BIOGRAPHY
Stephanie Two Crow - Isna Maka Glakinyan Mani Win (Woman Walks Across Earth Alone) - comes from Northern Cheyenne, Cheyenne River, Rosebud, and Oglala Lakota bloodlines and was born and raised on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. She resides in Little Wound (Kyle), SD, in the American Horse Creek Community.
Stephanie shares, “I feel very fortunate to have grown up in my grandparents’ generation and to have lived in ceremony, our traditional life ways, and to have the Lakota Language as my first language.” From a young age, she learned beadwork, quillwork, and cultural values from her grandmother and respected women in her community. Following her grandmother’s footsteps, she now teaches and supports relatives in cultural preservation through art, education, and community work.
Since 2017, Stephanie has served as an adjunct instructor at Oglala Lakota College and has led numerous cultural preservation efforts across Pine Ridge and the surrounding He Sapa and Rapid City communities. Her work includes collaborations with Columbia University on blending science and traditional knowledge to preserve plant relatives, as well as partnerships with the University of Nebraska and the University of Michigan on sexual violence prevention programs that are youth-focused.
Stephanie holds multiple degrees from Oglala Lakota College, including Office Technology, Human Services, Tribal Law, a BA in Lakota Studies, and a Certificate in Lakota Language. She is currently pursuing her Master’s degree and hopes to one day earn her PhD.
An active board member and advocate for Indigenous health and well-being, Stephanie supports Elders, Youth, MMIP, LGBTQIA2S+, unhoused relatives, sexual violence prevention, and Wamakanskan (animal) rights. She says, “Most importantly, I am a granddaughter, daughter, mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, cousin, and friend.” She has been an artist and instructor with Oglala Lakota Artspace for several years and is honored to be at First Peoples Fund.
