Black Elk And The Struggle Of Faith

Heyoka Ceremony from Black Elk Speaks, by Nicholas Black Elk is a story dedicated to the Indian nation and the Hayoki - a religious people intrinsically connected to nature through their visions of thunderous creatures who were once part of this nation. Traditionally, Hayoki participates in religious ceremonies where this particular ceremony involved the sacrificing of a dog, a seemingly foolish act done with great reverence to the thunder beings of the west, that not only demonstrates their faith, beliefs, and traditions but also keeps them connected to the spiritual realm. It's important to note that as inhumane as it may seem to Western cultures, this sacrifice was done in the most respectful way possible, as Lakota promotes the respect of mother earth and everything in it. Even though the sacrificial killing of a domestic animal like a dog can be seen as controversial, in order to understand the Heyoka Ceremonies, we must first understand its origins.

William Apess broke the mold by writing this autobiography titled A Son of the Forest in 1829, considering it was not a common literary form for his time. Apess also set the bar as the earliest autobiography written and published by a Native American. Throughout the piece we learn his highs and lows, the prejudices he encountered, his different jobs, and his ordainment and success as a minister.

This internal turmoil begins with the external conflict that Young Goodman Brown faces when he decides to venture out into the forest to see if the evils that he has imagined were actually a reality. “‘My love and my Faith,’ replied young goodman Brown, ‘of all the nights in the year, this one night must I tarry away from thee. My journey, as thou callest it, forth and back again, must needs be done ‘twixt now and sunrise. What, my sweet, pretty wife, dost thou doubt me already, and we but three months married!’ ‘Then, God bless you!’ said Faith, with the pink ribbons, ‘and may you and all well, when you come back.’” (Hawthorne 1264). This conversation is the first conflict that Brown faces on his journey. He chooses to leave his wife for the evening, to head into the woods and to discover for himself whether or not evil truly does reside inside. In a sense he chooses to leave behind his “faith” in religion and God as he chooses to leave his innocent, pink ribbon decorated, wife behind for the night. The next conflict that Brown encounters is with a fellow traveler who carries a staff that bestows a serpent’s head at the top of it. This fellow traveler “befriends” Brown and urges him on despite his doubts about whether or not this is a good plan to go into the woods after all. “‘Let us walk on, nevertheless, reasoning as we go, and if I convince thee not, thou shalt turn back. We are but a little way in the forest, yet.’ ‘Too far, too far!’ exclaimed the goodman,

Luther Standing Bear was a Native American author, philosopher and actor. Luther Standing Bear was a master at using rhetoric, because with it, he benefits not only his people, but also the human identity. Luther Standing Bear contributed all of his efforts to get the Native Americans a place in a world that was no longer theirs. Luther Standing Bear is a pioneer in what would eventually become a movement for Civil Rights. The ideas that he was using did not involve insults but rather, pointed out views that others hadn 't seen or thought of before. Instead of using hatred and insults, he used his wisdom and his life experiences to express his views on the world, and why big changes had to be executed immediately. Standing Bear uses the opportune moment in the early 20th century, while civil rights was at its infancy to persuade the white man that the Indian was no different than he was.

     Greed is a large part of the American culture whether we realize it as a society or not. Many countries around the world view the United States as a selfish country that does what it wants on a global scale, and does not share or allocate its predominate wealth. I am very thankful and proud to be a citizen of this country. Even though I would risk my life to protect our country and its freedom, there are aspects about our civilization that I wish could be different. Black Elk, “a holy man and a warrior of the Lakota Nation Indians,” was a member of the Oglala Sioux tribe during the most horrific period for Native Americans in the Western part of the United States. In excerpts from the novel of his life story

Indian Horse, a novel by Richard Wagamese, is a realistic and tragic story of a First Nations child named Saul who is taken to residential school. Saul Indian Horse goes through a multitude traumatic experiences at a young age; experiences consisting of losing his family, experiencing sexual abuse, and violent racism. In the novel, a theme the reader is always brought back to is Saul’s connection to, and longing for the land. Saul’s relationship with the land is meaningful to his character because it helps him understand his family history, connects him with his culture, and comforts him in times of need.

