His father was a medicine man, as were his paternal uncles. Early years Childhood īlack Elk came from a long lineage of medicine men and healers in his family. His grandson, George Looks Twice said, 'He was comfortable praying with this pipe and his rosary, and participated in Mass and Lakota ceremonies on a regular basis'.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rapid City opened an official cause for his beatification within the Roman Catholic Church in 2016. There has been great interest in these works among diverse people interested in Native American religions, notably those in the pan-Indian movement.īlack Elk converted to Catholicism, becoming a catechist, but he also continued to practice Lakota ceremonies. Near the end of his life, he also spoke to American ethnologist Joseph Epes Brown for his 1947 book The Sacred Pipe. This book has since been published in numerous editions, most recently in 2008. Neihardt published these in his book Black Elk Speaks in 1932. He toured and performed in Europe as part of Buffalo Bill's Wild West.īlack Elk is best known for his interviews with poet John Neihardt, where he discussed his religious views, visions, and events from his life. He survived the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890. He was a second cousin of the war leader Crazy Horse and fought with him in the Battle of Little Bighorn. Heȟáka Sápa, commonly known as Black Elk (Decem– Aug), was a wičháša wakȟáŋ (' medicine man, holy man') and heyoka of the Oglala Lakota people.

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