Black Elk Speaks by Black ElkMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the story of Black Elk as told by John G. Neihardt. It's the "as told by" that knocks my rating down from 5 stars. According to the notes in the appendix (which I was grateful for), Neihardt took quite a bit of poetic license in extrapolating what he thought Black Elk meant by what he said or felt at various times.
Black Elk lived from 1863 to 1950, although this book wraps up shortly after the Indian Wars were concluded (read: the US government and people got their way and most of the native lands). Black Elk was a medicine man and holy man of the Oglala Lakota tribe. He was cousin to Crazy Horse. This is his experience woven through the background of the greater Native experience.
Again, I'm aghast at all of this being skipped in history teaching in our schools.
This book was readable. It did have several prefaces and introductions. And oh so many appendices. Honestly, I skimmed some of those.
A valuable read for anyone.
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