Sometimes, instead of where we thought we’d end up, we end up where we should. This is Rose Red Elk’s story.

Red Elk grew up between Texas and the Ft. Peck Assiniboine/Sioux reservation in Montana. She is Lakota (Sioux) on her father’s side and Nakota (Assiniboine) on her mother’s side. She came to Colorado in the mid-1990s, a result of Red Elk deciding, after obtaining three degrees in Texas, and having four children, that a law degree was in her future.

Courtesy photo – Rose Red Elk

Red Elk is a person who plans and then acts, but when this plan didn’t come to fruition, she felt lost. Through this painful time, she went to work in corporate America, but as a spiritual person, she was listening closely to her spiritual guides, who had other plans for her life.

Open to change, especially when all signs pointed that way, eventually, she left her steady corporate gig. She walked a path that led to opportunities she never could have dreamed of having. Red Elk has become an ambassador, entertainer and educator.

It hasn’t been an easy path, but she knew in her heart that it was the right path. Despite setbacks over the years, she has had the opportunity through music and narrative to teach the world about the history of native people and keep their stories alive.

As a Native American Storyteller, Red Elk tells the stories of the indigenous people of this country. It’s about wonder, it’s about teaching, and long before words were written down, storytelling has always been a way to communicate. Red Elk does not make up the stories she tells, they are legends from Native American lore.

“What happens when I tell a story, is that people begin to think about the stories their grandparents told them or the stories from their family and it helps people connect to their own heritage,” explained Red Elk.

“We are all storytellers,” she adds. “Every human has their own story.”

Through her work, Red Elk has traveled the world, working for the U.S. Department of State as a representative not only of the United States, but of Native Americans.

“Being Native American is so well-received and well respected internationally,” said Red Elk. “It is truly amazing.”

Red Elk is an oral storyteller, contemporary musician, writer and artisan. Her website hosts a store selling everything from delicate dream catchers she makes by hand to Red Elk’s four albums. Her newest work, which was released in November is “Keepers of the Wisdom,” an instrumental album that features healing stories and guided meditations.  Her website is also where events and awards are listed, as well as upcoming performances. While things have been quiet for Red Elk during the pandemic, she believes this new album is a good way to ease back into performing regularly.

Red Elk loves living in Berthoud, and with the town she calls her sanctuary, Estes Park just 35 miles away, she is happy to be in this part of Colorado.

Interestingly, Colorado is a hub for Native American organizations. Everything from federal agencies that work with Native American groups to the American Indian Academy that opened several years ago called Denver home. There are 67,000 Native Americans living in Denver metro, from tribes around Canada and the United States. One of the largest Pow Wows in the country takes place annually in March at the Denver Coliseum.

Visit Rose Red Elk at www.RedFeatherWoman.com, and check out her new album under the Store tab.