Theresa Two Bulls

Theresa B. "Huck" Two Bulls (Oglala Sioux) (October 23, 1949 – November 21, 2020 In 2004 she was elected as Democratic member of the South Dakota Senate, representing the 27th district, the first American Indian woman to be elected to the state legislature. She served until 2008. That year Two Bulls was elected as president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of the Pine Ridge Reservation, the second woman to serve in this position. She served one term, which was two years.

In elective office, Two Bulls particularly worked to develop stronger relationships between tribal and local and state governments. She also served on a United States Department of Justice task force to develop guidelines for and implementation of a study to reduce violence against Indian women. In 2015 she was secretary-treasurer of the National Congress of American Indians.

Early life and education Theresa Two Bulls was born into the Oglala Lakota Tribe in Oglala, where her mother worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) at the Lone Man School. She had to retire after becoming ill and the family moved to the town of Pine Ridge in 1964. Theresa went to the Pine Ridge High School. Later she graduated from college, completed law school and passed the bar. She worked as an attorney.

Elected as a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribal Council, Two Bulls served four terms as Secretary of the executive committee. She was also elected as vice-president of the Tribe.

In 2003 Two Bulls became a tribal prosecutor for the State Attorney General's Office in South Dakota. The next year she ran for the state senate. When she won, the AG's office gave her a sabbatical in order to serve in state office.

While in the senate, Two Bulls served on the State/Tribal Relations Committee, as a member of the Health and Human Services Committee since 2005, and as member of the State-Local Government Committee. She also served on a national task force to assist the Department of Justice to develop guidelines for a study on violence against Indian women, and to implement the resulting recommendations. Her vice-president was Shorty Brewer. Two Bulls was the second woman elected to that position after Cecilia Fire Thunder, who was elected in 2004.

When the rate of suicide rose among youth on the reservation in late 2009, Two Bulls declared a state of emergency to address the problem, gathered counselors to work with residents, and organized a call-in to President Barack Obama's White House to highlight the issue. That winter she responded quickly to a severe blizzard, arranging for transportation of emergency supplies of propane, wood and food to people in outlying areas of the reservation. "When Native American veterans of the Korean War were honored recently [2009-2010] in Rapid City, Theresa Two Bulls was the only tribal president to show up...." She shook each veteran's hand.

In October 2010 Two Bulls and John Yellow Bird Steele were the top two candidates for tribal president, so competed in the November election. Two Bulls lost narrowly as Steele won with 51.1% of the vote. He had earlier served five terms as president of the tribe since 1992. as did the Oglala Sioux Tribal Court.

Marriage, family, and death Two Bulls was married to Ellis Steve Brings Him Back, Jr, with children. She died on November 21, 2020, in Chadron, Nebraska.