About Us
Oceti Wakan is a small non-profit located on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, the home of the Oglala Lakota people, also known as the Sioux Nation. Oceti Wakan was founded by Pete S Catches Sr. (Petaga Yuha Mani) and Peter V Catches (Zintkala Oyate), 37th and 38th generation Lakota Spotted Eagle medicine men. Their vision, which includes all peoples,  was to establish a healing center to deal with crucial issues such as cultural genocide, disease, poverty, and alcohol/drug addiction and abuse.  As a result of cultural genocide, language, virtue, and value education are affected.  Culture is maintained, evolves and flourishes from one generation to the next by way of the language. 

The healing center is the heart of our project. It will have a large ceremonial/education house, surrounded by small cabins and located on the same grounds where the Pte Woku Sundance has taken place for the past 36 years. This spot is located at the foothills of the sacred Black Hills, known as Red Feather Valley, deep in the country. We have the land and the architectural design for the building and are now working on acquiring the funds. 

Oceti Wakan has developed many Lakota culture and language books and CDs which can be viewed on this website. We have also developed an alcohol and drug prevention program for our children which is based on Lakota virtues and values, and which many of our schools have used over the years. With the help of an ANA grant, Oceti Wakan has developed 'Lakota Language Learning Stations' for kindergarten thru second grade which give the child a "safe" environment in which to learn to speak the language.  Parents can work with their children at home using the accompaning book/CD, 'Guiding Your Child in Speaking the Lakota Language'.