Misattributed Descendants of Chief Spotted Elk (aka Big Foot)
 

In recent decades, several individuals and families have claimed to be direct descendants of Chief Spotted Elk (Big Foot) and survivors of the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. They have been very public about it but it is false.

Some of these claims have been repeated in publications, legal arguments, and institutional correspondence. In fact the only reason we have this site is it became necessary to challenge these claims as people began taking our research from Facebook and misusing it.
 

A careful review of oral history, agency records, survivor lists, and probate documents shows that a number of these claims are not supported by the evidence.

What follows is a summary of the issues surrounding Lucinda Pipe On Head, Little Finger, James Pipe On Head, and He Crow, and why our family—as direct lineal descendants of Chief Spotted Elk—does not recognize them as blood descendants of our grandfather.
 

Lucinda Pipe On Head’s Claim

Approximately five years after the Wounded Knee Massacre, Lucinda Pipe On Head gave a statement claiming that:

Her mother was a sister of Chief Spotted Elk (Big Foot), and

She herself had been “reared in his family.”  It is possible but that does not make her a lineal descendant of our grandfather.  Nor does it give her descendants the right to violate the legal and spirtual rights of the Spotted Elk tiospaye.
 

On paper, this would make Lucinda a niece of Spotted Elk. However, when this claim is compared with oral testimony, kinship records, and the broader historical record, several problems emerge:
 

The Spotted Elk, Crazy Horse, and related tiospaye families have no oral memory of Lucinda as a blood relative of Chief Spotted Elk.

Lucinda does not appear in any of the known Wounded Knee victim or survivor lists associated with Big Foot’s band.
 

Elders consistently identify Little Finger and He Crow as orphans, while Pipe On Head had a known father (Lone Man) and a wife named Lucinda. This places Lucinda in the story through marriage, not as a blood relative of Spotted Elk.

In the same papers where Lucinda appears, George and Thomas Blue Legs are listed with those orphans. We have their family trees and probate records as well. They are orphans, just as the elders said they all were.
 

Chronology and Wording

The timeline also raises doubts. Chief Spotted Elk is generally understood to have been born around 1826, while Lucinda’s reported birth year is 1851—a difference of roughly twenty-five years. Although this age gap does not make it absolutely impossible for Lucinda’s mother to have been Spotted Elk’s sister, there is no independent evidence of such a sister in the record, and the age spacing would be unusual.  If they have documentation (other than a book a white government employee wrote for the purpose of seeking compensation fifty years later, after elders had died, self reported family trees or are willing to take DNA tests) then we can certainly investigate but, to our knowledge, Lucinda was not our blood ancestor.
 

Lucinda’s phrasing that she was “reared in his family” is also ambiguous. It can just as easily describe:
 

An informal fostering arrangement, or a household that took in orphans,

as it could a literal niece relationship. This wording is, in fact, consistent with what elders say about orphans being taken in after Wounded Knee, and does not confirm any biological connection to Spotted Elk.  Spotted Elk was known for taking in orphans because of the many deaths at the time.  This is not a poor reflection on whether or not they were orphans.  It's to make a distinction when it comes to descendants' rights.

 

Probate Evidence and the Case of Little Finger

The probate records are critical because they were produced under federal oversight and used to determine heirs and land allotments. They provide a key test of whether a claimed descent was recognized when it materially mattered.

The records show the following about John Little Finger:

He was the son of Yellow Horse, who was Brulé, not Minneconjou. Yellow Horse was killed in 1882.
 

After Yellow Horse’s death, John’s mother married a Minneconjou man.

John later moved to Pine Ridge, where he was listed as the son of Medicine Woman Mousseau and grandson of Straw Woman, who appear on his family tree.

Later on, he was also listed as the son of Pipe On Head and others, reflecting how he moved between households and how later claims tried to attach him to different lines.
 

In more recent times, John’s grandson, Leonard, self-reported a family tree in order to obtain the pipes and lock of hair from Barre that rightfully should have gone to Calvin Spotted Elk as a direct lineal descendant. Leonard presented three different versions of that tree over time. The final version contained no direct maternal line to Chief Spotted Elk and appeared to insert a grandmother that was known on census records, not the actual grandmothers' name.
 

Despite this, Leonard used that tree to claim a right to the hair and pipe. After they secured the items, the lock of hair was burned when Jasper Spotted Elk asked the court to test a strand for DNA—this was done against Tribal Court Judge Sidney Witt’s order. This act permanently destroyed potential DNA evidence that could have resolved these questions. Although Calvin chose not to press charges, for our family this was—and remains—a profound violation of our rights of our grandfather's memory, as direct lineal descendants.
 

What the Probates Actually Say

The probate records show that:

There is no probate connection listing Chief Spotted Elk as an ancestor, parent, or grandparent in Lucinda’s family line.

It should be noted that Calvin Spotted Elk does in fact have not only the same name but also a probate record that shows not only that his grandfather was killed at Wounded Knee, was called Big Foot and was related to the head Minneconjou treaty signers.
 

There is a connection between Lucinda and Little Finger, tying their households together.
 

Crucially, Little Finger’s grandparents are listed as “unknown” through his sister in those same probate records.
 

Despite this, Little Finger later claimed to be a grandson of Chief Spotted Elk. If he had truly been a blood grandson, one would expect the probates to reflect that, since such a relationship would strengthen his legal standing in inheritance and claims. Instead, the probates explicitly record his grandparents as unknown, contradicting the later narrative.
 

In short, the legal record acknowledges a relationship between Lucinda and Little Finger, but does not acknowledge any blood relationship between either of them and Chief Spotted Elk. The “grandson” story appears only in later statements, not in the earlier, binding documentation.
 

James Pipe On Head and the “Big Foot” Name

Lucinda’s husband, Pipe On Head, had a father recorded as Lone Man and a wife named Lucinda. Their son, James Pipe On Head, would later be referred to as “Big Foot”, further complicating the historical picture.
 

Approximately fifty years after Wounded Knee, James Pipe On Head traveled to Washington, D.C. seeking compensation for family members killed at the massacre, primarily through correspondence with a man named McGregor. In these efforts, James positioned himself and his relatives as Wounded Knee descendants, and

Leaned heavily on the “Big Foot” name.
 

His family later claimed that James was meant to replace Spotted Elk as a spiritual leader. This is not supported by our history OR the record. Their family was Christian and identified as “progressive,” while Chief Spotted Elk remained a traditional Lakota leader who was labeled “hostile” and killed, just as Sitting Bull was. Spotted Elk was not commonly called “Big Foot” until shortly before his death, and that name came from non-Lakota sources, according to both family oral history and documentation.
 

The documentary record shows that:

There is no probate or federal record identifying James Pipe On Head as a blood descendant of Chief Spotted Elk.
 

His family’s probates and earlier statements do not list Spotted Elk as an ancestor.

James’s later testimony contradicts Lucinda’s earlier statement in the McLaughlin papers and does not align with the established ages, kinship ties, or survivor accounts in our own families.
 

Taken together, the evidence supports the conclusion that the “Big Foot” label used by James was adopted or attached later, and does not reflect a true lineal connection to Chief Spotted Elk.
 

He Crow: Adoption vs. Bloodline

The case of He Crow (often recorded as Jackson He Crow) is another example of how later claims have blurred the line between:

Adoption into a family, and

Blood descent from that family’s ancestors.

It is well documented that:

He Crow was Oglala, not Minneconjou.
 

There is no evidence that he was a biological grandson of Chief Spotted Elk.

After Wounded Knee, Jackson He Crow was adopted by John Weasel Bear.
 

John Weasel Bear is documented as a brother to Richard “Dick” Spotted Elk, who is a documented son of Chief Spotted Elk. Through this adoption, He Crow became part of the extended Spotted Elk family.
 

 

He Crow’s mother later married John Weasel Bear, approximately nine years after Wounded Knee. This is why He Crow appears in multiple records as a step-son to John, and also why he does not appear as a son in John Weasel Bear’s probate records.

In the 80's - 90's Calvin and Marie Not Help Him, Christine and Madeline Garnier and Pete Richards were present at te Wounded Knee Survivors association meetings.  Jasper attended nearly all of them.  Francis He Crow came to one meeting.  He claimed to be "Big Foot's grandson" He was asked to share his family tree and he said he didn't bring it with him.  Marie said they woud wait while he went and grabbed it but he said his house burned down and he didn't have it.  The next time we saw him was in court in 2011 and he still didn't have one.  Since the tribal president Star Comes Out claims to be a descendant through the He Crow line, he should meet with us so we can share documentation.  We have been asking for this since the sacred belongings were due to be returned from Massachusetts to no avail.
 

 

Adoption into the tiospaye creates real responsibilities, relationships, and social ties; those connections are meaningful and deserve respect. But for questions of lineal descent, compensation, Medals of Honor, and NAGPRA repatriation, it is essential to distinguish between adoptive kinship and direct biological descent.

In this case, the record shows that He Crow was taken in by a brother of Dick Spotted Elk, but he was not a biological grandson of Chief Spotted Elk.
 

“Progressives,” cultural differences and Misrepresentation

Another layer of confusion comes from the politics and religion of the early reservation period.
 

The family lines discussed above:

Were understood historically as “progressives,” aligned with Christianity and U.S. policy.
 

This particular familiy were also known to have very dstinct cultural differences which directly contradict  the beliefs and teachings associated with Chief Spotted Elk and his line. Like the origin of his nickname, we had not shared this until we had to come out in the public.  
 

Spotted Elk, by contrast, remained traditional and was labeled “hostile” by the U.S. government. He was killed for his position and for the spiritual leadership he provided to his people. To later confuse him with a “progressive” family—especially in photographs and public storytelling—erases what he stood for.   
 

Today, many officials, historians, and documentarians are first directed to these “progressive” families because of their close ties to tribal government and institutions. As a result:

Their stories are often the first and sometimes only voices heard,

While the stories of blood descendants, including Calvin Spotted Elk, are sidelined or dismissed,

And images of Ste Sítȟanka and his wife, both Oglala “progressives,” are repeatedly used in place of Chief Spotted Elk and his wife when meeting with officials, scholars, or educators.
 

This misrepresentation has the effect of erasing the true history and disconnecting Chief Spotted Elk’s name and image from his own family.

 

Protecting the Integrity of Spotted Elk’s Lineage

When we consider:

The absence of Lucinda from recognized Spotted Elk family lines and survivor lists;

The probate records, which tie Lucinda and Little Finger together but list Little Finger’s grandparents as “unknown”, not as Spotted Elk;

The lack of any probate or documentary support for James Pipe On Head as a lineal descendant, despite his later claims, his use of the “Big Foot” name, and his family’s assertion that he was meant to replace Spotted Elk as a spiritual leader;

And the clear evidence that He Crow was adopted into the extended Spotted Elk family through John Weasel Bear, rather than born as a grandson;

the conclusion is consistent across multiple sources:

Lucinda, Little Finger, James Pipe On Head, and He Crow were not biological descendants of Chief Spotted Elk (Big Foot).
 

We do not deny that these families experienced hardship, loss, and trauma, nor that they are descendants of other survivors of the Wounded Knee Massacre. Their stories deserve to be understood on their own terms.
 

The problem is that their close ties to tribal government and institutions have made them a default “first point of contact” for outsiders. Their stories are amplified, while the voices of blood descendants—such as Calvin Spotted Elk—are too often ignored or actively challenged.

This pattern distorts historical memory,

Undermines lineal descendants’ rights, and

Risks repeating the erasure that began with the massacre itself.

As direct lineal descendants of Chief Spotted Elk, we have a responsibility to insist that claims to his name, his lineage, and the specific losses at Wounded Knee be grounded in verifiable evidence.

Clarifying these misattributions is not about erasing anyone else’s history; it is about:

Protecting the integrity of our grandfather’s line, and

Ensuring that descendant rights, remembrance, and repatriation are based on truth rather than on later, convenient, or conflicting stories.
 

Invitation to Dialogue and Next Steps

We welcome conversation with anyone who believes they have relevant information, including those who have been aggressively making claims we believe are false. We invite:

Sharing of family trees and documentation, especially if there are records that genuinely connect to the known Spotted Elk tiospaye;

Honest comparison of probates, censuses, land records, and oral histories;

And, if necessary, DNA testing, conducted in a way that respects Lakota values and the dignity of the ancestors.
 

