As a young child of the Oglala Lakota Sioux, Black Elk had been given a mighty vision which would lead him on a personal journey that lasted his entire life. Although Black Elk's vision was a prophetic message telling the terrible future of his tribe, it also held positive aspects that must be reclaimed. It is through this reclamation that the guiding beacons given to him reveal an ancient pathway woven into the images of the West. By exploring Black Elk's eyewitness account of the crucial events of that time, the author discovered a series of metaphorical footprints that show us the way toward inner strength and a balanced life...125 years later. To help with an interpretation of Black Elk's account, the author invoked the insight of Joseph Campbell, one of the world's foremost authorities on societal ideologies. Through his understanding of symbol and metaphor Campbell was able to examine the metaphorical footprints and provide us with a twenty-first century "spin" that a simple man generations before could only imagine. This book offers a new look at Black Elk's footprints and together with the insight of Joseph Campbell, presents an inward path to the positive forces within each of us, waiting for discovery. About the Author: Linda L. Stampoulos lives in New Jersey, and often travels to the West to research material her books. After completing her Undergraduate and Graduate Degrees at Montclair State University, she went on to Columbia University, to earn her Doctorate in Education. She has taught at both the Undergraduate and Graduate levels in the Schools of Health Foundations and Educational Foundations at Montclair State University. A large portion of her curriculum included the works of Joseph Campbell. She is President of Pompano Associates, Inc. a Women s Business Enterprise, certified by the State of New Jersey Department of Commerce. They can be found at: www.Pompanobooks.com Her last book, "Images of America: Visiting the Grand Canyon, Views of Early Tourism" was listed among the Southwest Books of the Year, Best Reading 2004. In addition, she has previously worked with Arcadia Publishing on several projects, including "Fort Peck Indian Reservation; The Little Bighorn, Tiospaye; "and" The Grand Canyon: Native People and Early Visitors." She is a consultant for Lenape tribal members who are writing a new book exploring the history of the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In addition, she has devoted over twenty-five years to work in the field of Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Services.

Black Elk Speaks is the story of Nicholas Black Elk, Lakota visionary and healer, and his people at the close of the nineteenth century. Black Elk grew up in a time when white settlers were invading his homeland, slaughtering buffalo herds, and threatening the Lakotas' way of life. Celebrated poet and writer John G. Neidhart tells this story of how the Lakotas' fought back from the triumph at Little Bighorn to the tragedy at Wounded Knee. Black Elk Speaks has been regarded as a collaborative autobiography, a history of a Native American nation, and a spiritual testament for all humankind. This concise supplement to Neihardt's Black Elk Speaks helps students understand the overall structure of the novel, actions and motivations of the characters, and the social and cultural perspectives of the author.

This book includes both new essays and revised versions of classic works by recognized authorities on Black Elk. Clyde Roller's introduction explores his life and texts and illustrates his relevance to today's scholarly discussions. Dale Stover considers Black Elk from a postcolonial perspective, and R. Todd Wise investigates similarities between Black Elk Speaks and the Testimonio (as exemplified by I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in Guatemala). Anthropologist Raymond A. Bucko provides an annotated bibliography and a sensitive guide to the issues surrounding cultural appropriation, a subject also explored through Frances Kaye's engaging reading of Hawthorne's The Marble Fawn. Classic essays by Julian Rice and George W. Linden are included in the collection as well as Hilda Niehardt's reflections on the 1931 and 1944 interviews with Black Elk. With its unusually broad range of academic disciplines and perspectives, this book shows that Black Elk stands at the intersection of today's scholarly discussions. In addition to scholars of religion, anthropology, multicultural literature, and Native American studies, The Black Elk Reader will appeal to a general audience.

"This study of Black Elk, the Oglala Lakota subject of the bestselling Black Elk Speaks, challenges the assumptions of many scholars - both those who claim that Black Elk was a Lakota holy man first and foremost and those who maintain that he abandoned his Lakota tradition after converting to Catholicism." "Arguing from a post-colonial perspective, author Damien Costello deconstructs modern Western assumptions and shows that Black Elk was an active agent, and that his conversion was in continuity with the dynamics of Lakota culture and provided new power to challenge the dominance of colonialism. As a consequence, Black Elk the Lakota holy man and Black Elk the Lakota catechist remembered by his community were not contradictory but one consistent agent fighting for the survival of his people in a colonial world infringing on the Lakota, their lands, and their traditions."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

As a companion tool, this workbook includes further insight and activities to help process the principles outlined in "Two on a Bridge, The Guidebook." These activities are designed to help access the different energy sources available to us and hopefully make them a part of one's life. It is an essential tool that serves as a journal to reflect on thoughts and feelings as the reader and a partner dedicate time to meet and take a journey across the bridge. Over the course of the meetings, there are many opportunities to share goals, examine new ideas, and reflect on individual challenges. As in the Guidebook, the reader will discover the healing energy that can come from the power of two. About the Author Linda L. Stampoulos lives in New Jersey, and often travels to the West to research material her books. After completing her Undergraduate and Graduate Degrees at Montclair State University, she went on to Columbia University, to earn her Doctorate in Education. She has taught at both the Undergraduate and Graduate levels in the Schools of Health Foundations and Educational Foundations at Montclair State University. A large portion of her curriculum included the works of Joseph Campbell. In addition, she has devoted over twenty-five years to work in the field of Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Services. Her last book, "Two on a Bridge, The Guidebook" was recently published. The "Workbook" is a companion tool which offers the reader activities to help process the principles outlined in the Guidebook. Her other works include "The Redemption of Black Elk" which was published in English as well as in German, "Black Elks Vermachtnis." She has also contributed to the Images of America series: "Visiting the Grand Canyon, Views of Early Tourism" which was listed among the Southwest Books of the Year, Best Reading 2004. In addition, she has previously worked on several projects with Native American author Kenny Shields, Jr. to produce: "Fort Peck Indian Reservation; The Little Bighorn, Tiospaye; "and" The Grand Canyon: Native People and Early Visitors." These and other works can be found at Pompanobooks.com

In a series of interviews an American Plains Indian describes his life and discusses the traditional religious beliefs of the Indians