Richard Spotted Elk (my older brother)
Richard Spotted Elk devoted his life to service, community care, and the protection of Lakota history. Until his death, he was actively involved in efforts to repatriate our cultural items and grandfather's human remains, believing deeply that these responsibilities belonged with the descendants and the people themselves. Near the end of his life, he told his family that this work would continue telling me (Calvin) plainly, “It’s going to be up to you.” Others, including our uncle Pete Richards, echoed the same message, as if they already understood that the responsibility would be handed forward.
Richard was a lifelong community worker on Pine Ridge and in the surrounding districts. After snowstorms, he would go out on his own to check on people -especially elders- to see who needed help. He delivered firewood, food, and meals for elders, often taking on jobs no one else wanted to do. He never sought praise or payment and helped whether he was compensated or not. Over time, his example inspired others to step up and do the same. He believed you didn’t need to be rich or even strong to help people - just willing.
Elders across Porcupine, Manderson, Kyle, and Pine Ridge remembered and respected him for his consistency and care. He coordinated elder meals in multiple districts and worked directly with elders to make sure needs were met. Richard worked in tribal employment programs within the Oglala Sioux Tribe, including TWEP, JTPA, JOM, and other work programs, as well as with various mission groups. Along Highway 18, people remembered him through groups such as Hands of Faith and ReMember. He also did practical labor for the community, including repairing buffalo fencing for Oglala Lakota College to help maintain the buffalo herds.
Richard was smart and very observant. He had a deep knowledge of our history. He carried stories, names, and connections that many people had forgotten, and he shared what he knew in a quiet, steady way -especially when it mattered for family, descendants, and community. Alongside his community work, he was always researching -balancing care for his family with long hours in libraries on and off the reservation, working with extremely limited resources but persistent determination. He was doing the same kind of historical and family research we continue today.
He was also deeply skilled on the land. Richard was an exceptional hunter and tracker who understood hunting as responsibility, not sport. On one difficult trip, with only a single bullet and multiple families counting on meat, he shot a buck and wounded it -it wasn’t a clean kill. With no ammunition left, he tracked the wounded buck and, out of necessity, and we had to finish it with his knife. It was a large, middle-aged buck, and bringing it out required dragging it from a steep gorge and hauling it to where it could be loaded into a truck. That meat fed multiple households for weeks.
Athletically, Richard was pretty incredible. Known for his speed, endurance, and agility, he excelled at basketball and played with anyone -kids or adults- anywhere there was a hoop. His stamina and quickness stood out, and his strength was legendary; people still tell stories of feats that seemed almost superhuman. He also loved fishing and we often spent time at local creeks, lakes, Oglala Dam, and the Kyle community dam.
Richard helped clear roads during dangerous winter conditions -sometimes before official crews arrived- simply because it needed to be done. He always said, you have got to anticipate what might be next and prepare. After an ambulance crash caused by unsafe roads, he went out on his own to help prevent anyone else from getting hurt. Eventually, road department workers would pick us up and I worked alongside him, recognizing what he had already been doing without being asked.
Richard Spotted Elk lived quietly but left a deep imprint. He served without seeking recognition, cared for elders, fed families, protected his community, and worked to ensure that Lakota history and remains would one day be returned with dignity. His life showed that leadership is carried through action - and that the work does not end, it is handed forward.