What we ask is simple:

That no one violate the rights of direct lineal descendants,

That no one destroy or conceal evidence (such as belongings or hair samples) that could clarify the truth,

And that institutions stop relying on a single “progressive” narrative when the documentary and oral record clearly show something more complex.
 

We did not choose to spend nearly two decades doing this research, but lateral oppression and repeated misrepresentation made it necessary. We now maintain a detailed working database of many Spotted Elk and followers descendants that we know is useful to researchers and descendants alike.  We freely share that information within a group of descendants and intend to create a subscriber databs to help fund our further research because this is a lot of painstaking work.

We plan to make portions of this database available by subscription for educational and research purposes, so that others can see the documented lineage and understand the difference between:

Those who carry Chief Spotted Elk’s blood, and

Those whose stories have been mistakenly or intentionally layered onto his name.

We stand firm in this work out of love and respect for our grandfather, and for all those who died at Wounded Knee whose names and descendants deserve to be remembered truthfully.

Short answer: no.

Over time, at least three different men have been blurred together: 
 

Our Minneconjou grandfather, Upan Gleška (Spotted Elk) – the so-called “hostile” traditional leader killed at Wounded Knee.

 

An Oglala leader nicknamed “Big Foot” – friendly to the government, connected with mission stories like planting corn away from the river and supporting schools.
 

James Pipe-on-Head – a Presbyterian deacon from the Badger Eater band, active in money matters and politics, whose descendants sometimes call him “Big Foot” and use photos of the Oglala Big Foot.
 

Those are not the same man, and they did not live the same kind of life. Once you see that then it becomes clear.

 

 

 

 

A shirt-wearer wasn’t just a “chief” in the U.S. sense. In Lakota society, shirt-wearers were chosen by the people and expected to:

 

 

 

 

Protect the people, even to the point of giving their life if necessary

 

 

 

 

 

Stand between the band and danger – including the U.S. Army and government agents

 

 

 

 

 

Live with generosity, courage, and loyalty to the people, not to the agency

 

 

 

 

 

Even long after Wounded Knee, Jasper Spotted Elk was part of a shirt-wearer society too. He was even teased for “looking like a wild man,” which really meant he refused to cut his hair short, dress “progressive,” or behave like a “hang-around-the-fort” Indian. That puts our family firmly in the traditional leadership category, not the mission/political broker category.

 

Chief Spotted Elk, Upan Gleška, was a Minneconjou Lakota leader and shirt-wearer, from the Lone Horn / Spotted Elk family. He was known as a peace leader who said he would “stand in peace until his last day comes,” but that didn’t mean he was weak or compliant. He was traditional, intelligent, and had traveled enough to see how fast settlers were spreading. His choices were always about what was best for his people, not what made the U.S. government comfortable.

Misattributed Descendants of Chief Spotted Elk (aka Big Foot)
 

In recent decades, several individuals and families have claimed to be direct descendants of Chief Spotted Elk (Big Foot) and survivors of the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. They have been very public about it but it is false.

Some of these claims have been repeated in publications, legal arguments, and institutional correspondence. In fact the only reason we have this site is it became necessary to challenge these claims as people began taking our research from Facebook and misusing it.
 

A careful review of oral history, agency records, survivor lists, and probate documents shows that a number of these claims are not supported by the evidence.

What follows is a summary of the issues surrounding Lucinda Pipe On Head, Little Finger, James Pipe On Head, and He Crow, and why our family—as direct lineal descendants of Chief Spotted Elk—does not recognize them as blood descendants of our grandfather.
 

Lucinda Pipe On Head’s Claim

Approximately five years after the Wounded Knee Massacre, Lucinda Pipe On Head gave a statement claiming that:

Her mother was a sister of Chief Spotted Elk (Big Foot), and

She herself had been “reared in his family.”  It is possible but that does not make her a lineal descendant of our grandfather.  Nor does it give her descendants the right to violate the legal and spirtual rights of the Spotted Elk tiospaye.
 

On paper, this would make Lucinda a niece of Spotted Elk. However, when this claim is compared with oral testimony, kinship records, and the broader historical record, several problems emerge:
 

The Spotted Elk, Crazy Horse, and related tiospaye families have no oral memory of Lucinda as a blood relative of Chief Spotted Elk.

Lucinda does not appear in any of the known Wounded Knee victim or survivor lists associated with Big Foot’s band.
 

Elders consistently identify Little Finger and He Crow as orphans, while Pipe On Head had a known father (Lone Man) and a wife named Lucinda. This places Lucinda in the story through marriage, not as a blood relative of Spotted Elk.

In the same papers where Lucinda appears, George and Thomas Blue Legs are listed with those orphans. We have their family trees and probate records as well. They are orphans, just as the elders said they all were.
 

Chronology and Wording

The timeline also raises doubts. Chief Spotted Elk is generally understood to have been born around 1826, while Lucinda’s reported birth year is 1851—a difference of roughly twenty-five years. Although this age gap does not make it absolutely impossible for Lucinda’s mother to have been Spotted Elk’s sister, there is no independent evidence of such a sister in the record, and the age spacing would be unusual.  If they have documentation (other than a book a white government employee wrote for the purpose of seeking compensation fifty years later, after elders had died, self reported family trees or are willing to take DNA tests) then we can certainly investigate but, to our knowledge, Lucinda was not our blood ancestor.
 

Lucinda’s phrasing that she was “reared in his family” is also ambiguous. It can just as easily describe:
 

An informal fostering arrangement, or a household that took in orphans,

as it could a literal niece relationship. This wording is, in fact, consistent with what elders say about orphans being taken in after Wounded Knee, and does not confirm any biological connection to Spotted Elk.  Spotted Elk was known for taking in orphans because of the many deaths at the time.  This is not a poor reflection on whether or not they were orphans.  It's to make a distinction when it comes to descendants' rights.

 

Probate Evidence and the Case of Little Finger

The probate records are critical because they were produced under federal oversight and used to determine heirs and land allotments. They provide a key test of whether a claimed descent was recognized when it materially mattered.

The records show the following about John Little Finger:

He was the son of Yellow Horse, who was Brulé, not Minneconjou. Yellow Horse was killed in 1882.
 

After Yellow Horse’s death, John’s mother married a Minneconjou man.

John later moved to Pine Ridge, where he was listed as the son of Medicine Woman Mousseau and grandson of Straw Woman, who appear on his family tree.

Later on, he was also listed as the son of Pipe On Head and others, reflecting how he moved between households and how later claims tried to attach him to different lines.
 

In more recent times, John’s grandson, Leonard, self-reported a family tree in order to obtain the pipes and lock of hair from Barre that rightfully should have gone to Calvin Spotted Elk as a direct lineal descendant. Leonard presented three different versions of that tree over time. The final version contained no direct maternal line to Chief Spotted Elk and appeared to insert a grandmother that was known on census records, not the actual grandmothers' name.
 

Despite this, Leonard used that tree to claim a right to the hair and pipe. After they secured the items, the lock of hair was burned when Jasper Spotted Elk asked the court to test a strand for DNA—this was done against Tribal Court Judge Sidney Witt’s order. This act permanently destroyed potential DNA evidence that could have resolved these questions. Although Calvin chose not to press charges, for our family this was—and remains—a profound violation of our rights of our grandfather's memory, as direct lineal descendants.
 

What the Probates Actually Say

The probate records show that:

There is no probate connection listing Chief Spotted Elk as an ancestor, parent, or grandparent in Lucinda’s family line.

It should be noted that Calvin Spotted Elk does in fact have not only the same name but also a probate record that shows not only that his grandfather was killed at Wounded Knee, was called Big Foot and was related to the head Minneconjou treaty signers.
 

There is a connection between Lucinda and Little Finger, tying their households together.
 

Crucially, Little Finger’s grandparents are listed as “unknown” through his sister in those same probate records.
 

Despite this, Little Finger later claimed to be a grandson of Chief Spotted Elk. If he had truly been a blood grandson, one would expect the probates to reflect that, since such a relationship would strengthen his legal standing in inheritance and claims. Instead, the probates explicitly record his grandparents as unknown, contradicting the later narrative.
 

In short, the legal record acknowledges a relationship between Lucinda and Little Finger, but does not acknowledge any blood relationship between either of them and Chief Spotted Elk. The “grandson” story appears only in later statements, not in the earlier, binding documentation.
 

James Pipe On Head and the “Big Foot” Name

Lucinda’s husband, Pipe On Head, had a father recorded as Lone Man and a wife named Lucinda. Their son, James Pipe On Head, would later be referred to as “Big Foot”, further complicating the historical picture.
 

Approximately fifty years after Wounded Knee, James Pipe On Head traveled to Washington, D.C. seeking compensation for family members killed at the massacre, primarily through correspondence with a man named McGregor. In these efforts, James positioned himself and his relatives as Wounded Knee descendants, and

Leaned heavily on the “Big Foot” name.
 

His family later claimed that James was meant to replace Spotted Elk as a spiritual leader. This is not supported by our history OR the record. Their family was Christian and identified as “progressive,” while Chief Spotted Elk remained a traditional Lakota leader who was labeled “hostile” and killed, just as Sitting Bull was. Spotted Elk was not commonly called “Big Foot” until shortly before his death, and that name came from non-Lakota sources, according to both family oral history and documentation.
 

The documentary record shows that:

There is no probate or federal record identifying James Pipe On Head as a blood descendant of Chief Spotted Elk.
 

His family’s probates and earlier statements do not list Spotted Elk as an ancestor.

James’s later testimony contradicts Lucinda’s earlier statement in the McLaughlin papers and does not align with the established ages, kinship ties, or survivor accounts in our own families.
 

Taken together, the evidence supports the conclusion that the “Big Foot” label used by James was adopted or attached later, and does not reflect a true lineal connection to Chief Spotted Elk.
 

He Crow: Adoption vs. Bloodline

The case of He Crow (often recorded as Jackson He Crow) is another example of how later claims have blurred the line between:

Adoption into a family, and

Blood descent from that family’s ancestors.

It is well documented that:

He Crow was Oglala, not Minneconjou.
 

There is no evidence that he was a biological grandson of Chief Spotted Elk.

After Wounded Knee, Jackson He Crow was adopted by John Weasel Bear.
 

John Weasel Bear is documented as a brother to Richard “Dick” Spotted Elk, who is a documented son of Chief Spotted Elk. Through this adoption, He Crow became part of the extended Spotted Elk family.
 

 

He Crow’s mother later married John Weasel Bear, approximately nine years after Wounded Knee. This is why He Crow appears in multiple records as a step-son to John, and also why he does not appear as a son in John Weasel Bear’s probate records.

In the 80's - 90's Calvin and Marie Not Help Him, Christine and Madeline Garnier and Pete Richards were present at te Wounded Knee Survivors association meetings.  Jasper attended nearly all of them.  Francis He Crow came to one meeting.  He claimed to be "Big Foot's grandson" He was asked to share his family tree and he said he didn't bring it with him.  Marie said they woud wait while he went and grabbed it but he said his house burned down and he didn't have it.  The next time we saw him was in court in 2011 and he still didn't have one.  Since the tribal president Star Comes Out claims to be a descendant through the He Crow line, he should meet with us so we can share documentation.  We have been asking for this since the sacred belongings were due to be returned from Massachusetts to no avail.
 

 

Adoption into the tiospaye creates real responsibilities, relationships, and social ties; those connections are meaningful and deserve respect. But for questions of lineal descent, compensation, Medals of Honor, and NAGPRA repatriation, it is essential to distinguish between adoptive kinship and direct biological descent.

In this case, the record shows that He Crow was taken in by a brother of Dick Spotted Elk, but he was not a biological grandson of Chief Spotted Elk.
 

“Progressives,” cultural differences and Misrepresentation

Another layer of confusion comes from the politics and religion of the early reservation period.
 

The family lines discussed above:

Were understood historically as “progressives,” aligned with Christianity and U.S. policy.
 

This particular familiy were also known to have very dstinct cultural differences which directly contradict  the beliefs and teachings associated with Chief Spotted Elk and his line. Like the origin of his nickname, we had not shared this until we had to come out in the public.  
 

