Black Elk Speaks (Masterplots II: Juvenile and Young Adult Biography Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Black Elk, John Greenleaf Neihardt
- First Published: 1932
- Time of Work: 1866–1890
- Setting: Black Hills, South Dakota, and the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation of the Oglala Sioux in South Dakota
- Principal Characters: Black Elk, Crazy Horse, Fire Thunder Speaks, Standing Bear, Red Cloud
- Genres: Nonfiction, Autobiography
- Subjects: Nineteenth century, Autobiography, Religion, Spiritual life or spirituality, Native Americans or American Indians, Christ figures or saviors
- Locales: Black Hills, SD, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, SD
Form and Content
Black Elk Speaks is written in chronological order beginning with Black Elk’s early boyhood in 1866 and concluding with the end of his people’s dream at the Battle of Wounded Knee in 1890. The early chapters focus on Black Elk’s great vision in which he sees the demise of the buffalo and the need to help his people gain new strength. It is during this experience that Black Elk is physically cured and given great spiritual powers. The vision and developing powers are integral parts of Black Elk’s descriptions of buffalo hunts, ceremonies, and...
[The entire page is 1658 words long]
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