Celebrating John G. Neihardt, Black Elk, and Their Followers

The words of Heȟáka Sápa (Nicholas Black Elk) first came to me through Dr. Paul D. Sørensen, of the Department of Biological Sciences, of Northern Illinois University, in DeKalb, Illinois. In his Biological Conservation course, we discussed the causes of loss of biodiversity from Paul Ehrlich's book, Extinction, and we came to know several Native American philosophers. Later, those of us who participated in Sørensen's American Ecosystems course in the Great Plains, which took us west through the Dakotas to Wyoming, traveled through some of Oglala Lakota lands and learned more of the Oglala medicine man.

The collaborative work by Neihardt; Ben, his son; others of Neihardt's family: Black Elk, himself; Standing Bear; Flying Hawk; and others spoke to the world. According to Wikipedia (2016), the "...prominent psychologist Carl Jung read the book in the 1930s and urged its translation into German; in 1955, it was published as Ich rufe mein Volk (I Call My People)." The book, since its original publication, has appeared as several new editions and has been a focal point for a number of other books, journal articles, proceedings, and compilations.

As a team of influencers during the summer of my life, Neihardt and his collaborators expressed ideas and feelings that nurtured and verbalized those of my own. I carried the book with me for many years before ever having read it completely. It was not until El Oso Mario (Mario the Bear) began discussing it with me, in the Circulo de los Osos (Circle of the Bears) of Durango, Durango, Mexico, that I completely read and studied the book.

Some have questioned the "pureness" of Neihardt's book, arguing that it does not accurately reflect Lakota philosophy and tradition. In a world of "globalization" it's safe to say that nothing in the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, or biosphere remains pure, and I am thankful for Black Elk's story and those who shared it with me. I likewise welcome anyone else who respectfully shares thoughts and ideas.

Neihardt's Black Elk Speaks

John G. Neihardt's Black Elk Speaks
Image Source: Wikipedia Commons

The transcription and publication of the stories and thoughts of Black Elk and his peers marked an important change from the Native American custom of passing on wisdom via their oral tradition. Today much of the world benefits from their wisdom thanks to the cooperation between the brave American Indians who told their story to the Wasi'chu, or non-indigenous people.

Ironically, the Wasi'chu had driven them to near extinction, confining the native survivors to tiny, fragmented islands. So divided, it became nearly impossible for them to sustain and transmit, in the traditional oral fashion, their culture.

Black Elk told the tale of his powerful vision and his love and devotion for his people in his earnest, natural words, seasoned and nurtured by a life of raw experience set in the beautiful Great Plains and Black Hills. Neihardt worked with him and his son, Ben Black Elk, laboriously and passionately transcribing the words, bringing them to a world of people who otherwise may have never bothered to listen.

Neihardt Popularized Native American Ideals

Literary critics have questioned Neihardt's narrative interpretation and Black Elk's story and belief system (see, for example, Powers 1990, Hollar 1984, and references in Holloway 2003) implying that the Lakota beliefs were tainted by Catholic influence. What else might one expect as the Old World had methodically destroyed the New World culture and obliged its peoples to prescribe to its doctrine?

Regardless, the book presents a vivid tale of Black Elk's life as an Oglala Lakota as transcribed by Neihardt. The book presents effective spiritual and symbolic inspiration, and Neihardt's wonderful style makes the text an enjoyable experience.

Celebration of John G. Neihardt

Recently, Black Elk's words came to me again, through an Audible audiobook, Black Elk Speaks, narrated by John Neihardt's grandson, Robin Neihardt, making it even more accessible. As I near the end of the recording, I received news of the celebration of Neihardt's work.

World-Herald staff writer, David Hendee, recently reported, in the Omaha World Herald, that the John G. Neihardt State Historic Site, in Bancroft, Nebraska, on August 7th, of 2016, will host the 51st Annual Neihardt Day Celebration. Sponsors for the event include the Nebraska State Historical Society, the Neihardt Trust, the University of Nebraska Press, Nebraska Educational Television, Cuming County Visitors Bureau, Wayne State College, Enterprise Publishing, Red Road Herbs, Bluebird Art and Regalia, and the Native American Advocacy Program. The event will close, according to tradition, with a recording of Neihardt's interpretation of "Black Elk's Prayer."

Black Elk's Prayer

Hey-a-a-hey! Hey-a-a-hey! Hey-a-a-hey! Hey-a-a-hey!

Grandfather, Great Mysterious One,

You have been always, and before You nothing has been.

There is nothing to pray to but You.

The star nations all over the universe are Yours,

And Yours are the grasses of the earth.

Day in and day out You are the life of things.

You are older than all need,

Older than all pain and prayer.

Grandfather, all over the world the faces of the living ones are alike.

In tenderness they have come up out of the ground.

Look upon Your children with children in their arms,

That they may face the winds,

And walk the good road to the day of quiet.

Teach me to walk the soft earth,

A relative to all that live.

Sweeten my heart and fill me with light,

And give me the strength to understand and the eyes to see.

Help me, for without You I am nothing.

Hetchetu aloh!

circa 1931,

as transcribed on

World Prayers (date unknown)

Thank you, John G. Neihardt, family, Black Elk, and friends. We appreciate your hard work and efforts! Enjoy your day!

... con todas mis relaciones!

References Cited

Hendee, D. 2016. Bronze sculptures of Neihardt, Black Elk are an enduring ode to poet and his lessons. In the Omaha World Herald (http://www.omaha.com/news/nebraska/bronze-sculptures-of-neihardt-black-elk-are-an-enduring-ode/article_afd2037d-10da-50a9-bd44-8b4c50271e68.html), Reviewed 9 August 2016.
Holler, C. 1984. Lakota Religion and Tragedy: The Theology of "Black Elk Speaks." Journal of the American Academy of Religion 52(1): 19-45, (http://www.ethnologie.uni-bayreuth.de/de/teaching/Reader/Black-Elk-Holler-1984.pdf), Reviewed 2 August 2016.
Holloway, B., 2003. Interpreting the Legacy: John Neihardt and Black Elk Speaks. University Press of Colorado (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0870816799/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=HC3JSHYDTZ2K&coliid=I2TNTNXDICY2DC), Reviewed 2 August 2016.
Powers, W. 1990. When Black Elk Speaks, Everybody Listens. Social Text, (24), 43-56. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/827826?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents), reviewed 2 August 2016.
Wikipedia. 2016. Black Elk Speaks (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Elk_Speaks), Reviewed 4 August 2016.

The Element Chant - Tierra Mi Cuerpo

The first time I heard the temazcaleros sing, "Tierra mi Cuerpo," in the Temazcal , I knew that I had heard the song long ago ... somewhere in my childhood. There, though, it bore a name from my native tongue, English. I later remembered that I had learned it as "The Element Song," also known as "The Element Chant." The harmony took me back to a circle around a campfire, and, as it drifted through my mind, I heard its echo from a classroom in the Midwest, ... maybe in Greenwood Elementary School . I know that I have heard a number of versions and interpretations by different artists, in several languages. The song, or chant, ... simple and direct ... verbalizes a very basic relationship between the temazcalero, the human participant in the temazcal ceremony, and the elements of the temazcal: earth, water, air, and fire. In the temazcal, or Mexican steam bath , recall, ... in its most basic form, the temazcalero sits on an earthen floor, exposed ...

InTheTemazcal

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