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Black Elk: The Sacred Ways Of A Lakota (Religion and Spirituality)
 
 
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Black Elk: The Sacred Ways Of A Lakota (Religion and Spirituality) [Paperback]

Wallace Black Elk (Author), William S. Lyon (Author)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 199 pages
  • Publisher: HarperSanFrancisco; 1st HarperCollins Pbk. Ed edition (27 Feb 1991)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0062500740
  • ISBN-13: 978-0062500748
  • Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15.5 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 177,994 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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More About the Authors

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Wallace Black Elk
Wallace Black Elk
Wallace H. BlackElk
Wallace H. BlackElk

Product Description

Synopsis

Provides a rare account of a shaman's world, discussing how one becomes a shaman and the sacred powers he must deal with.

From the Back Cover

"An unprecedented account of the shaman's world and the way it is entered."
STANLEY KRIPPNER, PH.D., coauthor of 'Personal Mythology: The Psychology of Your Evolving Self' and 'Healing States'

"Black Elk opens the Lakota sacred hoop to a comic humanism for everyone. His book will stretch the common definition of shamanism and lift the Buckskin Curtain to the characters behind the great visions."
KENNETH LINCOLN, author of 'Native American Renaissance', in the 'San Francisco Chronicle'

"Simply one of the most inspiring and authentic books I have had the delight to read this decade."
TOM BROWN, JR., author of 'The Vision'

"Both the personal story of Black Elk and the teachings woven into the narrative are a rare gift to contemporary western peoples."
JOAN HALIFAX, PH.D., president, 'Ojai Foundation'

Wallace Black Elk, a Lakota elder and shaman, was born in 1921 on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. He has traveled widely throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, addressing large groups and conducting healing ceremonies. Anthropologist William S. Lyon has taught at Ashland College in Oregon and at the University of California, Berkeley. He has worked with Wallace Black Elk for more than ten years.

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
On reading this book I could not help being touched by the simplicity and practicality of the words of Wallace Black Elk. He describes in detail much of the mystical beliefs and traditions of the Lacota Souix. His stories and personal experiences are told in a reverent but humorous manner. In one passage he tells us, "If there is evil in this world it is the traffic between the two ears." Well worth reading by anyone with even a passing interest in the old ways of the Native American people, or indeed for anyone who enjoys the lives of people in general.
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Amazon.com:  28 reviews
39 of 40 people found the following review helpful
The difficult road of a Lakhota shaman, with heart and humor 20 Oct 1998
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Those who know Wallace Black Elk personally know that Bill Lyons captures the flavor of Grandfather's humor, the deeper teachings that lay behind the words, as well as the pain and difficulties that have gone into making access to the Spirit available to all. When you read this book, you'll know why the early government and Christian religions wanted to stop the Indian practices - they're real, and you'll be glad for the triumph of these sacred teachings. Like his predecessor, Nicholas Black Elk, Wallace Black Elk's vision goes beyond the borders of race to encompass all beings, so that once again, the great hoop may be whole. For Indian peoples who have lost contact with spiritual origins, whatever they may be, this book can be a powerful reclamation of the Spirit. For all people who have been searching for the something that has been missing, you will find it in Black Elk: The Sacred Ways of a Lakota. This book and others detailing the shamanic practices of our ancient Indian cultures are a real coup for the American Indian: in spreading the teachings, these courageous men and women have transformed the children of the enemy into friends and allies. The whole world benefits.
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Excellent intro into Lakota spirituality 17 July 2003
By kaioatey - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
It is rather interesting to see the controversy surrounding Wallace Black Elk and his activities. Although Wallace is a Rosebud medicine man with impeccable credentials, he has become too well known and that means he has broken an unspoken taboo that cannot be forgiven within his community. Many Native Americans, like so many other peoples (indigenous or not) simply cannot tolerate the success of one of their own and are prepared to do anything to bring them down. After all, a true member of the tiospaye is supposed to be self-effacing, humble, generous... and poor.

I cannot be a judge of Black Elk's character. But I know a good thing when I see it. Anyone who has had even remote experience of Lakota healing ceremonies will know immediately that with this book we are given a great gift. The book will be useful to all who want to understand social and ceremonial aspects of Lakota life and the practical manifestation of their worldview and religious practice. God knows that our country and our planet are in need of these teachings. We get highly useful descriptions of major rituals, such as the Kettle Dance, the sweat lodge and the "vision quest"; more importantly, we get an intimate glimpse into a Lakota medicine man's relationship with his spirit helpers and guides and with his sacred pipe (Chanunpa). The book bristles with the reverence for the pipe and with acknowledgement that the medicine man is only a channel ("a hollow bone") for the Spirit. There can be no question about Black Elk's credentials, about the validity and importance of his experiences and his ability to heal people through sacred Lakota ceremonies.

The book is also funny in a way that Lakota themselves can be funny by being at the same time self-deprecatory and self-congratulatory. Black Elk obviously enjoyed the process of describing his experiences; he also inserts a few pages on his encounters with unindentified flying objects and their denizens but I suggest the reader checks this out for herself.

In short, this is a warm, informative and rewarding book that addresses crucial elements of Lakota religious life through the words of an authentic practitioner. It glows with gratitude to Great Spirit, Mother Earth and the Chanunpa. I recommend it.

56 of 68 people found the following review helpful
So sad to see him do this to his people 2 April 2001
By "apacheman" - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Wallace "Black Elk"'s real name is Wallace Black Elk Cow. He is NOT related to the famous Black Elk in any way. The real Black Elk's family has been trying to get Wallace to quit deceptively using their family name for decades. He is not even of the same tribe. What is truly sad is that so many whites who don't know any better will look to a shady character like Wallace for guidance. Wallace sells ceremonies, which is considered unethical by native traditionalists. In this book he reveals a lot of things that are supposed to be kept private or only taught orally and face to face in the traditional way. Wallace has greatly dismayed native people with his selling out to the New Age for the sake of cash. The saddest thing is that, nearly thirty years ago, he once was a respected medicine man. But he threw all that away for cash. If you want to learn about native religions, try Vine Deloria's God Is Red. But don't give this opportunist your cash instead.
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