South Dakota, USA
Luke and Linda Black Elk are food sovereignty activists and teachers of traditional plant uses, gardening, food preservation, and foraging. They spend their time collecting and preparing traditional foods and medicines for Indigenous peoples and communities in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and beyond. Luke is one of the founding board members of the Tatanka Wakpala Model Sustainable Community, which is a Native non-profit on the Cheyenne River Nation focusing on traditional building design, permaculture, food sovereignty, and a return to Lakota spirituality as a guide for everyday life. Linda is the Food Sovereignty Coordinator at United Tribes Technical College, where she teaches ethnobotany and traditional skills. Together, Luke and Linda sit on the board of Makoce Ikikcupi, a Native non-profit, which is a Reparative Justice project on Dakota lands in Minnesota. Luke and Linda make sure their three sons stay involved in all of this important work, so they may learn about the importance of feeding themselves and their communities with food and medicine that nourishes and heals mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.