Ancestral Voices Return: Opening the Council

Ivan Looking Horse is a Lakota spiritual leader from the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota. Through ceremony, prayer, song, and teaching, he helps sustain Lakota traditions and strengthen the connections between community, cultural identity, and the natural world. His service extends across Lakota communities, supporting families through traditional ceremonies and sharing cultural knowledge with younger generations. He advocates for the preservation of the Lakota language, the honoring of sacred places, and the renewal of the Oceti Sakowin—the Seven Council Fires. At the heart of his message is a responsibility to protect Grandmother Earth, care for children and future generations, and meet one another with kindness. His work invites us to understand ancestral wisdom as a living practice expressed through service, relationship, and respect for life.

Dave Swallow, Jr., whose Lakota name is Wowitan Uha Mani—Walks With Pride, was born and raised on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. His spiritual journey began with a vision in his youth, followed by seven years of vision quest. Rooted in his Lakota heritage, Dave has traveled internationally, meeting people of many cultures and joining them in prayer. His life brings together a deep connection to his homeland and an openness to building relationships across cultural boundaries. At Ancestral Voices Return, he joins fellow Elders and wisdom keepers to share perspectives on ancestral responsibility, community, and our relationship with Mother Earth.

Guadalupe was born into humble circumstances, the second of four siblings. At the age of ten, her father was no longer part of her life, and from that young age she experienced the great love and care of her humble and loving mother. Through what she learned from her mother, Guadalupe resolved not to follow the same path. She studied and prepared herself for life, never imagining the many unexpected challenges that would lie ahead. She survived the devastating 1985 earthquake in Mexico City, the sudden death of her fiancé in 1989, the death of her mother in 1991, and the dissolution of her marriage in 1998. In 2005, through divine energy, Guadalupe was able to heal herself from a serious illness. In 2011, she experienced the kidnapping and disappearance of her younger sister, whom she loved like a daughter. From childhood, Guadalupe was never truly alone, although she understands that only now. For as long as she can remember, she has received messages, premonitions, teachings, and glimpses of future events through dreams. This led her, at a very young age, to explore books and ancestral wisdom. She eventually dedicated her life to the art of Moyocoyani—“the one who creates oneself,” cultivating oneself through one’s own efforts to become a better person—and to Toltecáyotl, placing these teachings at the service of others through healing therapies.