Black Elk Speaks is the story of the Lakota visionary and healer Nicholas Black Elk (1863–1950) and his people during the momentous twilight years of the nineteenth century. Black Elk met the distinguished poet, writer, and critic John G. Neihardt (1881–1973) in 1930 on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and chose Neihardt to tell his story. Neihardt understood and conveyed Black Elk’s experiences in this powerful and inspirational message for all humankind.

When Black Elk received his great vision, white settlers were invading the Lakotas’ homeland, decimating buffalo herds, and threatening to extinguish the Lakotas’ way of life. The Lakotas fought fiercely to retain their freedom and way of life, a dogged resistance that resulted in a remarkable victory at the Little Bighorn and an unspeakable tragedy at Wounded Knee. Black Elk Speaks offers much more than a precious glimpse of a vanished time, however. As related by Neihardt, Black Elk’s searing visions of the unity of humanity and the earth have made this book a venerated spiritual classic. Whether appreciated as the poignant tale of a Lakota life, a history of a Native nation, or an enduring spiritual testament, Black Elk Speaks is unforgettable.

This new edition features two additional essays by John G. Neihardt that further illuminate his experience with Black Elk; an essay by Alexis Petri, great-granddaughter of John G. Neihardt, that celebrates Neihardt’s remarkable accomplishments; and a look at the legacy of the special relationship between Neihardt and Black Elk, written by Lori Utecht, editor of Knowledge and Opinion: Essays and Literary Criticism of John G. Neihardt.

For more information on John G. Neihardt, visit www.neihardt.com

尼古拉斯•黑麋鹿

北美印第安奧格拉拉蘇族人，身兼獵人、戰士、行醫聖者多種角色，1863年生，卒於1950年。他九歲時因夢見如創世神話般偉大的靈視現象，藉此獲得治病和預言的力量；23歲那年參加錶演圈赴芝加哥、紐約、英國等地演齣麋鹿儀式；迴到故土後經曆1890年底慘烈的“傷膝河之役”。

他雖是文盲，卻有如聖者般的教養，種族經驗透過有意識的內化，熏陶齣一個寬容、豐厚的人格，在他身上可以看到奧格拉拉文化的全盛精髓。1930年起，他接受美國詩人約翰•內哈特訪談，說齣一生的故事，於是産生瞭《黑麋鹿如是說》這樣的傳世經典。

約翰•G.奈哈特

美國詩人，1881年生，卒於1973年。印第安名字為“燃燒彩虹”，著有《當樹花盛開》《印第安戰爭之歌》《西部之圈》等與印第安文化有關的文學作品。