Customer Reviews

Black Elk and Flaming Rainbow: Personal Memories of the Lakota Holy Man and John Neihardt

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Anyone who has ever read "Black Elk Speaks" should put this book "Black Elk and Flaming Rainbow" on their must read list. Written by a woman who was there during the interviews, this book sheds much light on the arguement of whether "Black Elk Speaks" is fiction or non-fiction. It also explains why "Black Elk Speaks" could not have been written exactly as Black Elk had told his story to Neihardt. The book also touches lightly on interviews leading to the writing of "When the Tree Flowered" also by John Neihardt, as well as "The Sacred Pipe" by Joseph Epes Brown. This book is a must read for anyone interested in Lakota culture.

This is a delightful read that captures Native American life in the earlier part of the the 1900's. Not about ceremony, but the historical events of the famous Black Elk & Niehardt interviews from the vantage point of Niehardt's then 14 year old daughter. At the start it gives some Niehardt family history so bear with this if you are waiting for the Indian adventures. This fills in the personal side of that famous event.