In 1877, the Lakota, including Black Elk and his family, fled north into Canada. He lived during the harsh early reservation period, well before the reform-minded Indian Reorganization Act of 1934³ took effect. He had five sisters and one brother.Ī witness to plains history, he was three years old when the Fetterman Battle¹, took place (1866) five years old during the signing of the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty ², and about the age of 12 when the Battle of the Little Big Horn was fought, in which George A Custer and his soldiers perished.īlack Elk experienced the end of the Sioux Wars and the beginning of aggressive federal 'pacification' policies imposed upon his people. He was the son of the elder Black Elk, who supported Chief Crazy Horse, the Lakota resistance leader, and White Cow Sees Woman. 2225.Black Elk, also known as Hehaka Sapa and Nicholas Black Elk, was a famous holy man, traditional healer, and visionary of the Oglala Lakota (Sioux) of the northern Great Plains.īlack Elk was born in December 1863 on the Little Powder River in Wyoming, west of present-day South Dakota. One biographer said he took the name Nicholas because he was inspired by the saint’s generosity.įor more information about the documentary, air times, or streaming, contact Becky Berreth at the Diocese of Rapid City, 60 ext. Through his interaction with Jesuit priests, he converted to the Catholic faith and was baptized on December 6, 1904, the feast of St. He returned to the United States in 1889. Around 1877, he joined Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show and toured in Europe.

He was at the Battle of Little Big Horn close to the Montana-Wyoming border in 1876.

He came from a family of medicine men and he carried on their work. In so doing, it goes beyond the book, Black Elk Speaks, and encompasses his entire life and legacy culminating with his family’s request that the Catholic Church declare him a saint.Īccording to records from the Diocese of Rapid City, Black Elk was born around 1865. This retelling of Black Elk’s life and legacy relies heavily on archival photographs and publications, expert interviews, and historical reenactments on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Stream the 1-hour Black Elk documentary, “Walking the Good Red Road: Nicholas Black Elk’s Journey to Sainthood” any time. New Documentary 'Walking the Good Red Road: Nicholas Black Elk's Journey to Sainthood' Black Elk, the Lakota medicine man turned Catholic teacher, is promoted for sainthood.A Saintly Voice: The Canonization of Nicholas Black Elk.To honor the gifts that he brought to his community and to the Church itself, the Diocese of Rapid City formally nominated Black Elk for canonization-the process of becoming a saint. What is less well known is that Black Elk was also a leader right here at Red Cloud, as a part of the parish community that continues to celebrate his memory and keep his voice alive today.ĭuring the second half of his life, Nicholas Black Elk become a practicing Catholic-and then ultimately a catechist or religious teacher-sharing with others his conviction in the parallels between Lakota and Catholic spirituality. Many people from around the world know of the stories and spiritual teachings of Nicholas Black Elk (1863-1950), a revered holy man among the Oglala Lakota. History of Pastoral Ministry Since 1890.

Black elk speaks online book