Ernestine "Ernie" Brown-Chasing Hawk has been doing beadwork since early childhood. Chasing Hawk learned to bead from her grandmother, Cecilia One Bull-Brown. Chasing Hawk has vivid memories of long walks with her grandmother, "Unci" (grandmother in Lakota) raiding ant piles looking for colorful beads to make rings and bracelets.

Beading has been a tradition in Chasing Hawk's family for many generations. Her mother, Andrea Rave-Janis, and aunts, Ernestine "June" Brown-Chasing Hawk, Lillian Brown-Sogge, and Grace Brown-Jamerson all did beautiful beadwork. Chasing Hawk's mother was always beading and took her materials with her everywhere. "Beading became natural for me since I was always around it," says Chasing Hawk.

During the late 1970's when Chasing Hawk was living in Rapid City, she made frequent visits to the Sioux Indian Museum and the Tipi Shop. She often studied the beadwork on exhibition at the Sioux Indian Museum, which helped her perfect her own work.

Today, Chasing Hawk makes beaded jewelry, belts, evening bags, and buckskin outfits. She uses cut glass beads, seed beads, colored nylon thread, buckskin, and leather to create her pieces. Her work is Native American in theme, with Lakota geometric designs.

Chasing Hawk uses various beading techniques such as overlay, lazy stitch, crow stitch, peyote stitch, and looming. Currently, Chasing Hawk is learning to graph pictures in beaded pieces.

Ernestine Brown-Chasing Hawk, an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, was born on November 23, 1957. She is the daughter of Sylvan Charles Brown. Chasing Hawk graduated from high school in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, in 1975.

Chasing Hawk currently resides in Eagle Butte, South Dakota with her husband, Robert Chasing Hawk Sr. She has seven children from her previous marriage.