Spotted Elk, by contrast, remained traditional and was labeled “hostile” by the U.S. government. He was killed for his position and for the spiritual leadership he provided to his people. To later confuse him with a “progressive” family—especially in photographs and public storytelling—erases what he stood for.   
 

Today, many officials, historians, and documentarians are first directed to these “progressive” families because of their close ties to tribal government and institutions. As a result:

Their stories are often the first and sometimes only voices heard,

While the stories of blood descendants, including Calvin Spotted Elk, are sidelined or dismissed,

And images of Ste Sítȟanka and his wife, both Oglala “progressives,” are repeatedly used in place of Chief Spotted Elk and his wife when meeting with officials, scholars, or educators.
 

This misrepresentation has the effect of erasing the true history and disconnecting Chief Spotted Elk’s name and image from his own family.

 

Protecting the Integrity of Spotted Elk’s Lineage

When we consider:

The absence of Lucinda from recognized Spotted Elk family lines and survivor lists;

The probate records, which tie Lucinda and Little Finger together but list Little Finger’s grandparents as “unknown”, not as Spotted Elk;

The lack of any probate or documentary support for James Pipe On Head as a lineal descendant, despite his later claims, his use of the “Big Foot” name, and his family’s assertion that he was meant to replace Spotted Elk as a spiritual leader;

And the clear evidence that He Crow was adopted into the extended Spotted Elk family through John Weasel Bear, rather than born as a grandson;

the conclusion is consistent across multiple sources:

Lucinda, Little Finger, James Pipe On Head, and He Crow were not biological descendants of Chief Spotted Elk (Big Foot).
 

We do not deny that these families experienced hardship, loss, and trauma, nor that they are descendants of other survivors of the Wounded Knee Massacre. Their stories deserve to be understood on their own terms.
 

The problem is that their close ties to tribal government and institutions have made them a default “first point of contact” for outsiders. Their stories are amplified, while the voices of blood descendants—such as Calvin Spotted Elk—are too often ignored or actively challenged.

This pattern distorts historical memory,

Undermines lineal descendants’ rights, and

Risks repeating the erasure that began with the massacre itself.

As direct lineal descendants of Chief Spotted Elk, we have a responsibility to insist that claims to his name, his lineage, and the specific losses at Wounded Knee be grounded in verifiable evidence.

Clarifying these misattributions is not about erasing anyone else’s history; it is about:

Protecting the integrity of our grandfather’s line, and

Ensuring that descendant rights, remembrance, and repatriation are based on truth rather than on later, convenient, or conflicting stories.
 

Invitation to Dialogue and Next Steps

We welcome conversation with anyone who believes they have relevant information, including those who have been aggressively making claims we believe are false. We invite:

Sharing of family trees and documentation, especially if there are records that genuinely connect to the known Spotted Elk tiospaye;

Honest comparison of probates, censuses, land records, and oral histories;

And, if necessary, DNA testing, conducted in a way that respects Lakota values and the dignity of the ancestors.
 

What we ask is simple:

That no one violate the rights of direct lineal descendants,

That no one destroy or conceal evidence (such as belongings or hair samples) that could clarify the truth,

And that institutions stop relying on a single “progressive” narrative when the documentary and oral record clearly show something more complex.
 

We did not choose to spend nearly two decades doing this research, but lateral oppression and repeated misrepresentation made it necessary. We now maintain a detailed working database of many Spotted Elk and followers descendants that we know is useful to researchers and descendants alike.  We freely share that information within a group of descendants and intend to create a subscriber databs to help fund our further research because this is a lot of painstaking work.

We plan to make portions of this database available by subscription for educational and research purposes, so that others can see the documented lineage and understand the difference between:

Those who carry Chief Spotted Elk’s blood, and

Those whose stories have been mistakenly or intentionally layered onto his name.

We stand firm in this work out of love and respect for our grandfather, and for all those who died at Wounded Knee whose names and descendants deserve to be remembered truthfully.

Our family has maintained an unbroken oral history passed down through generations, supported by legal documents, allotment records, and verified genealogical evidence. We are direct lineal descendants through Richard Spotted Elk and his descendants.  We have probate records, historical documentation, a large geneaological database and other descendant familiy trees as well as a rare historical record kept by the US government on notable Lakota leaders.  

Not only do we have oral history, documentation and winter counts, treaties, there are also many clues if one is familiar with the history and culture at that time.  Those who were christianized and known as agency indians had a very different mindset that our ancestors and that showsthrough in their style of dress and actions and beliefs.  Many claiming to be descendants of our grandfather are not traditional.

This is a long story but to summarize, the name “Big Foot” was given by U.S. soldiers and used broadly in colonial records. Unfortunately, this led to a historical mix-up between Chief Spotted Elk of the Minneconjou and a different man of the Oglala Lakota with a similar nickname. We have worked carefully with descendants and historians, providing documents to clarify this confusion.

We are working with over 130 descendants to correct the historical record, preserve oral histories, protect our language, and advocate for an accurate memorial at Wounded Knee. We also seek to have the Medals of Honor rescinded from soldiers who took part in the massacre.

Misattributed Descendants of Chief Spotted Elk (aka Big Foot)
 

In recent decades, several individuals and families have claimed to be direct descendants of Chief Spotted Elk (Big Foot) and survivors of the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. They have been very public about it but it is false.

Some of these claims have been repeated in publications, legal arguments, and institutional correspondence. In fact the only reason we have this site is it became necessary to challenge these claims as people began taking our research from Facebook and misusing it.
 

A careful review of oral history, agency records, survivor lists, and probate documents shows that a number of these claims are not supported by the evidence.

What follows is a summary of the issues surrounding Lucinda Pipe On Head, Little Finger, James Pipe On Head, and He Crow, and why our family—as direct lineal descendants of Chief Spotted Elk—does not recognize them as blood descendants of our grandfather.
 

Lucinda Pipe On Head’s Claim

Approximately five years after the Wounded Knee Massacre, Lucinda Pipe On Head gave a statement claiming that:

Her mother was a sister of Chief Spotted Elk (Big Foot), and

She herself had been “reared in his family.”  It is possible but that does not make her a lineal descendant of our grandfather.  Nor does it give her descendants the right to violate the legal and spirtual rights of the Spotted Elk tiospaye.
 

On paper, this would make Lucinda a niece of Spotted Elk. However, when this claim is compared with oral testimony, kinship records, and the broader historical record, several problems emerge:
 

The Spotted Elk, Crazy Horse, and related tiospaye families have no oral memory of Lucinda as a blood relative of Chief Spotted Elk.

Lucinda does not appear in any of the known Wounded Knee victim or survivor lists associated with Big Foot’s band.
 

Elders consistently identify Little Finger and He Crow as orphans, while Pipe On Head had a known father (Lone Man) and a wife named Lucinda. This places Lucinda in the story through marriage, not as a blood relative of Spotted Elk.

In the same papers where Lucinda appears, George and Thomas Blue Legs are listed with those orphans. We have their family trees and probate records as well. They are orphans, just as the elders said they all were.
 

Chronology and Wording

The timeline also raises doubts. Chief Spotted Elk is generally understood to have been born around 1826, while Lucinda’s reported birth year is 1851—a difference of roughly twenty-five years. Although this age gap does not make it absolutely impossible for Lucinda’s mother to have been Spotted Elk’s sister, there is no independent evidence of such a sister in the record, and the age spacing would be unusual.  If they have documentation (other than a book a white government employee wrote for the purpose of seeking compensation fifty years later, after elders had died, self reported family trees or are willing to take DNA tests) then we can certainly investigate but, to our knowledge, Lucinda was not our blood ancestor.
 

Lucinda’s phrasing that she was “reared in his family” is also ambiguous. It can just as easily describe:
 

An informal fostering arrangement, or a household that took in orphans,

as it could a literal niece relationship. This wording is, in fact, consistent with what elders say about orphans being taken in after Wounded Knee, and does not confirm any biological connection to Spotted Elk.  Spotted Elk was known for taking in orphans because of the many deaths at the time.  This is not a poor reflection on whether or not they were orphans.  It's to make a distinction when it comes to descendants' rights.

 

Probate Evidence and the Case of Little Finger

The probate records are critical because they were produced under federal oversight and used to determine heirs and land allotments. They provide a key test of whether a claimed descent was recognized when it materially mattered.

The records show the following about John Little Finger:

He was the son of Yellow Horse, who was Brulé, not Minneconjou. Yellow Horse was killed in 1882.
 

After Yellow Horse’s death, John’s mother married a Minneconjou man.

John later moved to Pine Ridge, where he was listed as the son of Medicine Woman Mousseau and grandson of Straw Woman, who appear on his family tree.

Later on, he was also listed as the son of Pipe On Head and others, reflecting how he moved between households and how later claims tried to attach him to different lines.
 

In more recent times, John’s grandson, Leonard, self-reported a family tree in order to obtain the pipes and lock of hair from Barre that rightfully should have gone to Calvin Spotted Elk as a direct lineal descendant. Leonard presented three different versions of that tree over time. The final version contained no direct maternal line to Chief Spotted Elk and appeared to insert a grandmother that was known on census records, not the actual grandmothers' name.
 

Despite this, Leonard used that tree to claim a right to the hair and pipe. After they secured the items, the lock of hair was burned when Jasper Spotted Elk asked the court to test a strand for DNA—this was done against Tribal Court Judge Sidney Witt’s order. This act permanently destroyed potential DNA evidence that could have resolved these questions. Although Calvin chose not to press charges, for our family this was—and remains—a profound violation of our rights of our grandfather's memory, as direct lineal descendants.
 

What the Probates Actually Say

The probate records show that:

There is no probate connection listing Chief Spotted Elk as an ancestor, parent, or grandparent in Lucinda’s family line.

It should be noted that Calvin Spotted Elk does in fact have not only the same name but also a probate record that shows not only that his grandfather was killed at Wounded Knee, was called Big Foot and was related to the head Minneconjou treaty signers.
 

There is a connection between Lucinda and Little Finger, tying their households together.
 

Crucially, Little Finger’s grandparents are listed as “unknown” through his sister in those same probate records.
 

Despite this, Little Finger later claimed to be a grandson of Chief Spotted Elk. If he had truly been a blood grandson, one would expect the probates to reflect that, since such a relationship would strengthen his legal standing in inheritance and claims. Instead, the probates explicitly record his grandparents as unknown, contradicting the later narrative.
 

In short, the legal record acknowledges a relationship between Lucinda and Little Finger, but does not acknowledge any blood relationship between either of them and Chief Spotted Elk. The “grandson” story appears only in later statements, not in the earlier, binding documentation.
 

James Pipe On Head and the “Big Foot” Name

Lucinda’s husband, Pipe On Head, had a father recorded as Lone Man and a wife named Lucinda. Their son, James Pipe On Head, would later be referred to as “Big Foot”, further complicating the historical picture.
 

Approximately fifty years after Wounded Knee, James Pipe On Head traveled to Washington, D.C. seeking compensation for family members killed at the massacre, primarily through correspondence with a man named McGregor. In these efforts, James positioned himself and his relatives as Wounded Knee descendants, and

Leaned heavily on the “Big Foot” name.
 

His family later claimed that James was meant to replace Spotted Elk as a spiritual leader. This is not supported by our history OR the record. Their family was Christian and identified as “progressive,” while Chief Spotted Elk remained a traditional Lakota leader who was labeled “hostile” and killed, just as Sitting Bull was. Spotted Elk was not commonly called “Big Foot” until shortly before his death, and that name came from non-Lakota sources, according to both family oral history and documentation.
 

The documentary record shows that:

There is no probate or federal record identifying James Pipe On Head as a blood descendant of Chief Spotted Elk.
 

His family’s probates and earlier statements do not list Spotted Elk as an ancestor.

James’s later testimony contradicts Lucinda’s earlier statement in the McLaughlin papers and does not align with the established ages, kinship ties, or survivor accounts in our own families.
 

Taken together, the evidence supports the conclusion that the “Big Foot” label used by James was adopted or attached later, and does not reflect a true lineal connection to Chief Spotted Elk.
 

He Crow: Adoption vs. Bloodline

The case of He Crow (often recorded as Jackson He Crow) is another example of how later claims have blurred the line between:

Adoption into a family, and

Blood descent from that family’s ancestors.

