The Story of Elk Head Family
Keepers of the Pte Hincala Cannunpa

As Floyd Hand tells it, a beautiful lady in a rainbow colored dress appeared to him in a vivid dream May 1997 and said she soon would bring a message of peace and unity to mankind.

This woman was Lila Wakan, very sacred, and could not be treated with disrespect. Lightning instantly struck the brash young man and burned him up, so that only a small heap of blackened bones was left.

My childhood Lakota name given me by Benjamin Black Elk 1958, Nicolas Black Elks son, while visiting him with my parents in the Black Hills, Paha Sapa, is Lila Wakan, Very Sacred.
The Thunder Beings are my guardians, thunder and lightening accompany the Thunder Beings when I am being protected.
Looking Back Woman

"We used to raise ourselves," he said. "We did the dishes. We made the food."
One day, he and a brother only a year younger were putting speakers together when the brother came across a rifle. He started playing with it, pointing it at people. Fiddler told him to knock it off and, believing he had made his point, wandered off to another part of the house to do something else.
That's when he heard the gunshot.
"It's a big transition, a big change in your life," Fiddler said, "when you watch your brother die in your arms at the age of 14."
His mother blamed him afterward, Fiddler said. That hurt because he loved his brother, he said, and because "what kind of person leaves their kids alone to go party?"
Eventually, the pain drove Fiddler up a tower at Green Grass to what he thought was the only remedy. He had gone halfway, crying and yelling at God as he went, the wind howling in his ears, when it occurred to him that "maybe this isn't the way to leave the world."
In a moment of reason - or maybe it was just panic, Fiddler said - he stepped back from his impulsiveness.
Derek Fiddler

Marie Elk Head Fiddler is a Grand daughter of William Elk Head, This is the true original family of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe care takers, Marie and family are working at correcting the current misrepresentation of Arvol Looking Horse, He isn't a blood family member of the Elk Head family as testified by Marie. He doesn't possess the White Buffalo Pipe, The Looking Horse family never had it, what has occurred is nothing more than a fraud, According to reliable sources there are seven (7) modern day peace pipe in the bundle they have at his place in Green Grass,South Dakota, Marie has recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness and desires to correct history concerning the true caretakers of the Sacred Cannupa, which are her family, the true descendants of Elk Head, Arvol Looking Horse cannot produce his proof of his lineage to the Elk Head family, ARVOL LOOKING HORSE HAS BEEN INVITED TO NO LESS THAN THREE MEETINGS IN THE EAGLE BUTTE,SD AREA TO BRING HIS PAPERS AND HIS PROOF, but he never would attend. Our Group of Dedicated Lakota People have dedicated our selves to help this family correct and bring out the truth that Arvol has been fooling the world. His immediate family hasn't been portraying the spiritual family life style unless money is involved, his brother is listed on the Rapid City,S.D. Pennington County Sheriffs web site as having a outstanding warrant for fraud and false personation. Many media outlets have been openly supporting Arvol contrary to the written requests from the Elk Head family to cease and desist, to quit representing himself as keeper Marie and her family have their family records and probate records. birth certificates etc., Much of this came out after Arvol and his current woman been exposed for using their self proclaimed position to scam money for themselves and make trips around the country and world, along with the $ 3000.00 speaking tours, plus travel expenses. In this video Marie states how Arvols dad devised a phoney pipe bundle to fool AIM and other Indian People when they were going there to Green Grass,SD after Wounded Knee ll. No one has questioned it until now. And the truth is coming out, Arvol DOES NOT have the original cannupa! Arvol Looking Horse has been committing one of the greatest frauds and HOAXES of history.The Elk Head family has been trying to stop Arvol Looking Horse and his dad Stanley to no avail over the past decades, Arvol had created a celebrity status and it has been against almost overwhelming odds, plus many corrupt tribal politicians and naive supporters who didn't know any better.

The woman told the warrior, "The Cannunpa has no honor, but when the one who holds It learns the love for all children as a mother does, then the Cannunpa becomes Sacred.
When you put the pipe forward with that understanding and with the desire for peace within your heart, then the Cannunpa will become Sacred."
This is the caring that must live in the heart of a man, but you must also protect the pipe.
A man who places himself above a woman has no right to hold the pipe, for he can never understand the caring for a child as he cannot understand the caring that a mother holds within her heart.

