Product Description

Widely hailed as a spiritual classic, this inspirational and unfailingly powerful story reveals the life and visions of the Lakota healer Nicholas Black Elk (18631950) and the tragic history of his Sioux people during the epic closing decades of the Old West. In 1930, the aging Black Elk met a kindred spirit, the famed poet, writer, and critic John G. Neihardt (18811973) on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. The Lakota elder chose Neihardt to share his visions and life with the world. Neihardt understood and today Black Elk is known to all.

Black Elks remarkable great vision came to him during a time of decimation and loss, when outsiders were stealing the Lakotas land, slaughtering buffalo, and threatening their age-old way of life. As Black Elk remembers all too well, the Lakotas, led by such legendary men as Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, fought unceasingly for their freedom, winning a world-renowned victory at the Little Bighorn and suffering unspeakable losses at Wounded Knee.

however is more than the epic history of a valiant Native nation. It is beloved as a spiritual classic because of John Neihardts sensitivity to Black Elks resounding vision of the wholeness of earth, her creatures, and all of humanity. is a once-in-a-lifetime read: the moving story of a young Lakota boy before the reservation years, the unforgettable history of an American Indian nation, and an enduring spiritual message for us all.

The premier edition features the first-ever annotated edition of Black Elks story, done by renowned Lakota scholar Raymond J. DeMallie, the original Standing Bear illustrations and new commentary on them, new maps of the world of , and a revised index.

is a must read book for anyone interested in the history of the Western Plains. It brings out both the romantic mythology of the West pictured today and the darker reality of the past.

is a classic is indispensable. Raymond J. DeMallie enriches the original text while respectfully and sincerely acknowledging and appreciating the original and Neihardts creativity, adding to the continuing legacy of Black Elk.

"This is the first edition of that includes annotations by a scholar of Lakota history [and] extends Neihardts work to a wider audience and honors Black Elks vision of the interconnection of human beings with all living creatures and the earth in a way that speaks to contemporary environmental issues.

the compelling story of a cross-cultural collaboration that continues to engage scholars and lay readers alike.

If this title is not yet in your home or school library take note of the surprisingly low price and the high quality of what SUNY Press calls the Premier Edition of this great work.

If any great religious classic has emerged in this century or on this continent, it must certainly be judged in the company of [T]he book has become a North American bible of all tribes it speaks to us with simple and compelling language about an aspect of human experience and encourages us to emphasize the best that dwells within us Vine Deloria Jr.