It is well documented that:

He Crow was Oglala, not Minneconjou.
 

There is no evidence that he was a biological grandson of Chief Spotted Elk.

After Wounded Knee, Jackson He Crow was adopted by John Weasel Bear.
 

John Weasel Bear is documented as a brother to Richard “Dick” Spotted Elk, who is a documented son of Chief Spotted Elk. Through this adoption, He Crow became part of the extended Spotted Elk family.
 

 

He Crow’s mother later married John Weasel Bear, approximately nine years after Wounded Knee. This is why He Crow appears in multiple records as a step-son to John, and also why he does not appear as a son in John Weasel Bear’s probate records.

In the 80's - 90's Calvin and Marie Not Help Him, Christine and Madeline Garnier and Pete Richards were present at te Wounded Knee Survivors association meetings.  Jasper attended nearly all of them.  Francis He Crow came to one meeting.  He claimed to be "Big Foot's grandson" He was asked to share his family tree and he said he didn't bring it with him.  Marie said they woud wait while he went and grabbed it but he said his house burned down and he didn't have it.  The next time we saw him was in court in 2011 and he still didn't have one.  Since the tribal president Star Comes Out claims to be a descendant through the He Crow line, he should meet with us so we can share documentation.  We have been asking for this since the sacred belongings were due to be returned from Massachusetts to no avail.
 

 

Adoption into the tiospaye creates real responsibilities, relationships, and social ties; those connections are meaningful and deserve respect. But for questions of lineal descent, compensation, Medals of Honor, and NAGPRA repatriation, it is essential to distinguish between adoptive kinship and direct biological descent.

In this case, the record shows that He Crow was taken in by a brother of Dick Spotted Elk, but he was not a biological grandson of Chief Spotted Elk.
 

“Progressives,” cultural differences and Misrepresentation

Another layer of confusion comes from the politics and religion of the early reservation period.
 

The family lines discussed above:

Were understood historically as “progressives,” aligned with Christianity and U.S. policy.
 

This particular familiy were also known to have very dstinct cultural differences which directly contradict  the beliefs and teachings associated with Chief Spotted Elk and his line. Like the origin of his nickname, we had not shared this until we had to come out in the public.  
 

Spotted Elk, by contrast, remained traditional and was labeled “hostile” by the U.S. government. He was killed for his position and for the spiritual leadership he provided to his people. To later confuse him with a “progressive” family—especially in photographs and public storytelling—erases what he stood for.   
 

Today, many officials, historians, and documentarians are first directed to these “progressive” families because of their close ties to tribal government and institutions. As a result:

Their stories are often the first and sometimes only voices heard,

While the stories of blood descendants, including Calvin Spotted Elk, are sidelined or dismissed,

And images of Ste Sítȟanka and his wife, both Oglala “progressives,” are repeatedly used in place of Chief Spotted Elk and his wife when meeting with officials, scholars, or educators.
 

This misrepresentation has the effect of erasing the true history and disconnecting Chief Spotted Elk’s name and image from his own family.

 

Protecting the Integrity of Spotted Elk’s Lineage

When we consider:

The absence of Lucinda from recognized Spotted Elk family lines and survivor lists;

The probate records, which tie Lucinda and Little Finger together but list Little Finger’s grandparents as “unknown”, not as Spotted Elk;

The lack of any probate or documentary support for James Pipe On Head as a lineal descendant, despite his later claims, his use of the “Big Foot” name, and his family’s assertion that he was meant to replace Spotted Elk as a spiritual leader;

And the clear evidence that He Crow was adopted into the extended Spotted Elk family through John Weasel Bear, rather than born as a grandson;

the conclusion is consistent across multiple sources:

Lucinda, Little Finger, James Pipe On Head, and He Crow were not biological descendants of Chief Spotted Elk (Big Foot).
 

We do not deny that these families experienced hardship, loss, and trauma, nor that they are descendants of other survivors of the Wounded Knee Massacre. Their stories deserve to be understood on their own terms.
 

The problem is that their close ties to tribal government and institutions have made them a default “first point of contact” for outsiders. Their stories are amplified, while the voices of blood descendants—such as Calvin Spotted Elk—are too often ignored or actively challenged.

This pattern distorts historical memory,

Undermines lineal descendants’ rights, and

Risks repeating the erasure that began with the massacre itself.

As direct lineal descendants of Chief Spotted Elk, we have a responsibility to insist that claims to his name, his lineage, and the specific losses at Wounded Knee be grounded in verifiable evidence.

Clarifying these misattributions is not about erasing anyone else’s history; it is about:

Protecting the integrity of our grandfather’s line, and

Ensuring that descendant rights, remembrance, and repatriation are based on truth rather than on later, convenient, or conflicting stories.
 

Invitation to Dialogue and Next Steps

We welcome conversation with anyone who believes they have relevant information, including those who have been aggressively making claims we believe are false. We invite:

Sharing of family trees and documentation, especially if there are records that genuinely connect to the known Spotted Elk tiospaye;

Honest comparison of probates, censuses, land records, and oral histories;

And, if necessary, DNA testing, conducted in a way that respects Lakota values and the dignity of the ancestors.
 

What we ask is simple:

That no one violate the rights of direct lineal descendants,

That no one destroy or conceal evidence (such as belongings or hair samples) that could clarify the truth,

And that institutions stop relying on a single “progressive” narrative when the documentary and oral record clearly show something more complex.
 

We did not choose to spend nearly two decades doing this research, but lateral oppression and repeated misrepresentation made it necessary. We now maintain a detailed working database of many Spotted Elk and followers descendants that we know is useful to researchers and descendants alike.  We freely share that information within a group of descendants and intend to create a subscriber databs to help fund our further research because this is a lot of painstaking work.

We plan to make portions of this database available by subscription for educational and research purposes, so that others can see the documented lineage and understand the difference between:

Those who carry Chief Spotted Elk’s blood, and

Those whose stories have been mistakenly or intentionally layered onto his name.

We stand firm in this work out of love and respect for our grandfather, and for all those who died at Wounded Knee whose names and descendants deserve to be remembered truthfully.

Misattributed Descendants of Chief Spotted Elk (aka Big Foot)
 

In recent decades, several individuals and families have claimed to be direct descendants of Chief Spotted Elk (Big Foot) and survivors of the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. They have been very public about it but it is false.

Some of these claims have been repeated in publications, legal arguments, and institutional correspondence. In fact the only reason we have this site is it became necessary to challenge these claims as people began taking our research from Facebook and misusing it.
 

A careful review of oral history, agency records, survivor lists, and probate documents shows that a number of these claims are not supported by the evidence.

What follows is a summary of the issues surrounding Lucinda Pipe On Head, Little Finger, James Pipe On Head, and He Crow, and why our family—as direct lineal descendants of Chief Spotted Elk—does not recognize them as blood descendants of our grandfather.
 

Lucinda Pipe On Head’s Claim

Approximately five years after the Wounded Knee Massacre, Lucinda Pipe On Head gave a statement claiming that:

Her mother was a sister of Chief Spotted Elk (Big Foot), and

She herself had been “reared in his family.”  It is possible but that does not make her a lineal descendant of our grandfather.  Nor does it give her descendants the right to violate the legal and spirtual rights of the Spotted Elk tiospaye.
 

On paper, this would make Lucinda a niece of Spotted Elk. However, when this claim is compared with oral testimony, kinship records, and the broader historical record, several problems emerge:
 

The Spotted Elk, Crazy Horse, and related tiospaye families have no oral memory of Lucinda as a blood relative of Chief Spotted Elk.

Lucinda does not appear in any of the known Wounded Knee victim or survivor lists associated with Big Foot’s band.
 

Elders consistently identify Little Finger and He Crow as orphans, while Pipe On Head had a known father (Lone Man) and a wife named Lucinda. This places Lucinda in the story through marriage, not as a blood relative of Spotted Elk.

In the same papers where Lucinda appears, George and Thomas Blue Legs are listed with those orphans. We have their family trees and probate records as well. They are orphans, just as the elders said they all were.
 

Chronology and Wording

The timeline also raises doubts. Chief Spotted Elk is generally understood to have been born around 1826, while Lucinda’s reported birth year is 1851—a difference of roughly twenty-five years. Although this age gap does not make it absolutely impossible for Lucinda’s mother to have been Spotted Elk’s sister, there is no independent evidence of such a sister in the record, and the age spacing would be unusual.  If they have documentation (other than a book a white government employee wrote for the purpose of seeking compensation fifty years later, after elders had died, self reported family trees or are willing to take DNA tests) then we can certainly investigate but, to our knowledge, Lucinda was not our blood ancestor.
 

Lucinda’s phrasing that she was “reared in his family” is also ambiguous. It can just as easily describe:
 

An informal fostering arrangement, or a household that took in orphans,

as it could a literal niece relationship. This wording is, in fact, consistent with what elders say about orphans being taken in after Wounded Knee, and does not confirm any biological connection to Spotted Elk.  Spotted Elk was known for taking in orphans because of the many deaths at the time.  This is not a poor reflection on whether or not they were orphans.  It's to make a distinction when it comes to descendants' rights.

 

Probate Evidence and the Case of Little Finger

The probate records are critical because they were produced under federal oversight and used to determine heirs and land allotments. They provide a key test of whether a claimed descent was recognized when it materially mattered.

The records show the following about John Little Finger:

He was the son of Yellow Horse, who was Brulé, not Minneconjou. Yellow Horse was killed in 1882.
 

After Yellow Horse’s death, John’s mother married a Minneconjou man.

John later moved to Pine Ridge, where he was listed as the son of Medicine Woman Mousseau and grandson of Straw Woman, who appear on his family tree.

Later on, he was also listed as the son of Pipe On Head and others, reflecting how he moved between households and how later claims tried to attach him to different lines.
 

In more recent times, John’s grandson, Leonard, self-reported a family tree in order to obtain the pipes and lock of hair from Barre that rightfully should have gone to Calvin Spotted Elk as a direct lineal descendant. Leonard presented three different versions of that tree over time. The final version contained no direct maternal line to Chief Spotted Elk and appeared to insert a grandmother that was known on census records, not the actual grandmothers' name.
 

Despite this, Leonard used that tree to claim a right to the hair and pipe. After they secured the items, the lock of hair was burned when Jasper Spotted Elk asked the court to test a strand for DNA—this was done against Tribal Court Judge Sidney Witt’s order. This act permanently destroyed potential DNA evidence that could have resolved these questions. Although Calvin chose not to press charges, for our family this was—and remains—a profound violation of our rights of our grandfather's memory, as direct lineal descendants.
 

What the Probates Actually Say

The probate records show that:

There is no probate connection listing Chief Spotted Elk as an ancestor, parent, or grandparent in Lucinda’s family line.

It should be noted that Calvin Spotted Elk does in fact have not only the same name but also a probate record that shows not only that his grandfather was killed at Wounded Knee, was called Big Foot and was related to the head Minneconjou treaty signers.
 

There is a connection between Lucinda and Little Finger, tying their households together.
 

Crucially, Little Finger’s grandparents are listed as “unknown” through his sister in those same probate records.
 

Despite this, Little Finger later claimed to be a grandson of Chief Spotted Elk. If he had truly been a blood grandson, one would expect the probates to reflect that, since such a relationship would strengthen his legal standing in inheritance and claims. Instead, the probates explicitly record his grandparents as unknown, contradicting the later narrative.
 

In short, the legal record acknowledges a relationship between Lucinda and Little Finger, but does not acknowledge any blood relationship between either of them and Chief Spotted Elk. The “grandson” story appears only in later statements, not in the earlier, binding documentation.
 

James Pipe On Head and the “Big Foot” Name

Lucinda’s husband, Pipe On Head, had a father recorded as Lone Man and a wife named Lucinda. Their son, James Pipe On Head, would later be referred to as “Big Foot”, further complicating the historical picture.
 

Approximately fifty years after Wounded Knee, James Pipe On Head traveled to Washington, D.C. seeking compensation for family members killed at the massacre, primarily through correspondence with a man named McGregor. In these efforts, James positioned himself and his relatives as Wounded Knee descendants, and

Leaned heavily on the “Big Foot” name.
 

