"My friend, I am going to tell you the story of my life,
as you wish; and if it were only the story of my life I think I
would not tell it; for what is one man that he should make much
of his winters, even when they bend him like a heavy snow?
So many other men have lived and shall live that story, to be grass upon the hills.
~Black Elk~
Black Elk was the Second cousin to Crazy Horse.
One brother, five sisters. Father: warrior/medicine man. At five,
had his first vision. At nine, experienced long, complex vision.
1876, at 12 participated in legendary Battle of the Little Big Horn.
1877 devastated by murder of Crazy Horse, fled with Big Road band to Canada.
1880 Returned to Lakota reservation in America. 1881 revealed boyhood
vision in the 'horse dance', became accomplished medicine man.
1886 disgusted with reservation life, went with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show
to New York City, then Europe.
1888 left show to drift in England, Germany and France.
1889 Buffalo Bill paid his return to reservation.
1890 embraced ghost dance as fulfillment of vision,
but dance resulted in murder of Sitting Bull and later at Wounded Knee
the massacre of 300 Lakotas.
1892 still medicine man at 29,
he married Katie War Bonnet who became Catholic.
Three sons William 1893, John 1895 and Benjamin 1899 were baptized as Catholics.
1903 Katie died.
1904 became Catholic as "Nicholas Black Elk".
1906 married Anna Brings White, a widow with two daughters.
With Anna he had Lucy, Henry and Nick, Jr.
1907 became Catholic catechist, instructed others as far away as Nebraska and Wyoming.
1913 virtually ran mission at Yankton reservation.
1916 catechist on Pine Ridge reservation.
1926 manned special catechist's house near Holy Rosary Mission.
1930 "discovered" by poet John Neihardt, who crafted story of
Nick as defeated old Lakota holy man.
1932 Neihardt’s Black Elk Speaks
appeared without acclaim.
1933 badly injured by buckwagon.
1936 for next 10 years performed rituals for tourists.
1941 Anna died.
1947 to 1949 detailed sacred rites of Lakotas to Joseph Epes Brown.
1948 fall made him an invalid.
August 19, 1950, died a practicing Christian.
Buried at St. Agnes Mission Chapel, near Manderson, South Dakota.
1953 Joseph Epes Brown published The Sacred Pipe: Black Elk's Account
of the Seven Rites of the Oglala Sioux.
1961 Black Elk Speaks was reprinted,
this time receiving enormous acclaim.
1993 Michael Steltenkamp’s Black Elk: Holy Man of the Oglala revealed in book-length Black Elk’s 43 years as a Christian catechist.
Black Elk was one of the most legendary spiritual leaders and his words is still spread around the world
The Offering of the Pipe
from Black Elk Speaks:
Hey hey! Hey hey! Hey hey! Hey hey!
Grandfather, Great Spirit, you have been always, and before you no one has been.
There is no other one to pray to but you.
You yourself, everything that you see, everything has been made by you.
The star nations all over the universe you have finished.
The four quarters of the earth you have finished.
The day, and in that day, everything you have finished.
Grandfather, Great Spirit, lean close to the earth that you may hear the voice I send.
You towards where the sun goes down, behold me;
Thunder Beings, behold me!
You where the White Giant lives in power, behold me!
You where the sun shines continually, whence come the day-break star and the day, behold me!
You where the summer lives, behold me!
You in the depths of the heavens, an eagle of power, behold me!
And you, Mother Earth, the only Mother, you who have shown mercy to your children!
Hear me, four quarters of the world - a relative I am!
Give me the strength to walk the soft earth, a relative to all that is!
Give me the eyes to see and the strength to understand, that I may be like you.
With your power only can I face the winds.
Great Spirit, Great Spirit, my Grandfather, all over the earth the faces of living things are all alike.
With tenderness have these come up out of the ground.
Look upon these faces of children without number and with children in their arms, that they may face the winds and walk the good road to the day of quiet.
This is my prayer; hear me!
The voice I have sent is weak, yet with earnestness I have sent it.
Hear me!
It is finished.
Hetchetu aloh!
Now, my friend, let us smoke together so that there may be only good between us.
Credits: "Black Elk Speaks" John G. Neihardt (New York: Washington Square Press,1972
