Biography
Tokala Black Elk is an American actor. He was born in 1984 in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, and is a member of the Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe. A direct descendant of the Lakota holy man Black Elk on his mother's side, he grew up on the reservation and holds a certification to teach the Lakota language.
Black Elk is known for roles in the Yellowstone franchise, including Sam Stands Alone in Yellowstone (2018) and a Lakota Warrior in 1883 (2021). His film credits include Sam Littlefeather in Wind River (2017). He played Buffalo Run in the Netflix series American Primeval (2025) and appears as Takoda in the NBC sitcom Happy's Place (2024–).
As a teenager he testified before the US Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs on behalf of the Oglala Sioux Tribe.