His family later claimed that James was meant to replace Spotted Elk as a spiritual leader. This is not supported by our history OR the record. Their family was Christian and identified as “progressive,” while Chief Spotted Elk remained a traditional Lakota leader who was labeled “hostile” and killed, just as Sitting Bull was. Spotted Elk was not commonly called “Big Foot” until shortly before his death, and that name came from non-Lakota sources, according to both family oral history and documentation.
 

The documentary record shows that:

There is no probate or federal record identifying James Pipe On Head as a blood descendant of Chief Spotted Elk.
 

His family’s probates and earlier statements do not list Spotted Elk as an ancestor.

James’s later testimony contradicts Lucinda’s earlier statement in the McLaughlin papers and does not align with the established ages, kinship ties, or survivor accounts in our own families.
 

Taken together, the evidence supports the conclusion that the “Big Foot” label used by James was adopted or attached later, and does not reflect a true lineal connection to Chief Spotted Elk.
 

He Crow: Adoption vs. Bloodline

The case of He Crow (often recorded as Jackson He Crow) is another example of how later claims have blurred the line between:

Adoption into a family, and

Blood descent from that family’s ancestors.

It is well documented that:

He Crow was Oglala, not Minneconjou.
 

There is no evidence that he was a biological grandson of Chief Spotted Elk.

After Wounded Knee, Jackson He Crow was adopted by John Weasel Bear.
 

John Weasel Bear is documented as a brother to Richard “Dick” Spotted Elk, who is a documented son of Chief Spotted Elk. Through this adoption, He Crow became part of the extended Spotted Elk family.
 

 

He Crow’s mother later married John Weasel Bear, approximately nine years after Wounded Knee. This is why He Crow appears in multiple records as a step-son to John, and also why he does not appear as a son in John Weasel Bear’s probate records.

In the 80's - 90's Calvin and Marie Not Help Him, Christine and Madeline Garnier and Pete Richards were present at te Wounded Knee Survivors association meetings.  Jasper attended nearly all of them.  Francis He Crow came to one meeting.  He claimed to be "Big Foot's grandson" He was asked to share his family tree and he said he didn't bring it with him.  Marie said they woud wait while he went and grabbed it but he said his house burned down and he didn't have it.  The next time we saw him was in court in 2011 and he still didn't have one.  Since the tribal president Star Comes Out claims to be a descendant through the He Crow line, he should meet with us so we can share documentation.  We have been asking for this since the sacred belongings were due to be returned from Massachusetts to no avail.
 

 

Adoption into the tiospaye creates real responsibilities, relationships, and social ties; those connections are meaningful and deserve respect. But for questions of lineal descent, compensation, Medals of Honor, and NAGPRA repatriation, it is essential to distinguish between adoptive kinship and direct biological descent.

In this case, the record shows that He Crow was taken in by a brother of Dick Spotted Elk, but he was not a biological grandson of Chief Spotted Elk.
 

“Progressives,” cultural differences and Misrepresentation

Another layer of confusion comes from the politics and religion of the early reservation period.
 

The family lines discussed above:

Were understood historically as “progressives,” aligned with Christianity and U.S. policy.
 

This particular familiy were also known to have very dstinct cultural differences which directly contradict  the beliefs and teachings associated with Chief Spotted Elk and his line. Like the origin of his nickname, we had not shared this until we had to come out in the public.  
 

Spotted Elk, by contrast, remained traditional and was labeled “hostile” by the U.S. government. He was killed for his position and for the spiritual leadership he provided to his people. To later confuse him with a “progressive” family—especially in photographs and public storytelling—erases what he stood for.   
 

Today, many officials, historians, and documentarians are first directed to these “progressive” families because of their close ties to tribal government and institutions. As a result:

Their stories are often the first and sometimes only voices heard,

While the stories of blood descendants, including Calvin Spotted Elk, are sidelined or dismissed,

And images of Ste Sítȟanka and his wife, both Oglala “progressives,” are repeatedly used in place of Chief Spotted Elk and his wife when meeting with officials, scholars, or educators.
 

This misrepresentation has the effect of erasing the true history and disconnecting Chief Spotted Elk’s name and image from his own family.

 

Protecting the Integrity of Spotted Elk’s Lineage

When we consider:

The absence of Lucinda from recognized Spotted Elk family lines and survivor lists;

The probate records, which tie Lucinda and Little Finger together but list Little Finger’s grandparents as “unknown”, not as Spotted Elk;

The lack of any probate or documentary support for James Pipe On Head as a lineal descendant, despite his later claims, his use of the “Big Foot” name, and his family’s assertion that he was meant to replace Spotted Elk as a spiritual leader;

And the clear evidence that He Crow was adopted into the extended Spotted Elk family through John Weasel Bear, rather than born as a grandson;

the conclusion is consistent across multiple sources:

Lucinda, Little Finger, James Pipe On Head, and He Crow were not biological descendants of Chief Spotted Elk (Big Foot).
 

We do not deny that these families experienced hardship, loss, and trauma, nor that they are descendants of other survivors of the Wounded Knee Massacre. Their stories deserve to be understood on their own terms.
 

The problem is that their close ties to tribal government and institutions have made them a default “first point of contact” for outsiders. Their stories are amplified, while the voices of blood descendants—such as Calvin Spotted Elk—are too often ignored or actively challenged.

This pattern distorts historical memory,

Undermines lineal descendants’ rights, and

Risks repeating the erasure that began with the massacre itself.

As direct lineal descendants of Chief Spotted Elk, we have a responsibility to insist that claims to his name, his lineage, and the specific losses at Wounded Knee be grounded in verifiable evidence.

Clarifying these misattributions is not about erasing anyone else’s history; it is about:

Protecting the integrity of our grandfather’s line, and

Ensuring that descendant rights, remembrance, and repatriation are based on truth rather than on later, convenient, or conflicting stories.
 

Invitation to Dialogue and Next Steps

We welcome conversation with anyone who believes they have relevant information, including those who have been aggressively making claims we believe are false. We invite:

Sharing of family trees and documentation, especially if there are records that genuinely connect to the known Spotted Elk tiospaye;

Honest comparison of probates, censuses, land records, and oral histories;

And, if necessary, DNA testing, conducted in a way that respects Lakota values and the dignity of the ancestors.
 

What we ask is simple:

That no one violate the rights of direct lineal descendants,

That no one destroy or conceal evidence (such as belongings or hair samples) that could clarify the truth,

And that institutions stop relying on a single “progressive” narrative when the documentary and oral record clearly show something more complex.
 

We did not choose to spend nearly two decades doing this research, but lateral oppression and repeated misrepresentation made it necessary. We now maintain a detailed working database of many Spotted Elk and followers descendants that we know is useful to researchers and descendants alike.  We freely share that information within a group of descendants and intend to create a subscriber databs to help fund our further research because this is a lot of painstaking work.

We plan to make portions of this database available by subscription for educational and research purposes, so that others can see the documented lineage and understand the difference between:

Those who carry Chief Spotted Elk’s blood, and

Those whose stories have been mistakenly or intentionally layered onto his name.

We stand firm in this work out of love and respect for our grandfather, and for all those who died at Wounded Knee whose names and descendants deserve to be remembered truthfully.

Misattributed Descendants of Chief Spotted Elk (aka Big Foot)
 

In recent decades, several individuals and families have claimed to be direct descendants of Chief Spotted Elk (Big Foot) and survivors of the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. They have been very public about it but it is false.

Some of these claims have been repeated in publications, legal arguments, and institutional correspondence. In fact the only reason we have this site is it became necessary to challenge these claims as people began taking our research from Facebook and misusing it.
 

A careful review of oral history, agency records, survivor lists, and probate documents shows that a number of these claims are not supported by the evidence.

What follows is a summary of the issues surrounding Lucinda Pipe On Head, Little Finger, James Pipe On Head, and He Crow, and why our family—as direct lineal descendants of Chief Spotted Elk—does not recognize them as blood descendants of our grandfather.
 

Lucinda Pipe On Head’s Claim

Approximately five years after the Wounded Knee Massacre, Lucinda Pipe On Head gave a statement claiming that:

Her mother was a sister of Chief Spotted Elk (Big Foot), and

She herself had been “reared in his family.”  It is possible but that does not make her a lineal descendant of our grandfather.  Nor does it give her descendants the right to violate the legal and spirtual rights of the Spotted Elk tiospaye.
 

On paper, this would make Lucinda a niece of Spotted Elk. However, when this claim is compared with oral testimony, kinship records, and the broader historical record, several problems emerge:
 

The Spotted Elk, Crazy Horse, and related tiospaye families have no oral memory of Lucinda as a blood relative of Chief Spotted Elk.

Lucinda does not appear in any of the known Wounded Knee victim or survivor lists associated with Big Foot’s band.
 

Elders consistently identify Little Finger and He Crow as orphans, while Pipe On Head had a known father (Lone Man) and a wife named Lucinda. This places Lucinda in the story through marriage, not as a blood relative of Spotted Elk.

In the same papers where Lucinda appears, George and Thomas Blue Legs are listed with those orphans. We have their family trees and probate records as well. They are orphans, just as the elders said they all were.
 

Chronology and Wording

The timeline also raises doubts. Chief Spotted Elk is generally understood to have been born around 1826, while Lucinda’s reported birth year is 1851—a difference of roughly twenty-five years. Although this age gap does not make it absolutely impossible for Lucinda’s mother to have been Spotted Elk’s sister, there is no independent evidence of such a sister in the record, and the age spacing would be unusual.  If they have documentation (other than a book a white government employee wrote for the purpose of seeking compensation fifty years later, after elders had died, self reported family trees or are willing to take DNA tests) then we can certainly investigate but, to our knowledge, Lucinda was not our blood ancestor.
 

Lucinda’s phrasing that she was “reared in his family” is also ambiguous. It can just as easily describe:
 

An informal fostering arrangement, or a household that took in orphans,

as it could a literal niece relationship. This wording is, in fact, consistent with what elders say about orphans being taken in after Wounded Knee, and does not confirm any biological connection to Spotted Elk.  Spotted Elk was known for taking in orphans because of the many deaths at the time.  This is not a poor reflection on whether or not they were orphans.  It's to make a distinction when it comes to descendants' rights.

 

Probate Evidence and the Case of Little Finger

The probate records are critical because they were produced under federal oversight and used to determine heirs and land allotments. They provide a key test of whether a claimed descent was recognized when it materially mattered.

The records show the following about John Little Finger:

He was the son of Yellow Horse, who was Brulé, not Minneconjou. Yellow Horse was killed in 1882.
 

After Yellow Horse’s death, John’s mother married a Minneconjou man.

John later moved to Pine Ridge, where he was listed as the son of Medicine Woman Mousseau and grandson of Straw Woman, who appear on his family tree.

Later on, he was also listed as the son of Pipe On Head and others, reflecting how he moved between households and how later claims tried to attach him to different lines.
 

In more recent times, John’s grandson, Leonard, self-reported a family tree in order to obtain the pipes and lock of hair from Barre that rightfully should have gone to Calvin Spotted Elk as a direct lineal descendant. Leonard presented three different versions of that tree over time. The final version contained no direct maternal line to Chief Spotted Elk and appeared to insert a grandmother that was known on census records, not the actual grandmothers' name.
 

Despite this, Leonard used that tree to claim a right to the hair and pipe. After they secured the items, the lock of hair was burned when Jasper Spotted Elk asked the court to test a strand for DNA—this was done against Tribal Court Judge Sidney Witt’s order. This act permanently destroyed potential DNA evidence that could have resolved these questions. Although Calvin chose not to press charges, for our family this was—and remains—a profound violation of our rights of our grandfather's memory, as direct lineal descendants.
 

What the Probates Actually Say

The probate records show that:

There is no probate connection listing Chief Spotted Elk as an ancestor, parent, or grandparent in Lucinda’s family line.

It should be noted that Calvin Spotted Elk does in fact have not only the same name but also a probate record that shows not only that his grandfather was killed at Wounded Knee, was called Big Foot and was related to the head Minneconjou treaty signers.
 

There is a connection between Lucinda and Little Finger, tying their households together.
 

Crucially, Little Finger’s grandparents are listed as “unknown” through his sister in those same probate records.
 