Date: Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:18:55 -0800
From: fiddler_d@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: Your story...published??
To: lookingbackwoman@hotmail.com

Arvol Looking Horse Response Letter to Dakota Lakota Journal

June 28, 2007
I would like to respond to Alfred Bone Shirt & Vivian High Elk’s article in the June 15, 2007 in the Dakota/Lakota Journal, talking about the traditions and sacred way of life towards the “C’anupa”.
First of all I would like to say that on June 21st World Peace & Prayer Day and Honor Sacred Sites Day was a success, people all over the world praying together in their own ways and own Sacred Sites. All nations, all faiths, one prayer is respecting each other’s traditions culture and religions. There is one creator and one grandmother earth that we all share. We have gone all over the world once a year to pray with other Indigenous Nations at their Sacred Sites and to the United Nations to talk about prophecies and we as the first nations have committed ourselves to maintaining our sacred way of life.
This year we traveled to Teotihuacan, Mexico City, Mexico. To offer prayers to different Sacred Sites and pray at a place where over a thousand young people were massacred in 1968.
We had a run to Teotihuacan. We asked for volunteers to run and we said that we would help to raise $1,500 for each individual for the following items: passport, running gear, etc, but because of the immigration controversy nobody stepped forward and no money was raised towards this effort. Just me and the family ran with the local runners in Mexico.
The other Pipestone Run on our Wolakota website was coordinated by Allen Hare and Paul Rouse Sr. family. Paul Rouse Sr. has gone back to the spirit world and the family honored me last year by giving me a brown van and the family said that the young boys would continue running for their late father. So there were two runs that we were involved with in support of prayers. Their information with where to send their support funds was posted on the website; no money was raised through wolakota! Anyone can go and see that information for themselves.
We returned from a beautiful ceremony in Mexico City, a place which was governed by the state, this year is the first year that we have lead our staffs into the center of Teotihuacan to do our ceremony. World Peace and Prayer Day opened that door to allow a ceremony to take place as it did for Devils Tower aka Grey Horn Butte in 1996.
After reading what was printed in the newspaper, an ongoing confusion which started on the Rosebud reservation on October 21, 2006 where a traditional Treaty meeting took place. A resolution/petition that was drafted by Vivian High Elk, Martina Looking Horse, Stacey Low Dog and Alfred Bone Shirt was presented, but tabled and not accepted by the elders in attendance at the meeting. Floyd Hand stated this fact in his Lakota Journal interview last October about this controversy. Since that time their attacks were very strong, so I had little choice but to put the sacred C’anupa away. I am the only one that knows where it’s at. So I put it under ground and now today that grass has covered it. When the time is right, I will bring it back up.
The Keeper before me, my grand mother Lucy, put it away like that when she had to pick potatoes in Nebraska to survive when no longer the People supported her and also during the Wounded Knee era when our ways were outlawed, that was done. Pte San Win spirit and help is still with us all as we experience in our ongoing ceremonies, but this is what I was instructed to do when problems come to the Bundle itself.
At the age of 12 years old I was given that responsibility by my grandmother Lucy Bad Warrior Looking Horse and she told me that I would be the last keeper of this C’anupa. During this time there was so much prophecies coming in time like the Eagle and the Condor, the White Buffalo Calf and all of the animals showing their sacred color and we must be the voice for the animal nations.
There will be many false prophets; there will be a lot of earth changes and climate changes, which would affect our lives and our way of life. This spirit bundle, which I take care of, was handed down through generations and because it is a spirit bundle it chooses it’s Keeper. But many people have died protecting our Sacred Sites and ceremonies.
My father (Stanley Looking Horse Sr.) would go to the Sacred Sites and pray with his C’anupa and as a young boy; I would go along with him to help him. He helped me understand as a boy the importance of Sacred Sites, as we are losing them to tourist attractions, people selling them and farmers. Growing up in those times, some places we were not allowed to conduct our ceremonies. I hope and pray that some day people would respect our Sacred Sites like the Sacred Pipestone quarries in Minnesota or Bear Butte in the Sacred Black Hills, where people are trying to make a Saloon.
