Black Elk Speaks: The Complete Edition

Appendix 8

appendix 8 Neihardt and Black Elk Lori Utecht A casual observer looking at the circumstances that brought John G. Neihardt and Nicholas Black Elk together in the summer of 1930 might use the word “coincidence” to describe the encounter that ultimately resulted in the book Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux. It is clear, however, from the record of the two participants and other witnesses that neither Black Elk nor Neihardt would have used such a word to describe anything about their relationship. Neihardt, an established author, had traveled to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota to research material for the final song in his epic A Cycle of the West. He was looking for firsthand accounts from old men who had been a part of the Ghost Dance religious movement and had witnessed the massacre at Wounded Knee. Black Elk, an old man at the time of their meeting, was no longer living the life of a traditional medicine man and was, in fact, a visible leader in the Catholic Church on the reservation. Though neither anticipated the direction their conversations would take, both soon recognized that they had been brought together to fulfill a sacred obligation: bringing the story of Black Elk’s vision, which had lain slumbering for nearly half a century, to the world outside of Black Elk’s tribal community. Black Elk Speaks tells the story of the life of the Oglala Holy Man, born in 1863 into a time of turbulence for his people, the Lakotas. Readers learn of his early life on the Great Plains, his relationships among the tribe (including his relationship with his second cousin Crazy Horse), the story of his great vision, the battles won and lost, travels to Europe with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, and the tragedy of Wounded Knee, which brought tribal life as he had known it to an end. Neihardt’s 1961 preface to the book also provides information about what led to the encounter—his research for the final piece of his cycle, The Song of the Messiah. Neihardt explains that he had the historical details but felt he could not adequately present the story without getting Appendix 8 283 a sense of the deeper spiritual significance of the religious movement. He traveled to the Pine Ridge Reservation to find someone who could help him gain that perspective. What is not revealed is how both Black Elk and Neihardt came to a place in their lives where Black Elk, after holding his vision to himself for decades, recognized in Neihardt the chance for the fulfillment of his vision, and where Neihardt saw himself as both co-creator and conduit of Black Elk’s story. Neihardt’s respect for Black Elk’s gift is evident in his preface to the 1932 edition. He pays tribute to the holy man’s devotion to a world of higher values and expresses gratitude for the moments when Black Elk shared glimpses into his inner world, “imperfectly revealed as by flashes,” a world Neihardt found “both strange and wonderful” (xvii). Neihardt chose to indicate the special nature of their collaboration by listing both their names as authors: “as told through John G. Neihardt (Flaming Rainbow )” and “by Nicholas Black Elk.” This is not the tale, however, of a writer who just happened onto the story of a lifetime. In truth, Neihardt’s entire life had prepared him for the task he embraced. He was a mature man of fifty when he sat down with Black Elk to record his stories. Neihardt had impressive credentials: he was a well-respected poet, novelist, short-story writer, journalist, historian , critic, lecturer, thinker, and philosopher and was highly qualified to tackle such a demanding project. Neihardt’s standing as an informed recorder of western history is well documented. He was particularly knowledgeable about the Trans-Missouri River country and the stories of exploration, expansion, and eventual con- flict between a westward-moving U.S. populace and the Native peoples living on the Great Plains. However, while Neihardt celebrated the courageous spirit of such early explorers as Hugh Glass, Thomas Fitzpatrick, and Jedediah Smith, he did not ignore the tragic cost of this westward expansionism. He had great respect as well for men like Red Cloud, Sitting Bull, and Crazy Horse. His portrayals of the conquered leaders are sympathetic and deal with individual human glories and failings rather...