Black Elk plays a major role in retelling the history of the Lakota Native Americans. Having witnessed the Battle of Little Bighorn and living through the transfer of Native Americans to the Pine Ridge Reservation, Black Elk can attest to the treatment endured by Native Americans. Black Elk tells the story of a people injured in war and subject to sufferings for the years to follow.

Across Canada and the United States there are many First Nations languages which are a part of the Algonquian language family, all of which with varying states of health. Although these languages share many characteristics of the Algonquian language family, the cultures, systems of beliefs, and geographic location of their respective Nations differentiate them. In being shaped by the landscape, cultures, and spirituality of the First Nations, the language brings the speakers closer to their land and traditions while reaffirming their identity as First Peoples. Using the Blackfoot Nation to further explore this concept, this paper will show that while language threads together First Nations culture, spirituality,

It has been said that some find life after death. This stands true for Christopher McCandless, the main protagonist in Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. Into the Wild is journalist Jon Krakauer’s narration of McCandless ditching his life of privilege and hitch hiking around America, until he would eventually trek into the Alaskan Wilderness and lose his life due to starvation. After McCandless is found dead, news of his death sweeps across the nation as his untimely departure faces criticism for being deserved, as McCandless went into the wilderness extremely underprepared. Through this novel, Krakauer brings McCandless’s spirit back to life again as he uses anecdotes, ethos, and aphorisms to convince readers that McCandless’s expedition was not an act of craziness, but an act of a free spirit that many can relate to.

     Throughout Ceremony, the author, Leslie Silko, displays the internal struggle that the American Indians faced at that time in history. She displays this struggle between good and evil in several parts of the book. One is the myth explaining the origin of the white man.

As a child, Little Black Bull only had the knoldage of his people’s old ways. His mother, Bessie, says: “You are the man now’ (Page 21) to Little Black Bull in response to the death of his father: George. One day, of the following spring, Little Black Bull went out hunting and met a she-bear and befriended it. Little Black Bull left half of his hunt to his new friend. Little Black Bull decided to change his name to Bear’s Brother in honor of his newly found friend. This is an important time in his life because he becomes the head of the family and he takes on the responsibilities, such as hunting and protecting his mother.

After the death of his parents, Bear’s Brother is convinced by Blue Elk to go to the school for indian kids. Blue Elk does this by telling Bear’s Brother that the old days of the grandmothers are gone. That Bear’s Brother should come with Blue Elk to the school so he could learn the new ways. Bear’s Brother did not want to do this.

"Now he isn't the only black person. J. is grateful. If anything goes down in this cannibal region, he thinks, she will send word, and the story of

In “Young Goodman Brown” Brown takes a journey that will change the way he is forever. Brown sees the deep dark secrets that everyone around him has. He sees people that he cared for and called friends totally living a secret sinful life. This totally changes the way he lives his life every day. He can not look at people the same way all he sees are there dark deep secrets. He withdraws from society and cant look at everyone the same way. He just feels like he doesn't know who these people really are he looks at them and only sees the secrets that they hide. He is tempted by the traveler to visit these woods. This temptation was too much for him to withstand and he fell just like everyone else around him had already done. Too feel sorry

When one pictures a buck, they see that they are gentle, and sensitive creatures. Like Mahdi which says, “that buck is used to symbolize freedom because it’s speedy, usually fast animals symbolize freedom and power” (Mahdi). However, when one sees a “small buck” (614) that is dying, the meaning changes. The dying buck in the story represents how everything that is living in this world will eventually come to an end and die. To some, like Haneen Othman believe that the “buck that symbolized death and fate” (Othman); hence, each person has their different view of the animal. The color black is a symbol itself and its seen in that ants. The boy says, “The ground was black with ants” (615). The color black be a grim reaper that is chasing its prey. “It looked like a small buck that had black ragged tufts of fur standing up irregular all over it” (614); as a matter of fact, the “black ragged” (614) is what a grim reaper would be seen wearing. “The veld symbolized the world we live in” (Othman), says Haneen Othman meaning that death can happen anywhere. Othman also states, “the boy also symbolized an innocent child who has yet to discover the sadness in the world” (Othman). Although most young kid never see death at a young age, only a few will understand that they can’t control everything. The last main symbol are the ants that eat the buck at the end of the story. They are death itself looming over the buck, but to Mahdi it doesn’t