Longtime Tribal College leader Ron His Horse Is Thunder walks on

Ron His Horse is Thunder

ALEXANDRIA, VA – The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) expresses great sorrow at the passing of longtime Tribal College leader Ron His Horse Is Thunder on March 26, 2025.

A descendant of Sitting Bull, His Horse Is Thunder (Hunkpapa Lakota) was an educator, lawyer, activist, and advocate for Native American rights and culture. He attended Standing Rock Community College (now Sitting Bull College) and went on to earn his Juris Doctor degree at the University of South Dakota. Upon graduation, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe offered him the position of president of Sitting Bull College. Two years later, he was appointed president of the American Indian College Fund where he served from 1993 to 1995. He went on to serve as president at Little Hoop Community College (now Cankdeska Cikana Community College) before returning to Sitting Bull College where he served as president until he was elected chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in 2005. During this time, he also served as a commissioner for the Higher Learning Commission for the North Central Accreditation for Schools and Colleges and was appointed by President George W. Bush as chairman of the President’s Board of Advisors on Tribal Colleges and Universities.

His Horse Is Thunder later established a consulting firm with his wife Deborah and later served as interim president of Little Priest Tribal College in Nebraska, stabilizing the institution for its future leadership. He eventually retired to a quiet life on his ranch but was again moved to action when it was announced that the Dakota Access Pipeline would cut through traditional Lakota Tribal lands. Ron and Deborah both played leadership roles in the No DAPL movement, practicing civil disobedience and peaceful protest.  Along with his activism in the No DAPL movement, His Horse Is Thunder was a regular participant in the Chief Big Foot Memorial Ride, an annual 300-mile trek on horseback to commemorate the Wounded Knee massacre in 1890.

“Ron His Horse Is Thunder has helped pave the way for future generations in so many aspects of his life, from his dedication to the Tribal College Movement to his activism and his leadership,” said Ahniwake Rose, AIHEC President and CEO. “Most importantly he has been a champion of Tribal sovereignty and as we move on through uncertain times, his example is one we can follow.”

AIHEC extends condolences to Ron His Horse Is Thunder’s family, friends, Sitting Bull College, Cankdeska Cikana Community College, Little Priest Tribal College, and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

The post Longtime Tribal College leader Ron His Horse Is Thunder walks on first appeared on Native Sun News Today.

Visit Original Source