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One night, he loses consciousness and has his first, great vision.

When Black Elk is nine years old, he becomes very ill. Black Elk grows up fearing that the Wasichus will take over his land, kill his people, and destroy their way of life.īlack Elk is five years old the first time he hears voices in the clouds, though he is too afraid to tell anybody about them. He speaks of his early childhood years, which were darkened by the looming threat of the Wasichus (white people) moving westward in pursuit of gold and wealth. Black Elk explains that he is a Lakota of the Ogalala band. He tells his audience that the story he will tell isn’t only of his life, but of all life. He offers the pipe to the Great Spirit and asks the Spirit for knowledge before passing it around to his audience. The narrative begins with Black Elk ceremoniously lighting the peace pipe. The book is based on transcripts from conversations held between the book’s author, John Neihardt, and Black Elk. Black Elk Speaks tells the life story of Black Elk, a Lakota medicine man, visionary, and spiritual leader, as he reflects on the destruction of his culture as a result of American westward expansion, as well as his failure to enact his visionary powers to save his people and preserve their way of life.