Oglala Lakota, Pine Ridge Reservation
Brenda was born on April 13th, 1964, on the Pine Ridge Reservation. She is an enrolled member of the Oglala Lakota Nation.
When Brenda was 8 years old, one of her older sisters began teaching her how to bead. Brenda’s mother Susie also encouraged her as well as her other siblings to learn beading and to pass down the tradition of beading to the next generation.
Brenda enjoys the process of creating designs to use within her beadwork. Her favorite design to bead is her horse pattern, which can be seen on her full-size cradleboards. Growing ups, she was an avid horse rider, and has always loved horses in general. She also incorporates her admiration for them into her beadwork designs and even specializes in doing traditional style beadwork as well.
Brenda currently lives in Allen, South Dakota with her daughter to whom she passed down the tradition of beading.
