PRESENTATION

Nicholas William Black Elk

Medicine Man

Missionary

Mystic

Wanderer between two worlds

Presented by Thomas Brack

C O N T E N T S

Goal

Chronology

Little Big Horn

With Buffalo Bill in Europe

Ghost Dance/ Wounded Knee

Conversion: Catholic Catechist among Indian People

Encounter with John G. Neihardt :«Black Elk speaks»

Personal conclusions/ Questions

GOALS

Question:

What could an Indian Holy

Man bring to convert to

Christianity, especially the

catholic belief?

SIOUX SPIRITUALITY

«The 6 grandfathers»

«Sacred Pipe»

«Wakan Tanka»

Map of two roads:

Black: (Trouble)

From East to West

Red: (Salvation)

From North to South

«Sprouting Stick»

CHRONOLOGY

ca. 1865 Born as an Oglala Sioux in the Great Plains /1st vision

1876 Little Big Horn

1886 Tours with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show in Europe/ 2nd vision

1890 Wounded Knee

1904 December 6: Baptized «Nicholas William Black Elk»/3rd vision

1931 John G. Neihardt’s visit with Black Elk: «Black Elk speaks»

1950 Death of Nicholas Black Elk, August 17

LITTLE BIG HORN

1876 «Greasy Grass»

Little Bighorn

Famous Indian chieftains:

Crazy Horse, Red Cloud,

Sitting Bull

«Wasichus»: «Pahuska»

«Long Hair» General Custer,

Former Gettysburgh Hero:

«Custers Last Stand»

IN EUROPE

Colonel

William F. Cody

better known as

«Buffalo Bill»

Black Elk’s

journey to Europe

2nd vision

WOUNDED KNEE

Sioux at the Pine Ridge Reservation

«Ghost Dance»

1890 Butchering at «Wounded Knee»

«Why did it come to it?»

Consequences?

CONVERSION

«Black Robes»:

Jesuits’ Holy Rosary Mission

among the Sioux people

Encounter with Father Joseph Lindebner

Conversion, 3rd vision

Working as a Catechist

among his people for nearly

half a century

JOHN G. NEIHARDT

German Descendant

Poet from Nebraska

«Homer» of the Great Plains

Encounter with Black Elk 1931

Author of «Black Elk speaks»

PERSONAL CONCLUSIONS

Why could this personality mesmermize me?

Was it the fact, that Indian and Catholic Spirituality met

each other in this outstanding person?

How come, that the Indian God «Wokan Tonka» (Manitou)

and the Christian God could live in the same heart?

How can one explain the credibility of such a man in his

either Indian or Christian surrounding?

SAVE MOTHER EARTH

ANY QUESTIONS

?

THE END

Thanks a lot

for your attention