Black Elk SpeaksThe book Black Elk Speaks was written in the early 1930s by author JohnG. Neihardt, after interviewing the sorcerer named Black Elk. Neihardt was already a published writer and prior to this particular story he was at work publishing a collection of poems entitled Cycle of the West. Although he initially sought information about a peculiar Native American religious movement that occurred in the late 19th century to conclude his collection of poems, Neihardt was instead gifted with the life story of Black Elk. Black Elk's words would explain much about the nature of wisdom and the life of the Sioux and other tribes of that period. The priest or holy man who called himself Black Elk was born in December 1863, to a family of the Ogalala band of Sioux. Black Elk's family was well known and considered the famous Crazy Horse as a friend and cousin. Black Elk's family was also recognized as a family of wise men, as both his father and grandfather were holy men who bore the name Black Elk. The youngest Black Elk soon experienced a boyish vision, a vision of wisdom inherent in the land that would direct him towards his true calling of being a wichasha wakon or holy man like his predecessors. BlackElk's childlike vision remained with him throughout his life and offered him help and wisdom whenever he sought it. It is from the strength of this vision and the wisdom in his heart that Black Elk ultimately realized his place as a leader and wise man in the Ogalala band of Sioux. The wisdom Black Elk possesses is immediately present in his memories of various lessons learned from himself and others. These stories covered the full range of life experiences, from the most innocent acts of a boy in love, to the harsh lessons learned from white betrayal. Through these stories one can gain deeper insight into the ways of the Sioux, as well as lessons about the nature of all men. The most important thing in these lessons on the nature of man was wisdom, and in all Black Elk's memories somewhere deeper wisdom can be found. The story of the Courtship of High Horse stands out as a perfect example of one of the Black Elk narratives. Typically, Black Elk narratives attempt to impart a lesson (or lessons) that the listener can learn from, just as sometimes makes the subject of the story..