Our struggles continue today protecting our Sacred Sites. But the women who are my relatives have caused a lot of confusion, since that meeting in Rosebud and up to the more recent article by Vivian High Elk & Alfred Bone Shirt. Two traditional laws have been broken. The first law is that our Lakota/Dakota/Nakota Oyate is a patriarchal society and the (women) shouldn’t have ever overstepped the traditional headsmen that tabled their resolution in October 26, 2006 and posted it to the public as if it were passed and agreed upon. The second law, in our tradition is when a woman was with a Non-Indian, they would have no voice within our nation to speak publicly about our traditions, but they could still pray and be among our people. So this stated in our treaties by our ancestors. This is what I would like to remind our people of.
And for my sister Martina Looking Horse, I hope that she can go to treatment, as many of our people have done to turn around their life and get some help, because she’s been using since the 70’s and yet she tries to be a voice for the Looking Horse family. My family can tell you that she has never been on a vision quest or has Sun Danced. My concern is her use has caused constant misbehavior with the viscous and untrue words she does publicly; goes against our traditions and misrepresents our family.
This whole conflict is happening because of money that these individuals think should go to them personally and to others they convinced of their hardship that is due, any money raised is for what efforts wolakota was created for and the people involved in those efforts. There are other state and non-profit organizations that help the concerns they have and have helped them. They can also spend their energy on their concerns and creating their own program, instead their energy to attack people.
I run ceremonies and my other half sits with my C’anupa in ceremonies, so when did it become tradition to break up families or use jealousy over children in the arguments in the public, because they are not directly related. In our culture we never used the word “step” this or that, when we accept a child or person as a part of our family. They were always a part of our own tios’paye, family. This is what was taught to me by my Grandmother and parents, as they too accepted people in our family hoop.
In our tradition the eagle feather is the high honor among our people, because it is the main thing that we must all hold to be a part of any ceremony. If we drop an eagle feather we have no choice, but to pray to our grand father and the Grandmother earth. There are protocols for any sacred item and as a spiritual person, we take care of them or even how we speak about them.
So when we talk about the sacred C’anupa we should remember the words of Pte San Win, the White buffalo Calf Woman, a spirit woman; that only the good shall see the C’anupa and that the bad should not even see it or touch it. Since the meeting in Rosebud, Alfred Bone Shirt and them have threatened to get the C’anupa and to give it to someone else, so I must listen to what was passed down in knowledge when these things happen.
I struggle just like anyone else to pay to live in this society and survive. I have chosen to survive by speaking of what our work is about, as many of our own people that have earned that voice in being asked to speak of education in many areas that concern our people. But I will always stand by the protecting our sacred way of life, that the blood of our people is not for sale as in our sacred stone and as well as our ceremonies, my responsibility that comes with this position.
Our traditional ways are very strict. Today people are fasting and Sun Dancing. During this time of our most important ceremonies where people are looking for good health, it was always said to watch our words, as words are sacred, they can do more damage then good to a Nation and also misrepresent who we are as a People. Young People read these things and this also goes down in history, this behavior makes our Nation look bad, these are issues, traditionally that should have been handled in a more respectful way instead of going out there in the world. Our native newspapers should be a part of this too and check out whether it is true or good for people to read.
Once again, I will tell our people that once you go into that (Sun Dance) circle, you stay in there for four days and fulfill your commitment. Our people can be strong people!
I would like to thank all of the people for listening to the few words that I have to say today. Thank you very much.
Arvol Looking Horse
Eagle Butte, SD

