Crow Dog relatives and Thómas Lopez Jr. give differing accounts of kinship and TOKALA

This is a developing story. IND will update it as the people involved respond.

On Saturday, a five-page statement from Joann M. Crow Dog, widow of Chief Leonard Crow Dog Sr., and affirmed by his daughter Shwanah Crowdog-Perez, said Thómas Lopez Jr. is not Crow Dog’s grandson. It also objects to commercial uses of TOKALA, the name of a Lakota warrior society.

Lopez, the organizer known online as @landbackbaddie, responded on Sunday that Crow Dog was their Húŋka grandfather. In an interview with IND on Monday, Lopez called the statement’s denials “hurtful and it’s not true,” and took accountability for how the TOKALA name was used.

The statement was shared in a joint Instagram post by @buffalojumpnyc and @sunkakangi.

What the statement says

The statement says: “Thomas Lopez Jr. is not the grandson of Chief Leonard Crow Dog Sr.” It also says that neither Thomas Lopez Sr. nor Sharon Dominguez was adopted by Crow Dog through Húŋka ceremony, and describes Húŋka as a Lakota tradition of making relatives that carries responsibilities and spiritual significance.

The statement calls on Vogue, Nike, the book’s publishers and other institutions to examine the cultural significance of TOKALA and to consult appropriate Lakota representatives. It also points to a tote bearing TOKALA and Nike branding. “Our Lakota identity is not a marketing tool. Our warrior societies are not fashion labels. Our ceremonies are not commodities,” the statement says.

Leo Cordier, who signed the joint post’s caption as Buffalo Jump NYC’s chef and co-owner, described the dispute as concerning his own family and identified himself as a member of the Tokala, or Kit Fox, Society. “Our culture is not a trend. Our societies are not brands. Our identity is not for sale,” he wrote.

What Lopez says

In a two-slide Instagram response, Lopez wrote: “Leonard Crow Dog is my grandfather, hunka. He was my grandfather from the day I was born til the day he passed.” Lopez identifies their family as Xicanos, with Indigenous, Mexican and American identities, and wrote that they are not from Rosebud, were not raised there, and are not a chief, road man or medicine person.

Speaking to IND by phone, Lopez said their father, Thomas Lopez Sr., whom they described as a Sundance chief, and their mother, Sharon Dominguez, were part of the Chicano and American Indian movements in the 1970s, which is how they came into the Sundance way of life led by Crow Dog.

“When I was born, I was born into that relation,” Lopez said. They described Húŋka as a teaching they received from Crow Dog about the right “to self-determine who your people are.”

Lopez said there were long-standing “interpersonal issues” behind the statement. “It’s hurtful because I love my grandma Joann,” they said. They said they have known Crow Dog-Perez since childhood and recalled growing up together on family trips.

“I don’t want to talk about anybody else’s identity because, again, that is not my place to talk about anybody else,” they said.

Two accounts

The statement and Lopez’s account conflict, and neither alone resolves the history of those relationships. Published descriptions have circulated for years: The FADER’s 2017 Standing Rock report described Thomas Tonatiuh Lopez as Chicano and as the adopted son of Sicangu Lakota parents, and a 2024 Cero Magazine profile described Lopez as Crow Dog’s grandchild. Those descriptions document how the relationship was presented; they do not independently verify it.

IND makes no finding on kinship or identity.

TOKALA

TOKALA began as a photography series published by Vogue in July 2022, involving photographer Carlos Jaramillo, creative director and stylist Marcus Correa, filmmaker Jazmin Garcia and Lopez, and later became a photography book published by Convoke. Both connect the name to the Lakota Tokala, or Kit Fox, Society.

Lopez said the project’s intention “was to uplift young people, young warriors in their communities.”

They said that not first considering whether Lakota people would accept the name, even with the backing of their own family, “was a major mistake, and it is something that I’m willing to take accountability for.”

Lopez said the project is not making money. They estimated the book has sold “maybe 75 copies,” and said more than half of its cost came from the collaborators’ personal finances.

The group had already discussed paying down that debt and then giving the book away to communities as an educational piece, Lopez said.

“It doesn’t even need to be called this anymore,” they said of the project’s name. “We can call it something completely different.”

The Nike tote

Lopez said Nike’s support for TOKALA was not a public sponsorship. Through people at the company who support the art project, they said, Nike provided money for the book launch, distribution and contractors such as photographers and printers. They said the tote was made for one event and given out with the book there, not sold.

Lopez said they included the tote in a post because of its Nike branding, at a time when they were looking for sponsors for Indigenous New York Fashion Week. “I shouldn’t have used that. I shouldn’t have done that. I take full accountability for that,” they said. “I know better. And I did it anyway.”

Nike has not responded to IND’s questions about its involvement. IND has not independently confirmed the funding Lopez described.

Accountability

“I want to take accountability for any harm or any disrespect that I have caused,” Lopez said.

They spoke of pride in their family. “I’m very proud to be Chicano. I’m very proud to be Húŋka Lakota. I’m very proud to be one of many grandchildren of Leonard Crow Dog Senior,” they said.

Lopez said they are in contact about the dispute with Chief Leonard Crow Dog Jr., whom they called their brother.

Replies and outstanding questions

IND sent questions to Lopez, the two signatories, Condé Nast and Nike on Oct. 18. The email to Joann Crow Dog’s listed address was returned as undeliverable; the request also went to Crow Dog-Perez, and IND sent a message to the @sunkakangi Instagram account on Monday morning. As of publication, IND had not received a reply from the signatories, Condé Nast or Nike.

IND has not been able to reach Thomas Lopez Sr. or Sharon Dominguez directly and has invited them, and other members of the family, to share their perspective.

---

Indigenous.tv has previously shared the TOKALA project’s Vogue feature and has featured Lopez in its coverage of Indigenous New York Fashion Week.