National Geographic Society

Floyd Red Crow Westerman passed away Thursday morning after fulfilling an assiduous life as an activist, folk singer and actor. On several occasions, Westerman served as the presiding elder for All Roads events including the festival's first welcome event in 2004. Born on the Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota Sioux reservation in South Dakota in 1936, Westerman gained international acclaim as a folk-singer championing Human Rights for Indigenous People of the World, touring all over Europe, North, South and Central America. In the early 90's he again toured the globe with Sting to help raise funds for the Rain Forest Foundation Project in support of his commitment to help stop the cutting of the Rain Forest in the Amazon jungle. As an actor he made his big screen debut in the 1989 film Renegades where he played "Red Crow" the Lakota Sioux father of Lou Diamond Phillips. Since this debut, he gained a myriad of roles both on the silver screen and network television, where he was nominated for a Golden Globe for the HBO film Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. His spirit lives on through this work and those touched throughout his rich life.