---

Nothing is more real than the woman's superiority.
It is they who really maintain the tribe, the nobility of blood, the geological
tree, the order of generations and conservation of families.
In them resides all the real authority: the lands, the fields and all their harvest
belong to them; they are the soul of the councils, the arbiters of peace and war,
they hold all the taxes and public treasure; it is to them that the slaves are entrusted;
they arrange the marriages; the children are under their authority; and the order of succession is founded on THEIR blood....
The Council of Elders which transacts all the business does not work for itself.
It seems that they serve only to represent and aid the women in the matters in which decorum does not permit the latter to appear or act....
The women choose their chiefs among their maternal brothers or their own children.
Quote
Father Joseph-Francois Lafitau
Customs of the American Indians
compared with the Customs of Primitive Times (1712)

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DLN Issues : The Selling of Indian Culture
Statement by Marie Fiddler, Frank Eagle Tail and Shirley Fiddler

We are in the process of getting copies of these documents out to the world. People have to wake up and realize that they are being fooled by Arvol and Paula, One of the greatest Hoaxes of the times by this couple and their families, of course they stand a lot to lose money wise, These lineal descendants of Elk Head have their papers and their probate records to prove the truth, this would hold up in any court.

Alfred Bone Shirt

May 31, 2008

To: Mr. Arvol Looking Horse and Paula Horne-Mullen; All Youth organizatlons/groups, All Federally Recognized Tribes; Respective Chairmen; Respective Council people; Non- Profit organizatlons, other organizations/groups; Businesses; Universities; Schools and all education systems; Casinos; Museums; News Medial: Radio, Newspapers and Television; private individuals and extended relatives of Mr. Looking Horse. 

We, as the rightful heirs and direct, lineal descendants of the 9th Generation Keeper of our Sacred Canunpa; Elk Head, are requesting that Mr. Arvol Looking Horse cease and desist from misrepresenting himself as the so called 19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred Canunpa; the White Buffalo Calf Pipe, as he puts it. Mr. Arvol Looking Horse is not a direct lineal descendant, nor is he related by blood or have any type of familial ties, and nor was he or his relatives before him was ever designated to be the Keeper, by Elk Head; who was the true Keeper and had passed into the spirit world in 1914. Our grandfather, Elk Head had left a legal will in his probate records designating his eldest son, Elias Elk Head to be the Keeper of the sacred Canunpa and designated his eldest grandson from Elias, William Elk Head to be after Elias. Mrs. Martha Bad Warrior was not his daughter, nor was she designated to be a Keeper of the sacred Canunpa. It was traditional law that the Canunpa was to be kept from father to son, in the ltazipcola band. Each male keeper opened the Canunpa in need of war, starvation and sickness that involves all the Sioux Nation of the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota people to see it and pray with it. Why hasn't Arvol ever opened it to our people to actually see the contents of the sacred Canunpa? When the Elk Head family members have all seen it? There has been negative propaganda against our family, who are the true, direct, lineal descendants of Elk Head, by Mr. Arvol Looking Horse and his partner, Paula Horne-Mullen, as well as his family members; which has caused media censorship against our family so we can not address Mr. Arvol Looking Horses' lies and distortions of the truth. It has also caused violent threats, violent actions/retaliations against our family members and having our personal property destroyed by his family members and followers/supporters. Examples of media censorship includes: The Native Voice newspaper, owned by Mr. Frank King and Lisa King, The Dakota Journal, owned by the Flandreau Sioux Tribe and the Lakota Country Times who are supporters of Mr. Arvol Looking Horse and who have written many supporting articles about him as the 19th Generation Keeper of the sacred Canunpa without consulting us, the Elk Head family and allowing us equal media time. We are demanding that these news medias, cease and desist in assisting Arvol Looking Horse from perpetuating the misrepresentation and fraudulent activities as a so called Keeper and spreading any more negative propaganda about our family by writing any more articles concerning our sacred Canunpa and give us equal media time to bring out the facts and truth as we are the true, direct, lineal descendants of our 9th Keeper, Elk Head.

We are asking all individuals addressed in this letter to stop using and catering to Mr. Arvol Looking Horse and addressing him as the 19th Generation Keeper of our sacred Canunpa which is assisting him in perpetuating his misrepresentation and all of his fraudulent activities. We, as the Elk Head family have designated Shirley Fiddler-granddaughter to the 9th Generation Keeper, Elk Head, to be our spokesperson and contact person in these matters. All questions and concerns should be directed to Shirley Fiddler @ 605-964-7313 who resides in Green Grass, South Dakota.

