Meet The Team

Philimon D. Two Eagle is a Sicangu Lakota elder, leader, and advocate dedicated to the revitalization of Lakota sovereignty, traditional governance, and Indigenous self-determination. He is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Peta Omniciye Inc. (Council Fires, Inc.) Peta means fire and Omniciye refers to the Council of Chiefs holding council around the fire. Mr. Two Eagle also serves as Executive Director of the Sicangu Lakota Treaty Council, based on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in South Central South Dakota.   Mr. Two Eagle is from the Wanbli Nunpa Tiospaye (Two Eagles Family). His grandfathers fought at Pežísla, known historically as the Battle of the Little Bighorn (Greasy Grass), defending Lakota homelands, sovereignty, and way of life. He comes from a long line of Lakota warriors whose responsibility was to protect the people, the land, and the generations yet to come. This warrior responsibility continues today through leadership, service, discipline, and sacrifice rather than conquest.   Born and raised on the Rosebud Reservation, Mr. Two Eagle has devoted his life to serving the Sicangu Lakota Oyate. He served honorably in the United States Army from 1982 to 1986, and he and all six of his brothers served in the U.S. military, continuing a family tradition of service rooted in Lakota warrior values of courage, responsibility, and protection of life.   Mr. Two Eagle speaks the Lakota language and actively works to preserve and revitalize it, recognizing language as the foundation of inherent sovereignty and the living expression of Lakota law, identity, and worldview. He also practices the Seven Sacred Rites, grounding his leadership and decision-making in Lakota spiritual responsibility, balance, and respect for all life.   As an elder, Mr. Two Eagle speaks directly to the ongoing oppression of Oceti Sakowin elders caused by colonization, historical trauma, and imposed systems of domination. He teaches that elders carry the living laws, language, and memory of the people, and that the continued marginalization of elders threatens the survival of Lakota identity, governance, and nationhood.   At the core of his work is the belief that the Lakota people must return to traditional Lakota governance and abolish the doctrine of domination, including doctrines originating in the 15th-century Papal Bulls, later embedded in the Doctrine of Discovery and U.S. federal policies such   as plenary power. He teaches that these doctrines have no moral, spiritual, or lawful authority over the Lakota people and must be fully repudiated.   Mr. Two Eagle believes that true nation rebuilding begins by empowering the full structure of Lakota society—the Tiwahe (family), the Tiospaye (extended family network), the Ospaye (community or camp circle), and ultimately the Oyate (the people as a nation). Governance, education, economy, and responsibility flow upward from the Tiwahe, strengthening the nation as a whole.   His leadership is guided by the Lakota Seven Generations philosophy, which teaches that every decision must honor the ancestors, serve the present generation, and protect the lives, lands, and rights of the generations yet to come. Preparing the young generations with language, identity, responsibility, and the tools for self-governance is central to this responsibility.   He teaches that there are core efforts required to bring life back to the Oceti Sakowin: revitalizing the Lakota language; restoring Tatanka (bison) as a sacred keystone species that rebuilds ecosystems and brings back wildlife; creating a new Lakota economy, including Indigenous banking systems free from federal control; and building climate-resilient, off-grid housing and community facilities using local resources such as interlocking compressed earth bricks.   Through PETA Omniciye Incorporated, Mr. Two Eagle teaches that we must work together—across families, communities, and nations—to heal, rebuild, and return to our original way of life. Carrying forward the responsibility of his ancestors and the discipline of a warrior lineage, he continues to guide the people back to balance, dignity, and the circle.

Jennifer Martel is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. She has dedicated 22 years of service to Sitting Bull College, where she served as the Visitor Center Coordinator of the Sitting Bull Visitor Center. In this role, she welcomed visitors from around the world, serving as a cultural ambassador and educator while sharing the history, resilience, and living traditions of the Lakota people. Through her work in grant writing and community programming, Jennifer has expanded opportunities for local and surrounding communities by supporting traditional art, food sovereignty, and Indigenous medicine classes. She has built strong relationships with Native artists locally, nationally, and internationally, using networking and resource-sharing to uplift established artists and nurture emerging voices. Her work consistently centers community empowerment and cultural continuity. Jennifer is deeply engaged in community service, frequently working with youth, elders, and grassroots organizers, and plays a key role in coordinating cultural and educational events. She is recognized as a Native and artist rights activist, community leader, educator, grant writer, and public speaker, advocating for Indigenous sovereignty and the rights of future generations. She courageously served as a producer and story producer of the documentary film OYATE, which elevates the voices of Indigenous activists, organizers, and politicians. The film contextualizes the #NoDAPL movement, explores the interconnected challenges facing Indian Country, and envisions a more sovereign and sustainable future for Indigenous peoples. During the Standing Rock movement, Jennifer was a key organizer, directing thousands of people in and out of the reservation and developing protocols for national and international media outlets. She is a founding member of the Indigenous Peoples Movement, a global advocacy organization advancing First Nation sovereignty and rights. Jennifer also played a pivotal role in developing the Oceti Sakowin Treaty Conference, reviving a 150-year-old tradition of tribal leadership convenings, and she continues to help develop Indigenous-empowering conferences worldwide. Rooted in service, culture, and resistance, Jennifer Martel’s work reflects a lifelong commitment to uplifting Indigenous voices, protecting treaty rights, and strengthening community through leadership, art, and education.

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