Despite this, Little Finger later claimed to be a grandson of Chief Spotted Elk. If he had truly been a blood grandson, one would expect the probates to reflect that, since such a relationship would strengthen his legal standing in inheritance and claims. Instead, the probates explicitly record his grandparents as unknown, contradicting the later narrative.
 

In short, the legal record acknowledges a relationship between Lucinda and Little Finger, but does not acknowledge any blood relationship between either of them and Chief Spotted Elk. The “grandson” story appears only in later statements, not in the earlier, binding documentation.
 

James Pipe On Head and the “Big Foot” Name

Lucinda’s husband, Pipe On Head, had a father recorded as Lone Man and a wife named Lucinda. Their son, James Pipe On Head, would later be referred to as “Big Foot”, further complicating the historical picture.
 

Approximately fifty years after Wounded Knee, James Pipe On Head traveled to Washington, D.C. seeking compensation for family members killed at the massacre, primarily through correspondence with a man named McGregor. In these efforts, James positioned himself and his relatives as Wounded Knee descendants, and

Leaned heavily on the “Big Foot” name.
 

His family later claimed that James was meant to replace Spotted Elk as a spiritual leader. This is not supported by our history OR the record. Their family was Christian and identified as “progressive,” while Chief Spotted Elk remained a traditional Lakota leader who was labeled “hostile” and killed, just as Sitting Bull was. Spotted Elk was not commonly called “Big Foot” until shortly before his death, and that name came from non-Lakota sources, according to both family oral history and documentation.
 

The documentary record shows that:

There is no probate or federal record identifying James Pipe On Head as a blood descendant of Chief Spotted Elk.
 

His family’s probates and earlier statements do not list Spotted Elk as an ancestor.

James’s later testimony contradicts Lucinda’s earlier statement in the McLaughlin papers and does not align with the established ages, kinship ties, or survivor accounts in our own families.
 

Taken together, the evidence supports the conclusion that the “Big Foot” label used by James was adopted or attached later, and does not reflect a true lineal connection to Chief Spotted Elk.
 

He Crow: Adoption vs. Bloodline

The case of He Crow (often recorded as Jackson He Crow) is another example of how later claims have blurred the line between:

Adoption into a family, and

Blood descent from that family’s ancestors.

It is well documented that:

He Crow was Oglala, not Minneconjou.
 

There is no evidence that he was a biological grandson of Chief Spotted Elk.

After Wounded Knee, Jackson He Crow was adopted by John Weasel Bear.
 

John Weasel Bear is documented as a brother to Richard “Dick” Spotted Elk, who is a documented son of Chief Spotted Elk. Through this adoption, He Crow became part of the extended Spotted Elk family.
 

 

He Crow’s mother later married John Weasel Bear, approximately nine years after Wounded Knee. This is why He Crow appears in multiple records as a step-son to John, and also why he does not appear as a son in John Weasel Bear’s probate records.

In the 80's - 90's Calvin and Marie Not Help Him, Christine and Madeline Garnier and Pete Richards were present at te Wounded Knee Survivors association meetings.  Jasper attended nearly all of them.  Francis He Crow came to one meeting.  He claimed to be "Big Foot's grandson" He was asked to share his family tree and he said he didn't bring it with him.  Marie said they woud wait while he went and grabbed it but he said his house burned down and he didn't have it.  The next time we saw him was in court in 2011 and he still didn't have one.  Since the tribal president Star Comes Out claims to be a descendant through the He Crow line, he should meet with us so we can share documentation.  We have been asking for this since the sacred belongings were due to be returned from Massachusetts to no avail.
 

 

Adoption into the tiospaye creates real responsibilities, relationships, and social ties; those connections are meaningful and deserve respect. But for questions of lineal descent, compensation, Medals of Honor, and NAGPRA repatriation, it is essential to distinguish between adoptive kinship and direct biological descent.

In this case, the record shows that He Crow was taken in by a brother of Dick Spotted Elk, but he was not a biological grandson of Chief Spotted Elk.
 

“Progressives,” cultural differences and Misrepresentation

Another layer of confusion comes from the politics and religion of the early reservation period.
 

The family lines discussed above:

Were understood historically as “progressives,” aligned with Christianity and U.S. policy.
 

This particular familiy were also known to have very dstinct cultural differences which directly contradict  the beliefs and teachings associated with Chief Spotted Elk and his line. Like the origin of his nickname, we had not shared this until we had to come out in the public.  
 

Spotted Elk, by contrast, remained traditional and was labeled “hostile” by the U.S. government. He was killed for his position and for the spiritual leadership he provided to his people. To later confuse him with a “progressive” family—especially in photographs and public storytelling—erases what he stood for.   
 

Today, many officials, historians, and documentarians are first directed to these “progressive” families because of their close ties to tribal government and institutions. As a result:

Their stories are often the first and sometimes only voices heard,

While the stories of blood descendants, including Calvin Spotted Elk, are sidelined or dismissed,

And images of Ste Sítȟanka and his wife, both Oglala “progressives,” are repeatedly used in place of Chief Spotted Elk and his wife when meeting with officials, scholars, or educators.
 

This misrepresentation has the effect of erasing the true history and disconnecting Chief Spotted Elk’s name and image from his own family.

 

Protecting the Integrity of Spotted Elk’s Lineage

When we consider:

The absence of Lucinda from recognized Spotted Elk family lines and survivor lists;

The probate records, which tie Lucinda and Little Finger together but list Little Finger’s grandparents as “unknown”, not as Spotted Elk;

The lack of any probate or documentary support for James Pipe On Head as a lineal descendant, despite his later claims, his use of the “Big Foot” name, and his family’s assertion that he was meant to replace Spotted Elk as a spiritual leader;

And the clear evidence that He Crow was adopted into the extended Spotted Elk family through John Weasel Bear, rather than born as a grandson;

the conclusion is consistent across multiple sources:

Lucinda, Little Finger, James Pipe On Head, and He Crow were not biological descendants of Chief Spotted Elk (Big Foot).
 

We do not deny that these families experienced hardship, loss, and trauma, nor that they are descendants of other survivors of the Wounded Knee Massacre. Their stories deserve to be understood on their own terms.
 

The problem is that their close ties to tribal government and institutions have made them a default “first point of contact” for outsiders. Their stories are amplified, while the voices of blood descendants—such as Calvin Spotted Elk—are too often ignored or actively challenged.

This pattern distorts historical memory,

Undermines lineal descendants’ rights, and

Risks repeating the erasure that began with the massacre itself.

As direct lineal descendants of Chief Spotted Elk, we have a responsibility to insist that claims to his name, his lineage, and the specific losses at Wounded Knee be grounded in verifiable evidence.

Clarifying these misattributions is not about erasing anyone else’s history; it is about:

Protecting the integrity of our grandfather’s line, and

Ensuring that descendant rights, remembrance, and repatriation are based on truth rather than on later, convenient, or conflicting stories.
 

Invitation to Dialogue and Next Steps

We welcome conversation with anyone who believes they have relevant information, including those who have been aggressively making claims we believe are false. We invite:

Sharing of family trees and documentation, especially if there are records that genuinely connect to the known Spotted Elk tiospaye;

Honest comparison of probates, censuses, land records, and oral histories;

And, if necessary, DNA testing, conducted in a way that respects Lakota values and the dignity of the ancestors.
 

What we ask is simple:

That no one violate the rights of direct lineal descendants,

That no one destroy or conceal evidence (such as belongings or hair samples) that could clarify the truth,

And that institutions stop relying on a single “progressive” narrative when the documentary and oral record clearly show something more complex.
 

We did not choose to spend nearly two decades doing this research, but lateral oppression and repeated misrepresentation made it necessary. We now maintain a detailed working database of many Spotted Elk and followers descendants that we know is useful to researchers and descendants alike.  We freely share that information within a group of descendants and intend to create a subscriber databs to help fund our further research because this is a lot of painstaking work.

We plan to make portions of this database available by subscription for educational and research purposes, so that others can see the documented lineage and understand the difference between:

Those who carry Chief Spotted Elk’s blood, and

Those whose stories have been mistakenly or intentionally layered onto his name.

We stand firm in this work out of love and respect for our grandfather, and for all those who died at Wounded Knee whose names and descendants deserve to be remembered truthfully.

Misattributed Descendants of Chief Spotted Elk (aka Big Foot)
 

In recent decades, several individuals and families have claimed to be direct descendants of Chief Spotted Elk (Big Foot) and survivors of the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. They have been very public about it but it is false.

Some of these claims have been repeated in publications, legal arguments, and institutional correspondence. In fact the only reason we have this site is it became necessary to challenge these claims as people began taking our research from Facebook and misusing it.
 

A careful review of oral history, agency records, survivor lists, and probate documents shows that a number of these claims are not supported by the evidence.

What follows is a summary of the issues surrounding Lucinda Pipe On Head, Little Finger, James Pipe On Head, and He Crow, and why our family—as direct lineal descendants of Chief Spotted Elk—does not recognize them as blood descendants of our grandfather.
 

Lucinda Pipe On Head’s Claim

Approximately five years after the Wounded Knee Massacre, Lucinda Pipe On Head gave a statement claiming that:

Her mother was a sister of Chief Spotted Elk (Big Foot), and

She herself had been “reared in his family.”  It is possible but that does not make her a lineal descendant of our grandfather.  Nor does it give her descendants the right to violate the legal and spirtual rights of the Spotted Elk tiospaye.
 

On paper, this would make Lucinda a niece of Spotted Elk. However, when this claim is compared with oral testimony, kinship records, and the broader historical record, several problems emerge:
 

The Spotted Elk, Crazy Horse, and related tiospaye families have no oral memory of Lucinda as a blood relative of Chief Spotted Elk.

Lucinda does not appear in any of the known Wounded Knee victim or survivor lists associated with Big Foot’s band.
 

Elders consistently identify Little Finger and He Crow as orphans, while Pipe On Head had a known father (Lone Man) and a wife named Lucinda. This places Lucinda in the story through marriage, not as a blood relative of Spotted Elk.

In the same papers where Lucinda appears, George and Thomas Blue Legs are listed with those orphans. We have their family trees and probate records as well. They are orphans, just as the elders said they all were.
 

Chronology and Wording

The timeline also raises doubts. Chief Spotted Elk is generally understood to have been born around 1826, while Lucinda’s reported birth year is 1851—a difference of roughly twenty-five years. Although this age gap does not make it absolutely impossible for Lucinda’s mother to have been Spotted Elk’s sister, there is no independent evidence of such a sister in the record, and the age spacing would be unusual.  If they have documentation (other than a book a white government employee wrote for the purpose of seeking compensation fifty years later, after elders had died, self reported family trees or are willing to take DNA tests) then we can certainly investigate but, to our knowledge, Lucinda was not our blood ancestor.
 

Lucinda’s phrasing that she was “reared in his family” is also ambiguous. It can just as easily describe:
 

An informal fostering arrangement, or a household that took in orphans,

as it could a literal niece relationship. This wording is, in fact, consistent with what elders say about orphans being taken in after Wounded Knee, and does not confirm any biological connection to Spotted Elk.  Spotted Elk was known for taking in orphans because of the many deaths at the time.  This is not a poor reflection on whether or not they were orphans.  It's to make a distinction when it comes to descendants' rights.

 

Probate Evidence and the Case of Little Finger

The probate records are critical because they were produced under federal oversight and used to determine heirs and land allotments. They provide a key test of whether a claimed descent was recognized when it materially mattered.

The records show the following about John Little Finger:

He was the son of Yellow Horse, who was Brulé, not Minneconjou. Yellow Horse was killed in 1882.
 

After Yellow Horse’s death, John’s mother married a Minneconjou man.

John later moved to Pine Ridge, where he was listed as the son of Medicine Woman Mousseau and grandson of Straw Woman, who appear on his family tree.

Later on, he was also listed as the son of Pipe On Head and others, reflecting how he moved between households and how later claims tried to attach him to different lines.
 

In more recent times, John’s grandson, Leonard, self-reported a family tree in order to obtain the pipes and lock of hair from Barre that rightfully should have gone to Calvin Spotted Elk as a direct lineal descendant. Leonard presented three different versions of that tree over time. The final version contained no direct maternal line to Chief Spotted Elk and appeared to insert a grandmother that was known on census records, not the actual grandmothers' name.
 

