Linda Black Elk

Linda Black Elk
Linda Black Elk at the 2024 Agricultural Outlook Forum
Born	Ohio
Occupations	botanist, educator, activist
Notable work	Native Science: Understanding and Respecting Other Ways of Thinking (2016)

Linda Black Elk is an American ethnobotanist, educator, and food sovereignty activist in the field of traditional Indigenous foodways. ^[1]

Background

Linda Black Elk's biography states she is a "diverse mix of Korean, Mongolian, and Catawba ancestry. ^[2] The Catawba Nation issued a cease-and-desist letter to Black Elk in 2024. ^[3] Linda's mother came to the United States from Korea. ^[4]

Black Elk was raised in the Ohio valley, and her knowledge began with learning about edible and medicinal plants from her mother and grandmother, before she continued to pursue her education in field of ethnobotany. ^[2]

Linda Black Elk is married to Luke Black Elk, a citizen of the Cheyenne River Sioux. They work together in learning and educating about traditional native foods and medicines. ^[2]

Career and activism

Linda Black Elk speaking at United Tribes Technical College community engagement event in Bismarck, North Dakota co-hosted by USDA on May 31, 2023

Linda Black Elk has served as Food Sovereignty Coordinator at United Tribes Technical College and joined North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems in 2023 as Education Director. ^{[1] [2]} Black Elk is also a founding member of Mni Wiconi Health Circle, and an advocate and active supporter of various Native environmental justice movements. ^[2] She also contributes to shared knowledge sources as an author of multiple scientific articles.

Writing

Black Elk authored Development of the Renewal on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation Project, published in the Rangelands Journal, which addresses some of the current issues on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, and discusses possible paths forward. ^[5] This leads into Linda Black Elk's article, Native Science: Understanding and Respecting Other Ways of Thinking, featured in the Journal, Rangelands. In this article, Black Elk details the value of Native ways of knowing in science, specifically towards rangelands management. ^[6]

Linda Black Elk is also an author of:

• Centering Indigenous Knowledges in ecology and beyond and A path to reconciliation between Indigenous and settler–colonial epistemologies, both published in Frontiers in the Environment and Ecology. ^{[7] [8]}
• Ethnobiology Phase VI: Decolonizing Institutions, Projects, and Scholarship, published in The Journal of Ethnobiology ^[9]

References

1. Thomas, Martin (August 3, 2023). "natifs.org WELCOMES LINDA BLACK ELK AS EDUCATION DIRECTOR". NATIFS. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
2. Zoeller, Chezza. "Agricultural Hero: Linda Black Elk". One Earth. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
3. Anderson, Tylee. "Preserving Identity: Catawba Nation Issues Cease and Desist Letters" (PDF). Office of Tribal Government. The Catawba Nation. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
4. Nelson, Kate (February 6, 2024). "Listen to Plants, Says Indigenous Forager and Activist Linda Black Elk". Civil Eats. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
5. Hendrickson, John R.; Black Elk, Linda; Faller, Timothy (February 1, 2016). "Development of the Renewal on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation Project". Rangelands. Incorporating Rangeland Management on Tribal Lands: An Example from the Northern Great Plains. 38 (1): 1–2. doi:10.1016/j.rala.2015.12.007. hdl: 10150/640126 . ISSN   0190-0528.
6. Black Elk, Linda (February 1, 2016). "Native Science: Understanding and Respecting Other Ways of Thinking". Rangelands. Incorporating Rangeland Management on Tribal Lands: An Example from the Northern Great Plains. 38 (1): 3–4. doi:10.1016/j.rala.2015.11.003. hdl: 10150/640121 . ISSN   0190-0528.
7. Gazing Wolf, Joseph; Ignace, Danielle D; David‐Chavez, Dominique M; Jennings, Lydia L; Smiles, Deondre; Blanchard, Paulette; Simmons, Ellen; Doan‐Crider, Diana; Kills, Ruth Plenty Sweetgrass‐She; Montgomery, Michelle; Nelson, Melissa K; Black Elk, Linda; Black Elk, Luke; Bridge, Gwen; Chischilly, Ann Marie (June 19, 2024). "Centering Indigenous Knowledges in ecology and beyond". Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 22 (7). doi: 10.1002/fee.2776 . ISSN   1540-9295.
8. Gazing Wolf, Joseph; Simmons, Ellen; Blanchard, Paulette; Jennings, Lydia L; Ignace, Danielle D; David‐Chavez, Dominique M; Smiles, Deondre; Montgomery, Michelle; Plenty Sweetgrass‐She Kills, Ruth; Nelson, Melissa K; Doan‐Crider, Diana; Black Elk, Linda; Black Elk, Luke; Bridge, Gwen; Chischilly, Ann Marie (April 23, 2025). "A path to reconciliation between Indigenous and settler–colonial epistemologies". Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 23 (7). doi: 10.1002/fee.2847 . ISSN   1540-9295.
9. "Sage Journals: Discover world-class research". Sage Journals. doi:10.2993/0278-0771-41.2.170 . Retrieved March 2, 2026.