Black Elk Quotes - Page 3

Quotes about:

• Birds make their nest in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours.

  Black Elk

  Native American, Circles, Bird

  Black Elk (2000). “Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux”, Bison Books

  9 Copy quote

• The song and the drumming were like this: Behold, a sacred voice is calling you; All over the sky a sacred voice is calling.

  Black Elk

  Song, Native American, Sky

  Black Elk (2000). “Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux”, Bison Books

  9 Copy quote

• I cured with the power that came through me. Of course, it was not I who cured,it was the power from the Outer World; the visions and ceremonies only made me like a whole through which the power could come to the two-leggeds. If I thought that I was doing it myself, the hole would close up and no power could come through. Then everything I could do would be foolish.

  Black Elk

  Two, Vision, Would Be

  11 Copy quote

• You remember that my great vision came to me when I was only nine years old, and you have seen that I was not much good for anything until after I had performed the horse dance near the mouth of the Tongue River during my eighteenth summer.

  Black Elk

  Summer, Horse, Years

  Black Elk (2000). “Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux”, Bison Books

  22 Copy quote

• Everything the Power of the World does is done in a circle.

  Black Elk

  Native American, Circles, Doe

  "The Sacred Pipe : Black Elk's Account of the Seven Rites of the Oglala Sioux" recorded and edited by Joseph Epes Brown, (Ch. 17), 1961.

  26 Copy quote

• The life of an Indian is like the wings of the air. That is why you notice the hawk knows how to get his prey. The Indian is like that. The hawk swoops down on its prey, so does the Indian. In his lament he is like an animal. For instance, the coyote is sly, so is the Indian. The eagle is the same. That is why the Indian is always feathered up, he is a relative to the wings of the air.

  Black Elk

  Native American, Animal, Air

  John Gneisenau Neihardt, Black Elk, Raymond J. DeMallie (1984). “The Sixth Grandfather: Black Elk's teachings given to John G. Neihardt”, Univ of Nebraska Pr

  9 Copy quote

• But if the Vision was true and mighty, as I know, it is true and mighty yet;for such things are of Spirit, and it is in the darkness of their eyes that men get lost.

  Black Elk

  Native American, Eye, Men

  Black Elk (2000). “Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux”, Bison Books

  10 Copy quote

• The power of a thing or an act is in the meaning and the understanding.

  Black Elk

  Power, Understanding

  "The Sacred Pipe : Black Elk's Account of the Seven Rites of the Oglala Sioux" recorded and edited by Joseph Epes Brown, 1953.

  14 Copy quote

• I think I have told you, but if I have not, you must have understood, that a man who has a vision is not able to use the power of it until after he has performed the vision on earth for the people to see.

  Black Elk

  Men, Thinking, People

  Black Elk (2000). “Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux”, Bison Books

  11 Copy quote

• I was four years old then, and I think it must have been the next summer that I first heard the voices.

  Black Elk

  Summer, Thinking, Years

  Black Elk (2000). “Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux”, Bison Books

  18 Copy quote

• Every place is the center of the world.

  Black Elk

  Opportunity, Unity, World

  15 Copy quote

• But I think I have done right to save the vision in this way, even though I may die sooner because I did it; for I know the meaning of the vision is wise and beautiful and good; and you can see that I am only a pitiful old man after all.

  Black Elk

  Beautiful, Wise, Thinking

  Black Elk, John G. Neihardt (2014). “Black Elk Speaks: The Complete Edition”, p.128, U of Nebraska Press

  8 Copy quote

• Everything tries to be round.

  Black Elk

  Education, Trying, Statistics

  Black Elk (2000). “Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux”, Bison Books

  9 Copy quote

• The soldiers did go away and their towns were torn down; and in the Moon of Falling Leaves (November), they made a treaty with Red Cloud that said our country would be ours as long as grass should grow and water flow.

  Black Elk

  Country, Fall, Moon

  Black Elk (2000). “Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux”, Bison Books

  17 Copy quote

• When you pray with this pipe, you pray for and with everything.

  Black Elk

  Praying, Pipe

  "The Sacred Pipe : Black Elk's Account of the Seven Rites of the Oglala Sioux" recorded and edited by Joseph Epes Brown, 1953.

  10 Copy quote

• They told me I had been sick twelve days, lying like dead all the while, and that Whirlwind Chaser, who was Standing Bear's uncle and a medicine man, had brought me back to life.

  Black Elk

  Uncles, Lying, Men

  Black Elk (2000). “Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux”, Bison Books

  82 Copy quote

• I looked below and saw my people there, and all were well and happy except one, and he was lying like the dead - and that one was myself.

  Black Elk

  Lying, People, Saws

  Black Elk (2000). “Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux”, Bison Books

  8 Copy quote

• You see, I had been riding with the storm clouds, and had come to earth as rain, and it was drought that I had killed with the power that the Six Grandfathers gave me.

  Black Elk

  Rain, Clouds, Grandfather

  55 Copy quote

• My friend, I am going to tell you the story of my life, as you wish; and if it were only the story of my life I think I would not tell it; for what is one man that he should make much of his winters, even when they bend him like a heavy snow?

  Black Elk

  Winter, Men, Thinking

  Black Elk (2000). “Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux”, Bison Books

  9 Copy quote

• I cured with the power that came through me.

  Black Elk

  Power, Advertising Agencies, Native American Dream

  Black Elk (2000). “Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux”, Bison Books

  6 Copy quote

• If I thought that I was doing it myself, the hole would close up and no power could come through. Then everything I could do would be foolish.

  Black Elk

  Native American, Would Be, Foolish

  Black Elk (2000). “Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux”, Bison Books

  9 Copy quote

• I had a vision with which I might have saved my people, but I had not the strength to do it.

  Black Elk

  People, Vision, Might

  8 Copy quote

• To use the power of the bison, I had to perform that part of my vision for the people to see.

  Black Elk

  People, Vision, Use

  91 Copy quote

• When I got back to my father and mother and was sitting up there in our tepee, my face was still all puffed and my legs and arms were badly swollen; but I felt good all over and wanted to get right up and run around.

  Black Elk

  Mother, Running, Father

  Black Elk (2000). “Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux”, Bison Books

  7 Copy quote

• And if the great fear had not come upon me, as it did, and forced me to do my duty, I might have been less good to the people than some man who had never dreamed at all, even with the memory of so great a vision in me.

  Black Elk

  Memories, Men, People

  Black Elk (2000). “Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux”, Bison Books

  4 Copy quote

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