Despite this, Leonard used that tree to claim a right to the hair and pipe. After they secured the items, the lock of hair was burned when Jasper Spotted Elk asked the court to test a strand for DNA—this was done against Tribal Court Judge Sidney Witt’s order. This act permanently destroyed potential DNA evidence that could have resolved these questions. Although Calvin chose not to press charges, for our family this was—and remains—a profound violation of our rights of our grandfather's memory, as direct lineal descendants.
 

What the Probates Actually Say

The probate records show that:

There is no probate connection listing Chief Spotted Elk as an ancestor, parent, or grandparent in Lucinda’s family line.

It should be noted that Calvin Spotted Elk does in fact have not only the same name but also a probate record that shows not only that his grandfather was killed at Wounded Knee, was called Big Foot and was related to the head Minneconjou treaty signers.
 

There is a connection between Lucinda and Little Finger, tying their households together.
 

Crucially, Little Finger’s grandparents are listed as “unknown” through his sister in those same probate records.
 

Despite this, Little Finger later claimed to be a grandson of Chief Spotted Elk. If he had truly been a blood grandson, one would expect the probates to reflect that, since such a relationship would strengthen his legal standing in inheritance and claims. Instead, the probates explicitly record his grandparents as unknown, contradicting the later narrative.
 

In short, the legal record acknowledges a relationship between Lucinda and Little Finger, but does not acknowledge any blood relationship between either of them and Chief Spotted Elk. The “grandson” story appears only in later statements, not in the earlier, binding documentation.
 

James Pipe On Head and the “Big Foot” Name

Lucinda’s husband, Pipe On Head, had a father recorded as Lone Man and a wife named Lucinda. Their son, James Pipe On Head, would later be referred to as “Big Foot”, further complicating the historical picture.
 

Approximately fifty years after Wounded Knee, James Pipe On Head traveled to Washington, D.C. seeking compensation for family members killed at the massacre, primarily through correspondence with a man named McGregor. In these efforts, James positioned himself and his relatives as Wounded Knee descendants, and

Leaned heavily on the “Big Foot” name.
 

His family later claimed that James was meant to replace Spotted Elk as a spiritual leader. This is not supported by our history OR the record. Their family was Christian and identified as “progressive,” while Chief Spotted Elk remained a traditional Lakota leader who was labeled “hostile” and killed, just as Sitting Bull was. Spotted Elk was not commonly called “Big Foot” until shortly before his death, and that name came from non-Lakota sources, according to both family oral history and documentation.
 

The documentary record shows that:

There is no probate or federal record identifying James Pipe On Head as a blood descendant of Chief Spotted Elk.
 

His family’s probates and earlier statements do not list Spotted Elk as an ancestor.

James’s later testimony contradicts Lucinda’s earlier statement in the McLaughlin papers and does not align with the established ages, kinship ties, or survivor accounts in our own families.
 

Taken together, the evidence supports the conclusion that the “Big Foot” label used by James was adopted or attached later, and does not reflect a true lineal connection to Chief Spotted Elk.
 

He Crow: Adoption vs. Bloodline

The case of He Crow (often recorded as Jackson He Crow) is another example of how later claims have blurred the line between:

Adoption into a family, and

Blood descent from that family’s ancestors.

It is well documented that:

He Crow was Oglala, not Minneconjou.
 

There is no evidence that he was a biological grandson of Chief Spotted Elk.

After Wounded Knee, Jackson He Crow was adopted by John Weasel Bear.
 

John Weasel Bear is documented as a brother to Richard “Dick” Spotted Elk, who is a documented son of Chief Spotted Elk. Through this adoption, He Crow became part of the extended Spotted Elk family.
 

 

He Crow’s mother later married John Weasel Bear, approximately nine years after Wounded Knee. This is why He Crow appears in multiple records as a step-son to John, and also why he does not appear as a son in John Weasel Bear’s probate records.

In the 80's - 90's Calvin and Marie Not Help Him, Christine and Madeline Garnier and Pete Richards were present at te Wounded Knee Survivors association meetings.  Jasper attended nearly all of them.  Francis He Crow came to one meeting.  He claimed to be "Big Foot's grandson" He was asked to share his family tree and he said he didn't bring it with him.  Marie said they woud wait while he went and grabbed it but he said his house burned down and he didn't have it.  The next time we saw him was in court in 2011 and he still didn't have one.  Since the tribal president Star Comes Out claims to be a descendant through the He Crow line, he should meet with us so we can share documentation.  We have been asking for this since the sacred belongings were due to be returned from Massachusetts to no avail.
 

 

Adoption into the tiospaye creates real responsibilities, relationships, and social ties; those connections are meaningful and deserve respect. But for questions of lineal descent, compensation, Medals of Honor, and NAGPRA repatriation, it is essential to distinguish between adoptive kinship and direct biological descent.

In this case, the record shows that He Crow was taken in by a brother of Dick Spotted Elk, but he was not a biological grandson of Chief Spotted Elk.
 

“Progressives,” cultural differences and Misrepresentation

Another layer of confusion comes from the politics and religion of the early reservation period.
 

The family lines discussed above:

Were understood historically as “progressives,” aligned with Christianity and U.S. policy.
 

This particular familiy were also known to have very dstinct cultural differences which directly contradict  the beliefs and teachings associated with Chief Spotted Elk and his line. Like the origin of his nickname, we had not shared this until we had to come out in the public.  
 

Spotted Elk, by contrast, remained traditional and was labeled “hostile” by the U.S. government. He was killed for his position and for the spiritual leadership he provided to his people. To later confuse him with a “progressive” family—especially in photographs and public storytelling—erases what he stood for.   
 

Today, many officials, historians, and documentarians are first directed to these “progressive” families because of their close ties to tribal government and institutions. As a result:

Their stories are often the first and sometimes only voices heard,

While the stories of blood descendants, including Calvin Spotted Elk, are sidelined or dismissed,

And images of Ste Sítȟanka and his wife, both Oglala “progressives,” are repeatedly used in place of Chief Spotted Elk and his wife when meeting with officials, scholars, or educators.
 

This misrepresentation has the effect of erasing the true history and disconnecting Chief Spotted Elk’s name and image from his own family.

 

Protecting the Integrity of Spotted Elk’s Lineage

When we consider:

The absence of Lucinda from recognized Spotted Elk family lines and survivor lists;

The probate records, which tie Lucinda and Little Finger together but list Little Finger’s grandparents as “unknown”, not as Spotted Elk;

The lack of any probate or documentary support for James Pipe On Head as a lineal descendant, despite his later claims, his use of the “Big Foot” name, and his family’s assertion that he was meant to replace Spotted Elk as a spiritual leader;

And the clear evidence that He Crow was adopted into the extended Spotted Elk family through John Weasel Bear, rather than born as a grandson;

the conclusion is consistent across multiple sources:

Lucinda, Little Finger, James Pipe On Head, and He Crow were not biological descendants of Chief Spotted Elk (Big Foot).
 

We do not deny that these families experienced hardship, loss, and trauma, nor that they are descendants of other survivors of the Wounded Knee Massacre. Their stories deserve to be understood on their own terms.
 

The problem is that their close ties to tribal government and institutions have made them a default “first point of contact” for outsiders. Their stories are amplified, while the voices of blood descendants—such as Calvin Spotted Elk—are too often ignored or actively challenged.

This pattern distorts historical memory,

Undermines lineal descendants’ rights, and

Risks repeating the erasure that began with the massacre itself.

As direct lineal descendants of Chief Spotted Elk, we have a responsibility to insist that claims to his name, his lineage, and the specific losses at Wounded Knee be grounded in verifiable evidence.

Clarifying these misattributions is not about erasing anyone else’s history; it is about:

Protecting the integrity of our grandfather’s line, and

Ensuring that descendant rights, remembrance, and repatriation are based on truth rather than on later, convenient, or conflicting stories.
 

Invitation to Dialogue and Next Steps

We welcome conversation with anyone who believes they have relevant information, including those who have been aggressively making claims we believe are false. We invite:

Sharing of family trees and documentation, especially if there are records that genuinely connect to the known Spotted Elk tiospaye;

Honest comparison of probates, censuses, land records, and oral histories;

And, if necessary, DNA testing, conducted in a way that respects Lakota values and the dignity of the ancestors.
 

What we ask is simple:

That no one violate the rights of direct lineal descendants,

That no one destroy or conceal evidence (such as belongings or hair samples) that could clarify the truth,

And that institutions stop relying on a single “progressive” narrative when the documentary and oral record clearly show something more complex.
 

We did not choose to spend nearly two decades doing this research, but lateral oppression and repeated misrepresentation made it necessary. We now maintain a detailed working database of many Spotted Elk and followers descendants that we know is useful to researchers and descendants alike.  We freely share that information within a group of descendants and intend to create a subscriber databs to help fund our further research because this is a lot of painstaking work.

We plan to make portions of this database available by subscription for educational and research purposes, so that others can see the documented lineage and understand the difference between:

Those who carry Chief Spotted Elk’s blood, and

Those whose stories have been mistakenly or intentionally layered onto his name.

We stand firm in this work out of love and respect for our grandfather, and for all those who died at Wounded Knee whose names and descendants deserve to be remembered truthfully.

Misattributed Descendants of Chief Spotted Elk (aka Big Foot)
 

In recent decades, several individuals and families have claimed to be direct descendants of Chief Spotted Elk (Big Foot) and survivors of the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. They have been very public about it but it is false.

Some of these claims have been repeated in publications, legal arguments, and institutional correspondence. In fact the only reason we have this site is it became necessary to challenge these claims as people began taking our research from Facebook and misusing it.
 

A careful review of oral history, agency records, survivor lists, and probate documents shows that a number of these claims are not supported by the evidence.

What follows is a summary of the issues surrounding Lucinda Pipe On Head, Little Finger, James Pipe On Head, and He Crow, and why our family—as direct lineal descendants of Chief Spotted Elk—does not recognize them as blood descendants of our grandfather.
 

Lucinda Pipe On Head’s Claim

Approximately five years after the Wounded Knee Massacre, Lucinda Pipe On Head gave a statement claiming that:

Her mother was a sister of Chief Spotted Elk (Big Foot), and

She herself had been “reared in his family.”  It is possible but that does not make her a lineal descendant of our grandfather.  Nor does it give her descendants the right to violate the legal and spirtual rights of the Spotted Elk tiospaye.
 

On paper, this would make Lucinda a niece of Spotted Elk. However, when this claim is compared with oral testimony, kinship records, and the broader historical record, several problems emerge:
 

The Spotted Elk, Crazy Horse, and related tiospaye families have no oral memory of Lucinda as a blood relative of Chief Spotted Elk.

Lucinda does not appear in any of the known Wounded Knee victim or survivor lists associated with Big Foot’s band.
 

Elders consistently identify Little Finger and He Crow as orphans, while Pipe On Head had a known father (Lone Man) and a wife named Lucinda. This places Lucinda in the story through marriage, not as a blood relative of Spotted Elk.

In the same papers where Lucinda appears, George and Thomas Blue Legs are listed with those orphans. We have their family trees and probate records as well. They are orphans, just as the elders said they all were.
 

Chronology and Wording

The timeline also raises doubts. Chief Spotted Elk is generally understood to have been born around 1826, while Lucinda’s reported birth year is 1851—a difference of roughly twenty-five years. Although this age gap does not make it absolutely impossible for Lucinda’s mother to have been Spotted Elk’s sister, there is no independent evidence of such a sister in the record, and the age spacing would be unusual.  If they have documentation (other than a book a white government employee wrote for the purpose of seeking compensation fifty years later, after elders had died, self reported family trees or are willing to take DNA tests) then we can certainly investigate but, to our knowledge, Lucinda was not our blood ancestor.
 

Lucinda’s phrasing that she was “reared in his family” is also ambiguous. It can just as easily describe:
 

An informal fostering arrangement, or a household that took in orphans,

as it could a literal niece relationship. This wording is, in fact, consistent with what elders say about orphans being taken in after Wounded Knee, and does not confirm any biological connection to Spotted Elk.  Spotted Elk was known for taking in orphans because of the many deaths at the time.  This is not a poor reflection on whether or not they were orphans.  It's to make a distinction when it comes to descendants' rights.

