Black Elk speaks: Being the life story of a holy man of the Oglala Sioux: Amazon.ca: Black Elk: Books

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"If any great religious classic has emerged in this century or on this continent, it must certainly be judged in the company of "Black Elk Speaks"...The most important aspect of the book, however, is not its effect on the non-Indian populace who wished to learn something of the beliefs of the Plains Indians but upon the contemporary generation of young Indians who have been aggressively searching for roots of their own in the structure of universal reality. To them the book has become a North American bible of all tribes." - Vine Deloria, Jr. "The experience of Black Elk...comes to one great statement, which for me is a key statement to the understanding of myth and symbols." - Joseph Campbell in an interview with Bill Moyers, "The Power of Myth". His meeting with the Sioux holy man Black Elk, John G. Neihardt once said, was the most memorable experience of his life. In 1930, while working on the concluding poem of his Cycle of the West, Neihardt had gone to the Pine Ridge Reservation hoping to find "some old medicine man who had been active in the Messiah Movement and who might be induced to talk with me about the deeper spiritual significance of the matter." In Neihardt, Black Elk recognized the one who had been sent to learn what "was given to me for men." The next summer, in a long series of talks, Black Elk imparted his own life story and the story of the Oglala Sioux during the tragic decades of the Custer battle, the ghost dance, and the Wounded Knee massacre. "Black Elk Speaks", originally published in 1932, is venerated by many who have become alarmed at the declining spiritual and material quality of life in the age of computers and "Star Wars". While the elec-tronic media purvey fragmented images of tragic schisms, "Black Elk" offers an eloquent and profound vision of the unity of all creation.

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17 Reviews

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4.5 out of 5 stars (17 customer reviews)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Black Elk Speaks, Oct 6 2004

By

K Scheffler (Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Black Elk speaks: Being the life story of a holy man of the Oglala Sioux (Paperback)

I have to say that Black Elk Speaks is one of the most fascinating books that I've read in a while. It has given me a better understanding of the Lakota people, in particular the significance of visions. The whole process of "civilizing" the American West was a dubious undertaking, the illegitimacy of which has, unfortunately, become distorted by rhetoric and romanticism. This illegitimacy is something that America has naturally been reluctant to face, and it something that will likely never be rectified. Sad really, as what happened to the Lakota, among many others, contradicts quite blatantly the nobel principles that America has, since it's creation, claimed to stand for. Black Elk's story has heightened my understanding of the injustices that the Lakota and other Indians faced. It is an excellent source for those who want a more balanced and truthful account of what happened during c. 1870 to 1890 on the American frontier.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Primary Source, April 19 2004

By

Jonathon Lever (Green River, WY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux (Paperback)

Black Elk's account of the life of the plains indians at the close of the 19th Century is an excellent first hand account of how the United States forced change on the Native Americans and how they struggled to find a way to save their culture in the face of such a radically different and sometimes violent opposing philosophy. Through out the story, Black Elk indicates a level of sadness at being forced into violent confrontation and forced moves around the upper midwest and into Canada. As he puts it in, all they wanted to do was to live in the land that was theirs and it was no longer theirs. His accounts of how the United States routinely violated treaties that were forced on the Native Americans is also a source of the sadness that pervades his account.

In addition to providing a great accounting of the injustices that were committed by the United States, Black Elk also gives an excellent insiders view to the culture of the Lakota. The use of visions, sweatlodges, and dances as a way of promoting their nations is recounted in great detail and provides real insight into how this tribe lived prior to being forced onto a reservation.

The writing of Black Elk speaks is also well done. It is not dumbed down, but at the same time, it was not written over the head of the average reader. There are some instances where going to the appendix to find a good meaning for some of the native words included in the text is helpful, but this is not in the least bit distracting to the readers. If you are looking for an excellent first hand account of the close of the 19th century and the US treatment of Native Americans, look no further than this.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Heartfelt Tale, Feb 25 2004

By

Jason Nelson "musshin" (Kansas City, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux (Paperback)

This work relates some of the main events of the life of a man (Black Elk) who was both an Indian warrior and holy man. He had several visions when he was younger including one great one which formed much of his later thought and also how he viewed his people. It's a heartwrenching story because one can't help but feel saddened while listening to this man relate how his people lost their land and also many of their own in battles. Also one is moved to sadness by hearing of the instances when the Government lied to his people and either gave them half of what they said they would (in the way of land or cattle) or flat out didn't uphold the terms of a treaty. As Black Elk said, "You can't eat lies." One is reminded how devastating our modern notion of progress has been while we have wallowed in the ignorance of other people and also of the Great Mother (Earth). We've lost out on much of a great culture with the Indians and their way of life and also ruined a lot of the environment out of notions of stupidity such as looking for yellow metal. I recommend this book to get you thinking about how to have compassion for all peoples regardless of how different or savage they may appear and also so we hopefully never make some of the dastardly mistakes other people have made in the past.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding
This is a book that every person will obtain something of important value in their life from reading. Read more

Published on Feb 18 2004 by A. McDonald

5.0 out of 5 stars We should pay attention to Black Elk's vision and wisdom
My gut feeling is that at the height of our folly we have been killing the goose that lays the golden egg - in this case killing off those with the vision and wisdom to get us out... Read more

Published on Jan 16 2004 by DAVID-LEONARD WILLIS