By John G Neihardt
Black Elk (1863-1950) is a medicine man and warrior who has seen dramatic changes over his long life. Born free in the Dakota territory, he witnesses his people's efforts to stem the tide of white settlements, from the Fetterman Fight (1866) through Little Bighorn (1876) to the massacre at Wounded Knee (1890). As a boy he hunts buffalo and rides horses, living a free lifestyle in harmony with nature. At 9 years of age, he falls ill, and sees a vision of 6 "grandfathers" who tell him what will happen to his people. His tribe considers Black Elk to be a visionary, and one who has power to heal illness. As a young adult, he joins Buffalo Bill Cody on a tour of eastern US cities and several European capitols. When he returns home, however, it is to a reservation. His people are made to live in "square box houses" (especially confining, as they see life as a hoop, or circle) and have to surrender their weapons. Black Elk feels that he was given much knowledge in his vision as a young man, but laments that he could not help his people keep their freedom.
Having recently reread James Warren's God, War and Providence in which the English colonists kill eastern Indians (Wampanoags, Narragansetts, and others) and plunder their resources and land, it is tragic to see the trend continue for more than two centuries.
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