Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux

I did not know then how much was ending. When I look back now from this high hill of my old age I can still see the butchered women and children heaped and scattered all along the crooked mulch as plain as when I saw them with eyes still young. And I can see that something else died there in the bloody mud and was buried in the blizzard.

I enjoyed this book. I found it kind of difficult when I was reading it to figure out what was actually Black Elk, and what was Neihardt, although the editor had thankfully given little footnotes on the side. While I think this was a powerful book, and very interesting to read, the lack of any true authenticity bothered me quite a lot. I didn't really understand why Neihardt couldn't just tell us what Black Elk said. It was obvious to me that good parts of the book were Black Elk's words filtered through a European-American consciousness in such a way that they would be understandable to European-Americans. And this bugged me, some places more than others.

Still, looking at the time when it was written, I think the interesting thing of show more the book is not what it tells you of Black Elk (of which most words were to me suspect because of Neihardt's 'filter'), but of what it tells you of Neihardt and the mainstream society of the time.

This is not a book to read if you want an accurate, authentic autobiography of Native Americans, but it is an interesting book of Native American/European-American fusion for the time period. show less

A powerful book, and a sad book. Black Elk tells of his life and in that story we learn so much!
His peoples names for the months, the significance of circles to the native people, their customs and traditions. Even legends are told in here, like the chapter titled "High Horse's Courting" which I really enjoyed! Black Elk's visions are extremely interesting as are his interactions with the spirit and animal worlds. And yet his story is that of the Native American, so it is a sad one. The demise of his people, the deaths of Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull and the massacre at Wounded Knee. And of course, the theft of their land by the Wasichus (white people). The ending, like that of his people, is so sad.

[b:Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux|35476|Black Elk Speaks Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux|John G. Neihardt|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328819916l/35476._SX50_.jpg|3813941] is a fascinating piece of history. It is the life story of a Native American holy man named Black Elk, as told in 1931 to a Nebraskan poet. Black Elk recounts his youth during the mid-19th century, when battles and massacres drove the Sioux and other tribes into smaller and smaller areas of land. Treaties made with the American government were repeatedly broken by settlers so that land could be exploited for gold or other resources. It is thus a sad story of how show more the Native American way of life was brutally repressed, while also providing insight into religious and social activities before and during this repression. Black Elk explains in detail the visions he had of his people's recovery. It is this aspect that the edition I read focuses on in the blurb and introduction. It did not surprise me to learn that the book was popular in the 1960s, when indigenous spirituality was of particular interest. As a rather prosaic reader, I was most interested in it as history, in particular of how Black Elk and his people interacted with their environment. I hadn't read an account of the mid-19th century told from a Native American perspective before, and it makes a striking contrast to the narrative of economic growth and technological change that dominates histories of this period. A striking and readable autobiographical narrative. show less

My second reading after decades have passed, and I appreciate the plainness and simplicity of Black Elk's voice. I also appreciate the painstaking notes in this edition that indicate where Neihardt introduced his own words and ideas, so that I can see more of the spiritual leader's authentic voice. To hear his stories is to be transported to a series of deeply consequential events. I bought the book at the Little Bighorn National Monument after hearing about the battle from a descendant of one of the Crow guides that marched with Custer.

Interwoven with Black Elk's many spiritual and healing visions
is the pure horror of the white man's attempt to exterminate all the Indian people..

I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting to see the words of Black Elk (and in certain passages to see where Neihardt modified things slightly). The version that I read included annotations that expanded on the historical events that Black Elk witnessed, participated in, and sometimes would not have known of until later. I felt really sad while reading this too because the way of life known to the natives has all but disappeared.