Joseph Marshall III was born and raised on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation and is an enrolled member of the Sicangu Lakota (Rosebud Sioux) tribe. Because he was raised in a traditional Lakota household by his maternal grandparents, his first language is Lakota. In that environment he also learned the ancient tradition of oral storytelling. Marshall is an author with nine non-fiction works, three novels, a collection of short stories and essays and several screenplays to his credit. He is also a speaker and lecturer, having appeared throughout the United States and in countries such as France, Sweden and Siberia. Marshall has also appeared in television documentaries, served as technical advisor for movies, and served as the narrator for the six-part mini-series Into the West, as well as playing the on-screen role of 'Loved by the Buffalo', a Lakota medicine man.