He recognizes the sixth grandfather as himself - meaning he will be granted these powers on the earth. One grandfathers presents him with a cup of water (the power to create), another gives him a bow (the power to destroy), another gives him a magical herb (provides peace and understanding), another gives him a peace pipe (the power to heal), another gives him a stick (to guide/shepherd his people), and another gives him an eagle’s wing (the power to travel and spread the word). He enters the teepee and meets the six grandfathers who present him with different powers. A cloud becomes a teepee with a rainbow entrance. Colored horses symbolizing different directions and powers all line up and fill the sky. He is greeted by a horse that tells him he will learn. Chapter Three: The Great Vision At the age of nine, Black Elk becomes ill and has a vision: - Two men come out of the clouds and tell him, “Come! Your grandfathers are calling you!” - A cloud carries Black Elk into the sky.(easily the saddest book I’ve ever read.) Since it’s beyond the scope of this presentation, I will recommend Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee for those interested in hearing history from a different perspective. If I had 20 minutes and a cup of coffee, I could make the argument that America is guilty of genocide. In a long, sad story dating back to Columbus, the indigenous people of this land were decimated by war and disease. Lies My Teacher Told Me is a real eye-opener.) While most Americans may think of Thanksgiving, casinos or sports teams (Braves, Chiefs, Seminoles, etc.), they usually don’t think of Native Americans as a people. (Overall, I would contend that American History as taught in school is a one-sided, white-washed indoctrination. Native Americans If all you know about Native Americans came from your high school teacher, you need to do some research on your own.Because it captures so much of the religious culture of the Native Americas, it has been called a “North American bible of all tribes.” (DeLoria) Only after its reissue in 1961 after Carl Jung referenced the book did it gain prominence. The resulting book Black Elk Speaks did not receive much attention when it was published in 1932. Neihardt returned with his daughters who acted as stenographers, while Black Elk’s son, Ben, roughly translated his father’s story into English. The Norton Anthology reprinted only one chapter from this twenty-five chapter novel with chapter three being the vision itself. If you read the full novel, expect to learn about the customs and traditions from hunting to courting. Not only does it tell of his life, it captures the history and culture of the Sioux people (the French name for the Lakota people).
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