Dusky twilight slowly gives way to the blackness of night as we’re preparing to begin a sacred ceremony in the sweat lodge that Mo Brings Plenty has meticulously built on his family ranch in rural Kansas. Nature comes alive in the darkness that surrounds us, with coyotes layering their cheerful yips onto the sounds of the crackling fire nearby. He explains that he and his wife, Sara Ann, feed the pack through the winter to ensure their survival. Someone asks if the coyotes disturb the array of animals on the property: both domesticated and wild horses, cattle, buffalo, dogs, cats, and a hodgepodge of rescued ducks, geese, and other birds. In his characteristic gracious manner, Mo responds that his family lives in harmony with the coyotes, which are so often considered pests and predators.
This seemingly inconsequential conversation perfectly embodies Mo’s life mission: to usher in a renaissance of coexistence among all human beings, animals, and Mother Nature. Most recognizable these days for his role in the blockbuster modern western Yellowstone, the 53-year-old actor has been pursuing that goal all his life, though he couldn’t articulate it early on. In fact, he spent much of his younger years at odds with his Lakota identity—at once embracing the rich cultural heritage passed down by his ancestors yet feeling the deep shame that has plagued Native communities for centuries due to pervasive colonialism and forced assimilation.
Seeing Mo today—standing tall in his power as the American Indian affairs coordinator of Taylor Sheridan’s ever-growing universe and as one of the most renowned Native actors alongside the likes of costar Gil Birmingham, Kimberly Norris Guerrero,
