Black Elk Speaks

The Complete Edition

John G. Neihardt

• Publisher: Bison Books
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9780803283930
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

More than one million copies sold
2017 One BookOne Nebraska selection

"An American classic."— Western Historical Quarterly Black Elk Speaks, the story of the Oglala Lakota visionary and healer Nicholas Black Elk (1863–1950) and his people during momentous twilight years of the nineteenth century, offers readers much more than a precious glimpse of a vanished time. Black Elk's searing visions of the unity of humanity and Earth, conveyed by John G. Neihardt, have made this book a classic that crosses multiple genres. Whether appreciated as the poignant tale of a Lakota life, as a history of a Native nation, or as an enduring spiritual testament, Black Elk Speaks is unforgettable.

Black Elk met the distinguished poet, writer, and critic John G. Neihardt in 1930 on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and asked Neihardt to share his story with the world. Neihardt understood and conveyed Black Elk's experiences in this powerful and inspirational message for all humankind.

This complete edition features a new introduction byhistorian Philip J. Deloria and annotations of Black Elk's story by renowned Lakota scholar Raymond J. DeMallie. Three essays by John G. Neihardt provide background on this landmark work along with pieces by Vine Deloria Jr., Raymond J. DeMallie, Alexis Petri, and Lori Utecht. Maps, original illustrations by Standing Bear, and a set of appendixes rounds out the edition.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Epigraph
• Contents
• List of Illustrations
• Foreword
• Preface to the 1932 Edition
• Preface to the 1961 Edition
• Preface to the 1972 Edition
• Introduction
• Honors Received by Neihardt
• 1. The Offering of the Pipe
• 2. Early Boyhood
• 3. The Great Vision
• 4. The Bison Hunt
• 5. At the Soldiers’ Town
• 6. High Horse’s Courting
• 7. Wasichus in the Hills
• 8. The Fight with Three Stars
• 9. The Rubbing Out of Long Hair
• 10. Walking the Black Road
• 11. The Killing of Crazy Horse
• 12. Grandmother’s Land
• 13. The Compelling Fear
• 14. The Horse Dance
• 15. The Dog Vision
• 16. Heyoka Ceremony
• 17. The First Cure
• 18. The Powers of the Bison and the Elk
• 19. Across the Big Water
• 20. The Spirit Journey
• 21. The Messiah
• 22. Visions of the Other World
• 23. Bad Trouble Coming
• 24. The Butchering at Wounded Knee
• 25. The End of the Dream
• 26. Author’s Postscript
• Appendix 1: Photographs
• Appendix 2: Neihardt Letter to Julius House, August 1930
• Appendix 3: Drawings by Standing Bear
• Appendix 4: Neihardt Letter to Nick Black Elk, November 1930
• Appendix 5: A Great Indian Poet
• Appendix 6: John G. Neihardt and Nicholas Black Elk
• Appendix 7: John G. Neihardt beyond Black Elk
• Appendix 8: Neihardt and Black Elk
• Appendix 9: “Origin of the Peace Pipe”
• Appendix 10: Lakota Words Used in the Text
• Notes
• Footnotes
• References
• Index
• About the Author