Respectfully submitted by the true, direct, lineal descendants of our grandfather Elk Head,

Dated on this day of (2nd day of June 2008)
(signature)
Marie Fiddler dated June 2nd 2008
Frank eagle Tail dated June 2nd 2008
Shirley Fiddler dated June 2nd 2008

Lorena G Rodriquez 6/2/08

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In the past when there was a meeting or council there were all Men 
sitting around in a circle. In this meeting there was not ever a woman 
sitting and making decisions during Council. The only ones that had say 
in making decisions were only men among the council. There was a Head 
Chief that was elected to look over all decisions just as in those days 
there was a, Head War Chief that planned the attacks and protection for 
the people. In the past the Buffalo Maiden had brought the Pte Hincala 
Cannupa (the Buffalo Calf Pipe). When she brought this she said “To pass 
this down from Male generation to Male generation. This is for the well 
being of all People.” The Sacred Pipe Bundle was opened and prayed with 
when there is war, drought, famine, and starvation for the good for 
generations to come. She had also brought the Lakota People the Sacred 
Rites from the Buffalo Nation. There is one family that was chosen to 
keep and to care for this Sacred Bundle of the First Holy Pipe. As far 
back as people remember the elders and warriors had kept the known 
identity of this family a secret from the rest of the world. Especially 
during the Indian Wars the Sioux nation did not want their names 
mentioned. Many people have written books and stories of this family. 
Never in the years have the family ever wrote there own. Here is the 
story of the Elk Head Family.

Elk Head Red Hair (Hehakapa) is the descendant heirs of the first Male 
keeper the Holy Pipe Bundle (Pte Hincala Cannupa). He is the direct 
blood line from the family that was chosen in the beginning. As 
traditional law the Keeper is chosen among his sons to carry the name 
and responsibility as keeper. If there was need of prayers at that time 
the Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota. A ceremony was prepared to open the 
Sacred Pipe Bundle and Healing of the nation would start. This healing 
ceremony would last a week. Before the sunrise, he gets ready and goes 
down by the water. Elk Head Red Hair bathes in the water and prays as 
the sunrises. Elk Head Red Hair is the Chief of the Sans Arc band that 
was camped at Quill Creek in the area known as Fort Yates, North Dakota 
in the early 1800’s. At that time there was another band near by that 
was called Blackfoot (Siha Sapa). They are closely related by blood and 
look out for each other. They provide each other with protection and 
provided food together for the people. One day Sitting Bull called all 
the bands as known as the Seven Council Fires (Oceti Sakowin) to have 
council. After the council they then all traveled to Wyoming for the 
first Treaty in 1851. They had council for six months with the United 
States officials. Later during the year, of 1868 there was another 
treaty so Elk Head Red Hair (Pehinsa) went to the Treaty of Fort Laramie 
with the Camps at the Entrance (Hunkpapas). Early spring of 1876 Sitting 
Bull notified the bands and to have them all gather at the Little Big 
Horn River in Montana. Before the War they had ceremonies and had 
prayers. He then opened the Holy Pipe Bundle and asked for prayers from 
the Buffalo Maiden to prepare them for the future events that were about 
to accure. During this time Elk Head Red Hair had two sons that fought 
in the Battle of Little Big Horn. Which were Elias Elk Head and Ernest 
Two Runs. Elias was 15 years and his brother was 16 years of age. Elk 
Head Red Hair and Sitting Bull were elders of there bands but still they 
made all decisions for all the Sioux Nation. The camps were three miles 
long of the Oceti Sakowin (Seven Council Fires). There were 6,000 camps 
and thousands of men, women, and children present. The Battle took place 
June 25, 1876 were the Indians came out successful. After the battle 
they gathered and prayed for all the deceased before they left Little 
Big Horn River. Then they left from the battle to the original Hunting 
grounds of each band. Elk Head Red Hair surrendered with other chiefs 
such as Grindstone in Little Eagle, South Dakota. The military came and 
took all sacred items from them. Such as Rattles, War Bonnets, war 
clubs, and weapons. Later the military escorted Elk Head Red Hair and 
his five hundred warriors to a military camp. They were placed with 
another band under One Horn a chief of the Mnicoujou band and Joseph 
White Bull. Elk Head Red Hair was released in 1883 but didn’t take him 
back to his home at Quill Creek, Fort Yates North Dakota.
They placed him near Green Grass then at that time it was called 
Remmington. Remington was a man that did missionary work and built 
churches for the people. He helped them to learn of the White society 
and to teach them about the bible. Elk Head Red Hair helped named 
communities such as Green Grass, Bear Creek, On The Trees, and White 
Horse along with other Chiefs. He also gave land for the church in Green 
Grass and for the Cemetery. The Government allotted homes, farming 
equipment, and clothes, due to the Treaty of Fort Laramie, and this is 
how he got his land, cabin and livestock. The Holy Pipe Bundle (Pte 
Hincala Cannupa) was kept in Green Grass in a log cabin house with a 
dirt floor. His son Elias Elk Head and Ernest Two Runs helped their 
father Elk Head Red Hair to care for the Sacred Pipe Bundle. In the year 
of 1897 a tragic disaster happened. The Holy Pipe Bundle was taken from 
Elk Head Red Hair and sons. Two Indian Police officers confiscated the 
bundle and took back it to the Agency. Joseph White Bull traveled 77 
miles in the cold and told the Superintendent Smith at the Agency with 
many other people cried for them to return the Holy Pipe Bundle back to 
the Male Keepers Elk Head Red Hair and his sons. So the Officers 
traveled back to Green Grass and returned the Holy Pipe Bundle back to 
the Keepers because the people made such of an outcry.

