John Yellow Bird Steele
President, Oglala Sioux Tribe
First recorded November 12, 2015
John Yellow Bird Steele is a seven non-consecutive term president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. John previously served as president, starting in the early 1990s and continuing non-consecutively to 2008. He also served two terms as vice president. John has always been active in many different capacities of tribal government, tribal education, tribal law and order, and as an advocate for the Black Hills Treaty Council.
He has testified before the United States Congress many times, and is active on behalf of the Tribe in other national and regional organizations whose purposes are to protect tribal sovereignty and advocate for the needs of Indian people. John is also an active advocate for health care, education, land, housing, and water issues. He regularly advocates for the elderly and voices his concern over their unmet needs, particularly with regard to nutrition and shelter.
John graduated from Marquette University High School, attended Marquette University and is a Vietnam War veteran. John and his wife Anna Little Dog live in Manderson, andhave 9 children and 23 grandchildren.
