1. PRESENTATION  Nicholas William Black Elk  Medicine Man  Missionary  Mystic  Wanderer between two worlds  Presented by Thomas Brack

2. CONTENTS  Goal  Chronology  Little Big Horn  With Buffalo Bill in Europe  Ghost Dance/ Wounded Knee  Conversion: Catholic Catechist among Indian People  Encounter with John G. Neihardt :«Black Elk speaks»  Personal conclusions/ Questions

3. GOALS  Question: What could an Indian Holy Man bring to convert to Christianity, especially the catholic belief?

4. SIOUX SPIRITUALITY  «The 6 grandfathers»  «Sacred Pipe»  «Wakan Tanka»  Map of two roads: Black: (Trouble) From East to West Red: (Salvation) From North to South  «Sprouting Stick»

5. CHRONOLOGY  ca. 1865 Born as an Oglala Sioux in the Great Plains /1st vision  1876 Little Big Horn  1886 Tours with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show in Europe/ 2nd vision  1890 Wounded Knee  1904 December 6: Baptized «Nicholas William Black Elk»/3rd vision  1931 John G. Neihardt’s visit with Black Elk: «Black Elk speaks»  1950 Death of Nicholas Black Elk, August 17

6. LITTLE BIG HORN  1876 «Greasy Grass» Little Bighorn  Famous Indian chieftains: Crazy Horse, Red Cloud, Sitting Bull  «Wasichus»: «Pahuska» «Long Hair» General Custer, Former Gettysburgh Hero: «Custers Last Stand»

7. IN EUROPE Colonel William F. Cody better known as «Buffalo Bill» Black Elk’s journey to Europe 2nd vision

8. WOUNDED KNEE  Sioux at the Pine Ridge Reservation  «Ghost Dance»  1890 Butchering at «Wounded Knee»  «Why did it come to it?»  Consequences?

9. CONVERSION  «Black Robes»: Jesuits’ Holy Rosary Mission among the Sioux people Encounter with Father Joseph Lindebner  Conversion, 3rd vision  Working as a Catechist among his people for nearly half a century

10. JOHN G. NEIHARDT  German Descendant  Poet from Nebraska  «Homer» of the Great Plains  Encounter with Black Elk 1931  Author of «Black Elk speaks»

11. PERSONAL CONCLUSIONS  Why could this personality mesmermize me?  Was it the fact, that Indian and Catholic Spirituality met each other in this outstanding person?  How come, that the Indian God «Wokan Tonka» (Manitou) and the Christian God could live in the same heart?  How can one explain the credibility of such a man in his either Indian or Christian surrounding?

12. SAVE MOTHER EARTH

13. ANY Q UESTIONS ?

14. THE END Thanks a lot for your attention