Edward S. Curtis is a photographer that had traveled the world taken 
pictures of Indengous people. It was the year of 1907 he crossed the 
Great Plains going from camp to camp taken pictures. It was Edward 
Curtis’s Third Volume of 20 that Curtis did in his life. Still today you 
can see his picture that Elk Head Red Hair took with the Holy Pipe 
Bundle. In the book it states of the occurrence of the removal and 
returning of the Holy Pipe Bundle. His son Elias Elk Head takes the same 
name as of Elk Head, as the next keeper of the Holy Pipe Bundle. At this 
time to practice our religion was forbidden. They had ceremonies in 
secret and the only ones that knew about it were the ones that had 
attended. Elk Head Red Hair taught Black Elk about the ceremonies and 
songs of our religion. Black Elk was 13 years old during the Battle of 
Little Big Horn which is when his teaching begun. All the bands knew 
that the Elk Head family was knowledgeable of our sacred rites as 
keepers of the Holy Pipe Bundle that was brought by the Buffalo Maiden 
(Pte San Win). Black Elk wanted to learn about ceremonies, the sacred 
rites and songs from Elk Head Red Hair. He taught Black Elk to be one 
with the spirits and to help the people, and to be an interpreter of the 
Spirits. In 1914 Elk Head Red Hair had passed away in Green Grass. After 
that Elias Elk Head is now the keeper of the Holy Pipe Bundle. The last 
time the bundle was open was in the year of 1934 during the Great 
Depression. The seven bands gathered to have a ceremony praying for help 
and rain. Elias Elk Head cared for the Sacred Pipe Bundle until the year 
of 1941 when he passed away into the spirit world. Elias had owned 250 
head of Horses in Green Grass. He still practiced the ceremonies during 
his life and lived with his brother Ernest Two Runs. Elias Elk Head had 
made a winter count pertaining to the history of the Battle of Little 
Big Horn. Later there was a picture taken with the Winter Count and in 
the picture was Elias Elk Head, Ernest Two Runs, Their cousin Gabriel 
Gray Eagle, One Bull which is the brother of Joseph White Bull sons of 
Chief Makes Room of Cherry Creek, SD from the band Mnicoujou. The Winter 
Count was treated with great signafacence as a holy item that was kept 
in adjacent with the Holy Pipe Bundle. This is the history of the 
original keepers of the Sacred Pipe Bundle. The Elk Head family 
descendants still reside in the community of Green Grass.

Derek Fiddler/Elk Head Family

Chief Henry Makes Room - adopted son of Fredrick Dupris/Dupree

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