Making a Vision Real

Surviving Lakota Assimilation

History of Lakota/US relations

• 1890 “Battle” or “Slaughter” at Wounded Knee– Beginning of “Reservation” Period– Dawes Act 1887– Assimilation movement• Boarding schools• Col. Pratt, “Kill the Indian and save the man.”

Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)

• 1920s and 30s John Collier, Director• 1924 Citizenship Act• 1934 Indian Reorganization Act– Formation of Tribal Governments by BIA

• Tie to Neihardt

Assimilation or Extermination?

• 1950’s Termination Era– Abolish reservations/treaties• California hard hit• Land grab• Resettlement in cities

American Indian Movement (AIM)

• 1960s and 70s– Urban Indian movement– Occupation of symbolic sites• Alcatraz• BIA offices in DC• Mt. Rushmore• Wounded Knee

Black Elk and Catholicism

• Early 1904 BE converted to Catholicism– Know on Pine Ridge as a catecist– Steltenkamp, Black Elk: Holy Man of the Oglala– Two Roads Map– Instruction in Lakota language– Black Elk’s death

What is BE’s religion?

• Wikasa wakan, holy man (shaman)– Visionary?

• Catholic catecist• Native American/Lakota or Christian?

Why perform the Great Vision?

• What is the significance of BE’s vision?– Tied to seeing?

• Horse Dance– Performance of the vision

Other Ceremonies

• Dog Vision– Lakota people are dying– Visiting the land of the dead

• Heyoka Ceremony– Clown of the Thunder Beings– Creation connected to laughter

Black Elk the Healer

• The First Cure– Asked by a friend to cure his boy– Does not believe he can heal– Vision enables him to cure in spite of his belief

• Reputation as a healer spreads throughout the Lakota nation