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Black Elk

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The Resume

    (December 1, 1863-August 19, 1950)
    Born in Little Powder River, Wyoming
    Birth name in Lakota language was Hehaka Sapa
    Medicine man of the Oglala Lakota branch of the Sioux nation
    Fought in the Battle of Little Bighorn (1876)
    Toured with Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show
    Converted to Catholicism (1904)
    Subject of the book 'Black Elk Speaks' (dictated to John G. Neihardt, 1932)

Why he might be annoying:

    When he was touring England with Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, he missed the boat back to America and subsequently toured the rest of Europe with another side show for the next year.
    Some critics have accused John Neihardt of exaggerating or altering some aspects of his life story to make it more marketable to white audiences of the day (or he simply did not fully understand the Lakota context).
    He only became Catholic after his first wife - who had already converted and baptized their children - passed away.
    There is debate as to whether or not he renounced the Catholic faith on his death bed for what was termed 'his traditional pipe religion.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    He survived the Wounded Knee Massacre.
    He was a cousin of Crazy Horse.
    He was an active Christian missionary.
    He saw a resurgence of popularity in the 1960's and 70's with the rise of Native American activism.
    He recorded the seven sacred rites of the Sioux to ethnologist Joseph Epes Brown for the book 'The Sacred Pipe.'
    His son had an uncredited role in the 1962 film 'How the West Was Won.'
    His views on spirituality and religion influenced Joseph Campbell and Thomas Berry.
    The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rapid City opened an official cause for his beatification within the Catholic Church (August 2016)

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 13 Votes: 23.08% Annoying