Celtics’ Kyrie Irving named Little Mountain as member of Standing Rock Sioux

Source: The Guardian

The Boston Celtics star Kyrie Irving has officially become a member of the Standing Rock Sioux.

Irving and his older sister, Asia Irving, took part on Thursday in a traditional Native American ceremony recognizing their tribal heritage and support for the tribe’s long battle against the Dakota Access oil pipeline. They were honored with Lakota names during a ritual in a packed auditorium that tribal spokeswoman Danielle Finn said “is a very special rite of passage for a Lakota person.” Kyrie and Asia were given the names Little Mountain and Buffalo Woman respectively.

The Irvings’ late mother, Elizabeth Ann Larson, was a member of the tribe and lived on the reservation until her adoption at a young age. She died when Irving was four. Tribal chairman Mike Faith said: “We’re welcoming home two of our own.”

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