John G. Neihardt first met Black Elk in 1930. Black Elk Speaks was first published in 1932. The 3 Appendices (22 pp) should be read. The University of Nebraska published 8 other books by Neihardt about the Sioux.

Neihardt says his meeting with Black Elk was the most memorable experience of his life. 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 John G. Neihardt, Black Elk recognized the one who had been sent to learn what “was given to me for men.” In a long series of talks, Black Elk imparted his own life story and the story of the Oglala Soiux during the tragic decades of the Custer battle, the ghost dance and the Wounded Knee incident. For the contemporary generation of the Plains Indians, this book “has become a North American bible of all tribes.” I can understand why.

When he was only nine-years old, Black Elk had a vision that dominated his life. At first he didn’t know how to interpret the many symbolic meanings of his vision, but in his latter youth he realized he had to speak to his people about their future. It would be grim due to the greed and lies of the Wasichu (white men), but a remnant of his people would survive it. His hope was that their closeness to nature and the Great Spirit who inspired their lives would also survive. Today there is a revival of Native American Spirituality due in no small part to Black Elk. The simple prose of this book was very refreshing after reading books 87 and 88. Appendix III, The Origin of the Peace Pipe, is the source of Black Elk’s frequently quoted words about this myth: “This they tell, and whether it happened so or not I do not know; but if you think about it, you can see that it is true.” It is quoted by writers of other religions because of its simple truth that stories need not be history to be true. Myth and legend, symbolism and allegory, can often be more powerful ways to spiritual truth and insight than “mere” history. I first read this book very many years ago; rereading it gave me even greater pleasure than my first read. I highly recommend it for those who know little of Native-American spirituality.