Sandor Iron Rope is a member of the Tetonwan Lakota Oyate, Oglala Lakota spiritual leader from Porcupine District and enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Generational peyote practioner and spiritual leader. In 2006 he served as a delegate for the state of South Dakota to the Native American Church of North America (NACNA), Vice President of that organization from 2009-2012, and then President from 2012-2017. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Native American Church of South Dakota.
In 2017, Iron Rope became a founding member of the Indigenous Peyote Conservation Initiative (IPCI), a nonprofit organization focused on empowering Indigenous communities to connect with, preserve, and conserve their sacred peyote medicine. He frequently travels and serves as a spokesperson for peyote conservation and Indigenous Sovereignty, working in partnership with IPCI and the Indigenous Medicine Conservation Fund (IMCF).
Indigenous lifeways and cultural responsibilities are an oral expression by elders and wisdom keepers – a spiritual responsibility that has been passed down to Iron Rope. He contributes his time and energy to holistic wellness and preserving Lakota culture. He is a survivor of intergenerational trauma and gun violence who credits his recovery and treatment of post-traumatic stress (PTS) to his traditional Lakota spiritual practices, the peyote ceremonies, and exercise.
Iron Rope supports his community through his lifelong service as a spiritual intercessor, continues as a cultural advisor working with Indigenous groups throughout North America on biocultural preservation and Indigenous Sovereignty initiatives.
Miriam Volat M.S. is an organizer, facilitator and ecologist with a passion for soils and nutrient cycles. She works nationally and internationally to increase health in all systems. It is her honor to serve as staff Director of the Indigenous Peyote Conservation Initiative, Director of Donor Relationships for the Indigenous Medicine Conservation Fund and Co-Director of the Riverstyx Foundation.