Black Elk Speaks

"Sometimes dreams are wiser than waking". 

Black Elk 

Before reading this, I had not heard about the story of Black Elk, or very much about Native Americans in general. My basic understanding was that the white people came and bullied the Natives, taking advantage of their generosity and kindness. In school, rarely are we presented with stories from the other point of view. We have been taught at a young age that Columbus was a great man and extraordinary explorer, but the details of how he actually treated the Native Americans remains purposely shadowed.

Black Elk’s story consists of three parts: part autobiography, part spiritual revelation, and part tribal history. He emphasizes that his own life story is also the story of his tribe indicating the communal nature of the Native American experience.  Black Elk thinks of himself almost entirely in the context of his tribe or band, and he embodies the values of his people. Seeing himself as an instrument of a higher power, Black Elk emphasizes that the power of the vision manifested itself through him since, "no good thing can be done by any man alone (Neihardt, 359)."Black Elk's narrative continues to recount the increasing dislocation of the Sioux as the U.S. Government annexed more and more Indian territory and established Indian agencies and reservations. At the same time, Black Elk's vision perplexes him because circumstances do not seem to allow him to fulfill it.

Peace Pipe (one of the gifts from the 6 grandfathers)

Black Elk views the world's interconnectedness as natural and obvious. He doesn't put anything on a pedestal over other things simply because of species. "Is not the sky a father and the earth a mother, and are not all living things with feet or wings or roots their children (Reinhardt, 359)?" To him, one earthling's life is just as crucial as another's. He shares his vision with his fellow earthlings, taking it upon himself to embrace the power put upon him. "From them you shall have power...from them who have awakened all the beings of the earth with roots and legs and wings (Reinhard, 364)." Black Elk was given a cup of water to make live the greening day, a bow and arrow to destroy, a sacred peace pipe, and a sacred stick, and the nation's hoop.

Totem Animals

His relationship to Homo-Sapiens, bison, horses, and birds are all very important and varied. He seems closest spiritually to horses, bison, and geese, but the eagle eventually resonates the most. The spotted eagle became his totem animal, renaming him "Eagle Wing Stretches (Reinhardt, 363)." Historically, Native Americans are nomadic, following the herds of bison to survive. Thus, bison is crucial for their lifestyle, in terms of food, clothing, and symbolically as well. "I know now what this meant, that the bison were the gift of a good spirit and were our strength, but we should lose them, and from the same good spirit we must find another strength (Reinhardt, 386)."

I can't wait to meditate to find my totem animal! I took some random online quizzes... I doubt their accuracy.