 

Probate Evidence and the Case of Little Finger

The probate records are critical because they were produced under federal oversight and used to determine heirs and land allotments. They provide a key test of whether a claimed descent was recognized when it materially mattered.

The records show the following about John Little Finger:

He was the son of Yellow Horse, who was Brulé, not Minneconjou. Yellow Horse was killed in 1882.
 

After Yellow Horse’s death, John’s mother married a Minneconjou man.

John later moved to Pine Ridge, where he was listed as the son of Medicine Woman Mousseau and grandson of Straw Woman, who appear on his family tree.

Later on, he was also listed as the son of Pipe On Head and others, reflecting how he moved between households and how later claims tried to attach him to different lines.
 

In more recent times, John’s grandson, Leonard, self-reported a family tree in order to obtain the pipes and lock of hair from Barre that rightfully should have gone to Calvin Spotted Elk as a direct lineal descendant. Leonard presented three different versions of that tree over time. The final version contained no direct maternal line to Chief Spotted Elk and appeared to insert a grandmother that was known on census records, not the actual grandmothers' name.
 

Despite this, Leonard used that tree to claim a right to the hair and pipe. After they secured the items, the lock of hair was burned when Jasper Spotted Elk asked the court to test a strand for DNA—this was done against Tribal Court Judge Sidney Witt’s order. This act permanently destroyed potential DNA evidence that could have resolved these questions. Although Calvin chose not to press charges, for our family this was—and remains—a profound violation of our rights of our grandfather's memory, as direct lineal descendants.
 

What the Probates Actually Say

The probate records show that:

There is no probate connection listing Chief Spotted Elk as an ancestor, parent, or grandparent in Lucinda’s family line.

It should be noted that Calvin Spotted Elk does in fact have not only the same name but also a probate record that shows not only that his grandfather was killed at Wounded Knee, was called Big Foot and was related to the head Minneconjou treaty signers.
 

There is a connection between Lucinda and Little Finger, tying their households together.
 

Crucially, Little Finger’s grandparents are listed as “unknown” through his sister in those same probate records.
 

Despite this, Little Finger later claimed to be a grandson of Chief Spotted Elk. If he had truly been a blood grandson, one would expect the probates to reflect that, since such a relationship would strengthen his legal standing in inheritance and claims. Instead, the probates explicitly record his grandparents as unknown, contradicting the later narrative.
 

In short, the legal record acknowledges a relationship between Lucinda and Little Finger, but does not acknowledge any blood relationship between either of them and Chief Spotted Elk. The “grandson” story appears only in later statements, not in the earlier, binding documentation.
 

James Pipe On Head and the “Big Foot” Name

Lucinda’s husband, Pipe On Head, had a father recorded as Lone Man and a wife named Lucinda. Their son, James Pipe On Head, would later be referred to as “Big Foot”, further complicating the historical picture.
 

Approximately fifty years after Wounded Knee, James Pipe On Head traveled to Washington, D.C. seeking compensation for family members killed at the massacre, primarily through correspondence with a man named McGregor. In these efforts, James positioned himself and his relatives as Wounded Knee descendants, and

Leaned heavily on the “Big Foot” name.
 

His family later claimed that James was meant to replace Spotted Elk as a spiritual leader. This is not supported by our history OR the record. Their family was Christian and identified as “progressive,” while Chief Spotted Elk remained a traditional Lakota leader who was labeled “hostile” and killed, just as Sitting Bull was. Spotted Elk was not commonly called “Big Foot” until shortly before his death, and that name came from non-Lakota sources, according to both family oral history and documentation.
 

The documentary record shows that:

There is no probate or federal record identifying James Pipe On Head as a blood descendant of Chief Spotted Elk.
 

His family’s probates and earlier statements do not list Spotted Elk as an ancestor.

James’s later testimony contradicts Lucinda’s earlier statement in the McLaughlin papers and does not align with the established ages, kinship ties, or survivor accounts in our own families.
 

Taken together, the evidence supports the conclusion that the “Big Foot” label used by James was adopted or attached later, and does not reflect a true lineal connection to Chief Spotted Elk.
 

He Crow: Adoption vs. Bloodline

The case of He Crow (often recorded as Jackson He Crow) is another example of how later claims have blurred the line between:

Adoption into a family, and

Blood descent from that family’s ancestors.

It is well documented that:

He Crow was Oglala, not Minneconjou.
 

There is no evidence that he was a biological grandson of Chief Spotted Elk.

After Wounded Knee, Jackson He Crow was adopted by John Weasel Bear.
 

John Weasel Bear is documented as a brother to Richard “Dick” Spotted Elk, who is a documented son of Chief Spotted Elk. Through this adoption, He Crow became part of the extended Spotted Elk family.
 

 

He Crow’s mother later married John Weasel Bear, approximately nine years after Wounded Knee. This is why He Crow appears in multiple records as a step-son to John, and also why he does not appear as a son in John Weasel Bear’s probate records.

In the 80's - 90's Calvin and Marie Not Help Him, Christine and Madeline Garnier and Pete Richards were present at te Wounded Knee Survivors association meetings.  Jasper attended nearly all of them.  Francis He Crow came to one meeting.  He claimed to be "Big Foot's grandson" He was asked to share his family tree and he said he didn't bring it with him.  Marie said they woud wait while he went and grabbed it but he said his house burned down and he didn't have it.  The next time we saw him was in court in 2011 and he still didn't have one.  Since the tribal president Star Comes Out claims to be a descendant through the He Crow line, he should meet with us so we can share documentation.  We have been asking for this since the sacred belongings were due to be returned from Massachusetts to no avail.
 

 

Adoption into the tiospaye creates real responsibilities, relationships, and social ties; those connections are meaningful and deserve respect. But for questions of lineal descent, compensation, Medals of Honor, and NAGPRA repatriation, it is essential to distinguish between adoptive kinship and direct biological descent.

In this case, the record shows that He Crow was taken in by a brother of Dick Spotted Elk, but he was not a biological grandson of Chief Spotted Elk.
 

“Progressives,” cultural differences and Misrepresentation

Another layer of confusion comes from the politics and religion of the early reservation period.
 

The family lines discussed above:

Were understood historically as “progressives,” aligned with Christianity and U.S. policy.
 

This particular familiy were also known to have very dstinct cultural differences which directly contradict  the beliefs and teachings associated with Chief Spotted Elk and his line. Like the origin of his nickname, we had not shared this until we had to come out in the public.  
 

Spotted Elk, by contrast, remained traditional and was labeled “hostile” by the U.S. government. He was killed for his position and for the spiritual leadership he provided to his people. To later confuse him with a “progressive” family—especially in photographs and public storytelling—erases what he stood for.   
 

Today, many officials, historians, and documentarians are first directed to these “progressive” families because of their close ties to tribal government and institutions. As a result:

Their stories are often the first and sometimes only voices heard,

While the stories of blood descendants, including Calvin Spotted Elk, are sidelined or dismissed,

And images of Ste Sítȟanka and his wife, both Oglala “progressives,” are repeatedly used in place of Chief Spotted Elk and his wife when meeting with officials, scholars, or educators.
 

This misrepresentation has the effect of erasing the true history and disconnecting Chief Spotted Elk’s name and image from his own family.

 

Protecting the Integrity of Spotted Elk’s Lineage

When we consider:

The absence of Lucinda from recognized Spotted Elk family lines and survivor lists;

The probate records, which tie Lucinda and Little Finger together but list Little Finger’s grandparents as “unknown”, not as Spotted Elk;

The lack of any probate or documentary support for James Pipe On Head as a lineal descendant, despite his later claims, his use of the “Big Foot” name, and his family’s assertion that he was meant to replace Spotted Elk as a spiritual leader;

And the clear evidence that He Crow was adopted into the extended Spotted Elk family through John Weasel Bear, rather than born as a grandson;

the conclusion is consistent across multiple sources:

Lucinda, Little Finger, James Pipe On Head, and He Crow were not biological descendants of Chief Spotted Elk (Big Foot).
 

We do not deny that these families experienced hardship, loss, and trauma, nor that they are descendants of other survivors of the Wounded Knee Massacre. Their stories deserve to be understood on their own terms.
 

The problem is that their close ties to tribal government and institutions have made them a default “first point of contact” for outsiders. Their stories are amplified, while the voices of blood descendants—such as Calvin Spotted Elk—are too often ignored or actively challenged.

This pattern distorts historical memory,

Undermines lineal descendants’ rights, and

Risks repeating the erasure that began with the massacre itself.

As direct lineal descendants of Chief Spotted Elk, we have a responsibility to insist that claims to his name, his lineage, and the specific losses at Wounded Knee be grounded in verifiable evidence.

Clarifying these misattributions is not about erasing anyone else’s history; it is about:

Protecting the integrity of our grandfather’s line, and

Ensuring that descendant rights, remembrance, and repatriation are based on truth rather than on later, convenient, or conflicting stories.
 

Invitation to Dialogue and Next Steps

We welcome conversation with anyone who believes they have relevant information, including those who have been aggressively making claims we believe are false. We invite:

Sharing of family trees and documentation, especially if there are records that genuinely connect to the known Spotted Elk tiospaye;

Honest comparison of probates, censuses, land records, and oral histories;

And, if necessary, DNA testing, conducted in a way that respects Lakota values and the dignity of the ancestors.
 

What we ask is simple:

That no one violate the rights of direct lineal descendants,

That no one destroy or conceal evidence (such as belongings or hair samples) that could clarify the truth,

And that institutions stop relying on a single “progressive” narrative when the documentary and oral record clearly show something more complex.
 

We did not choose to spend nearly two decades doing this research, but lateral oppression and repeated misrepresentation made it necessary. We now maintain a detailed working database of many Spotted Elk and followers descendants that we know is useful to researchers and descendants alike.  We freely share that information within a group of descendants and intend to create a subscriber databs to help fund our further research because this is a lot of painstaking work.

We plan to make portions of this database available by subscription for educational and research purposes, so that others can see the documented lineage and understand the difference between:

Those who carry Chief Spotted Elk’s blood, and

Those whose stories have been mistakenly or intentionally layered onto his name.

We stand firm in this work out of love and respect for our grandfather, and for all those who died at Wounded Knee whose names and descendants deserve to be remembered truthfully.

That is our hope and something we have been working toward for almost 20 years, now.  The research is a big part of piecing families back together.  It may not be possible to remember every single name but we are certain we can clear up many of the questions and errors on the current lists, as a result of our research.  With further research, there is a better chance but it is painstaking labor of love.  A bill is in the works for a memorial (Sacred Site Act) but it was recently killed in the Senate (2024) due to unrelated issues from a North Carolina senator so we will have to start again.  

Much of our history was suppressed, misrecorded, or ignored by outside institutions. Many families, including ours, were taught to remain quiet for our personal safety. Only now are we in a position to speak out, correct errors, and reclaim our place in the narrative.  Also access to the outside world.  Traditional people typically are not outward facing.  The internet has changed this and that is why we started facebook pages.  We are just a small family, though and cannot keep up with everything in addition to regular life.  We are doing our best to balance this.  

Many times, when we’ve shared our stories, they’ve been misused or exploited. That’s why we share carefully and only what we feel is appropriate. This is sacred history—personal, painful, and powerful.

Descendants from across the country are collaborating through shared records, oral interviews, and private family archives. We’ve built a historical database and continue to vet, document, and protect our truth.

Most are enrolled at Pine Ridge or Cheyenne River, Standing Rock and Rosebud reservations. Some live off-reservation but remain closely connected through kinship, ceremony, and our ongoing work.  We are still looking for descendants.  Some may be in Canada, as well.  This is an area where we could use resources.  

We strongly oppose the commercialization of this sacred place. Wounded Knee is a mass grave and a site of profound trauma and memory. It should be honored with respect - not exploited for profit.  It should be a place of respect first and education and cultural preservation second.  Too many times, outsiders come and disrespect the graves.  As someone whose entire family is buried there, this is deeply upsetting to me.  I would ask that people do not fired guns on the cemetery grounds, also.  And do not harass people visiting.  Please set up your stands well away from the gravesite.