Heȟáka Sápa (Black Elk) was a famous Oglala Lakota medicine man and heyoka who lived in the present-day United States, primarily on land currently known as South Dakota … While many historians and anthropologists remain intrigued by Black Elk’s profound visions &/or his portrayal of the Sioux way of life, it was his tendency towards gently sharing his wisdom and his regular displays of noble courage that I personally admire.   At the massacred of Wounded Knee (1890), Black Elk repeatedly charged U.S. soldiers to rescue the wounded, and later in life, he created and organized a unique Indian show – not to glorify warfare or bravery – but rather to teach tourists about Lakota culture and sacred rituals.  Black Elk saw the world as one, and knew that Peace was the only aim worth embodying.

 

“It is good to have a reminder of death before us, for it helps us to understand the impermanence of life on this earth, and this understanding may aid us in preparing for our own death … Grown men must learn from very little children, for the hearts of the very young are pure, and, therefore the Great Spirit shows them many things which older people have long since forgotten.” ~ via Black Elk

Filed under: In LOVE with Humanity by Scaughdt