 his second book Muskrat and Skunk / Sinkpe na Maka: A Lakota Drum Story was released.

In 2014 he was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame Champion for Excellence, Arts & Entertainment/Artist. 

In 2021 he received the Western America Award for Lifetime Achievements from the Center for Western Studies, Augustana University, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In November 2021 he received the Lakota Nation Invitational (LNI) first award for Living Treasure of the Lakota Nation in Rapid City, South Dakota.  

Donovin Sprague (Minnicoujou Lakota) is a historian, lecturer, artisan, musician, and author. He was born and raised on the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation in Dupree, SD. Donovin has written 10 books and authored several articles for publication. He currently imparts his knowledge as a history lecturer at Sheridan College in Wyoming. He now lives in both Rapid City, SD, and Sheridan, WY.

Donovin earned a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree from the University of South Dakota and completed an additional 15 graduate semester hours. His professional journey has taken him through various academic institutions, including the University of Iowa, Iowa State University, University of Northern Iowa, Black Hills State University, and Oglala Lakota College. In addition to his role as an archivist for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, he has also worked for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and the Citizen Potawatomi Tribe in Shawnee, OK.

Donovin's expertise has led him to present his work in numerous locations across the United States, Canada, and Europe. He frequently shares his insights at prestigious venues, including major universities, cultural centers, museums, and conferences organized by historical organizations. In recognition of his contributions to history, he was awarded the 2015 Ziebach County Historian of the Year Award by the Ziebach County Historical Society and the Distinguished Scholar Award from the South Dakota Humanities Council and the South Dakota West River History Conference Award in 2018. He is a nationally renowned public historian and educator who has traveled the world to share his knowledge.