Inila-Wakan has been many places and seen many things.
He chooses makes his home on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where as a boy he was forcibly put through militaristic mission schools and where he's watched friends and family members struggle with stolen land, homes and hope.
Many have succumbed to alcoholism. Many have tragically died.
A roofer by trade, his calling now is to help preserve the future of his people, through change.
Among what he'd like to see is a less centralized tribal goverment that would allow social programs to administer their own budgets.
Another issue close to his heart is the fate of the stronghold area in the surrounding badlands.
The U.S. government took control from the tribe during World War II, so the army could use the area for bombing practice.
Nearby residents were given 10 days to vacate, with the promise they could later return, says Inila-Wakan. But after the war the area, which also contains Lakota burial sites, was declared surplus and the National Park service applied for and was granted control.
A few years ago, he took a knife and a sash and staked himself to the ground in the manner of a Tokala, a traditional Lakota warrior, to prevent park service employees from traveling into the stronghold area.
A tribal police officer approached and asked him what the stake was for and what would happen if the officer knocked it down.
"It's my connection to the earth and I'm not going to allow you to go in there," Inila-Wakan explained.
He was a human anachronism.
His actions and explanations that day split tribal authorities involved. More were in favor of his position, so the park service put its plans for the area on hold.
The issue is still being met over and no ruling has been made.
Hey, my name is Elise Desjarlais. I’ve been to Pine Ridge three different times now, and on my latest trip just this summer I had the priveledge of meeting Inila-Wakan and his amazing family. We were invited out to his house for a gathering with his family and our group. Meeting him was an eye-opening experience, seeing as we had to travel on Bombing Range road to get to his land, going right through the land where there were unexploded bombs and fragments from the governments’ bombing exploitation. I simply write to you hoping you had the same experience we did, and are able to continue to share the knowledge gained from such a treasure of a person and a family.