Black Elk Speaks: Being The Life Story Of A Holy Man Of The Oglala Sioux, The Premier Edition

Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux, The Premier Edition

The famous life story of the Lakota healer and visionary, Nicholas Black Elk.

Widely hailed as a spiritual classic, this inspirational and unfailingly powerful story reveals the life and visions of the Lakota healer Nicholas Black Elk (1863–1950) 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 (1881–1973) 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 Elk’s 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.

 Black Elk Speaks however is more than the epic history of a valiant Native nation. It is beloved as a spiritual classic because of John Neihardt’s sensitivity to Black Elk’s resounding vision of the wholeness of earth, her creatures, and all of humanity. Black Elk Speaks 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 Elk’s 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 Black Elk Speaks, and a revised index.

“Black Elk Speaks 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.” — Midwest Book Review

“Black Elk Speaks is a classic … The Premier Edition is indispensable. Raymond J. DeMallie enriches the original text while respectfully and sincerely acknowledging and appreciating the original and Neihardt’s creativity, adding to the continuing legacy of Black Elk.” —  Canadian Journal of Native Studies

"This is the first edition of Black Elk Speaks that includes annotations by a scholar of Lakota history … [and] extends Neihardt’s work to a wider audience and honors Black Elk’s vision of the interconnection of human beings with all living creatures and the earth in a way that speaks to contemporary environmental issues. — American Indian Quarterly

“…the compelling story of a cross-cultural collaboration that continues to engage scholars and lay readers alike.” — CHOICE

“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.” — Light of Consciousness

 “If any great religious classic has emerged in this century or on this continent, it must certainly be judged in the company of Black Elk Speaks … [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.