The crew is filming this week across the Pine Ridge Reservation, tracing … The filmmakers took a look at Lakota Catholicism today and they interviewed Bishop Gruss for his perspective. James Earl Jones is himself a Black … The book brings together the extant historical record and tells Black Elk’s story in an accessible narrative. He spent many years working with the Jesuits who served as spiritual leaders on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, traveling with them and holding prayer services when no priests were available. Password reset instructions will be sent to your registered email address. With the cause for his canonization opened, he is titled Servant of God Nicholas Black Elk. Black Elk Voices, Matthias Gohl - The West - Amazon.com Music ... 5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible soundtrack for an incredible documentary. CHARLOTTE — “Walking the Good Red Road: Nicholas Black Elk’s Journey to Sainthood” – a documentary about Servant of God Nicholas Black Elk – offers a unique glimpse into this Catholic lay leader’s life and spirituality. Nicholas Black Elk lived a fascinating life in a time of great turmoil for the Oglala Sioux people. Black Elk was born in 1863 on the Little Powder River, in what is now Wyoming. Black Elk could be called many things—a modern mystic, a catechist, a “bridge builder,” as Sister Zielinski called him in our interview—but his story is about more than just a saint who lived in two worlds at once. On Sunday, May 24, KSTP(ABC) will broadcast the 1-hour Black Elk documentary, “Walking the Good Red Road: Nicholas Black Elk’s Journey to Sainthood” at 5 a.m. The documentary tells the story of a Black Elk’s conversion to Catholicism and his dedication to bringing other Native Americans to the Catholic faith. Logging in will also give you access to commenting features on our website. Black Elk died in 1950. “Walking the Good Red Road: Nicholas Black Elk’s Journey to Sainthood,” a documentary more than a year in the making, involved the collaboration of media, historians and the Lakota people. His search for understanding took many years and another vision in which he saw “the Son of God.”. Zielinski said Black Elk is a role model for a time of great polarity in the United States. “It was walked on. Filmed predominantly on the Pine Ridge Reservation, the documentary features testimonies from Lakota Sioux elders who knew Black Elk as well as some of his descendants, including his grandson and voice recordings of his daughter, Lucy Looks Twice. He was able to integrate that in his Catholicism.”, Sister Judith sees Nicholas Black Elk as an extraordinary example of sainthood today. But Black Elk saw firsthand how this “red road” was littered with suffering for his people at the hands of white oppressors. “Walking the Good Red Road” sheds light on the cultural erasure that took place in these boarding schools, one of many horrifying acts of violence against Native Americans that characterize U.S. and Canadian history. Though his first wife was Catholic and his children raised in the Faith, it wasn’t until he was in his 40s that Black Elk finally committed himself to baptism in the Catholic Church. This still from Sr. Judy Zielinski's new documentary, "Walking the Good Red Road: Nicholas Black Elk's Journey to Sainthood," depicts the 1950 burial of Nicholas Black Elk at St. Agnes Parish in Manderson, South Dakota. Check out some of the. Courtesy of Sr. Judy Zielinski, O.S.F. That ignorance extends even to the racist history of my own hometown in California, which the Black Lives Matter movement and recent efforts to uncover other such histories has brought to my attention. “The buffalo, in our way, in our prayer, was a spiritual gift to the Lakota people,” he says, “because the buffalo gives all of itself. Please visit our membership page to learn how you can invest in our work by subscribing to the magazine or making a donation. Like his father before him, Black Elk would become a warrior, as well as a medicine … The “spiritual … On Sunday, May 24, KSTP(ABC) will broadcast the 1-hour Black Elk documentary, “Walking the Good Red Road: Nicholas Black Elk’s Journey to Sainthood” at 5 a.m. The “spiritual genocide” to which Native Americans in general were subjected is justly condemned. “When I look at our world, we are so polarized, we find it difficult to have a sense of unity. Perhaps more controversially, the documentary also enthusiastically celebrates Black Elk's ability to combine Lakota religious traditions with sincere adherence to Catholicism. … As a young boy, Black Elk fell ill and had a great vision, describing a “sacred hoop” connecting all of humanity “as they must live together as one being.” This, as his biographer Michael F. Steltenkamp, S.J., says in the documentary, was “the early rumblings of [his] vocation." "Walking the Red Road: Nicholas Black Elk's Journey to Sainthood" was funded by the Catholic Communication Campaign and is a rare opportunity for Catholic programming in a mainstream media outlet. Refugees from the attacks on Christians in Iraq cannot help but feel bitter and forgotten, writes Luma Simms. He advocated in Washington for the government to send Jesuits (or the Blackrobes, as they were called) to South Dakota to attend the spiritual needs of his people on the reservation. The school was renamed in the 1960s to Red Cloud Indian School to give pride and ownership to the native peoples. Black Elk’s home parish, in Black Elk’s home town, in the land of Black Elk’s people, the Oglala. Please contact us at members@americamedia.org with any questions. Pope Francis has named Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, a member of the Congregation for Bishops, the office that advises the pope on the nomination of bishops around the world. “Walking the Good Red Road” sheds light on the cultural erasure that took place in these boarding schools, one of many horrifying acts of violence against Native Americans that characterize U.S. and Canadian history. James Earl Jones narrates a stunning and informative documentary "Black Indians: An American Story", which explores issues of racial identity between the mixed-descent peoples of both Native American and African American heritage. This documentary called me to reckon with my ignorance of this tragedy and how it reveals the greater issue of how, as both Americans and Catholics, we address the history of oppression in this country. The title “Good Red Road” refers to the manner of teaching that Black Elk used for evangelizing children, which employed a pictorial scroll with the “red road” leading to heaven. Black Elk was born in 1863 on the Little Powder River, in what is now Wyoming. He was able to teach young people that the God of Christianity fit Lakota spirituality as well. A scene from "Walking the Good Red Road: Nicholas Black Elk's Journey to Sainthood" showing Black Elk teaching the Two Roads Catechism. Stand firm. The hair is prayed over and reverently wrapped in cloth. Directed by Chip Richie. That may start to change when a documentary she wrote and produced, “Walking the Good Red Road: Nicholas Black Elk’s Journey to Sainthood,” begins airing nationally today on … “The buffalo is a spiritual gift—it gives all of itself,” says Basil Brave Heart, an elder and holy man among the Lakota American Indians, who was interviewed for the documentary. Black Elk was born into an Oglala Lakota family in December 1863 along the Little Powder River (at a site thought to be in the present-day state of Wyoming). Also interviewed in the documentary are Catholic leaders, including Bishop Robert D. Gruss of Saginaw, Michigan, formerly of the Diocese of Rapid City, South Dakota. We need to sit with that. This “different time” is not so far behind us, as I have come to recognize that some of my own elementary school curriculum was also racist. The documentary … With James Earl Jones. When you register, you’ll get unlimited access to our website and a free subscription to our email newsletter for daily updates with a smart, Catholic take on faith and culture from. The police refused to investigate the incident as a hate crime, and the town held vigils at the town’s iconic pier, where white residents tearfully repeated that “This is not OUR Manhattan Beach.”. When Black Elk … As the process continues, Black Elk could become the first male Native American saint recognized in the Catholic Church. if you are trying to comment, you must log in or set up a new account. We ask readers to log in so that we can recognize you as a registered user and give you unrestricted access to our website. This is our town, and embedded in its history is deep racial prejudice and segregation. Like his father before him, Black Elk would become a warrior, as well as a … Black Elk pursued this vocation of bringing unity through his teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Bishop Rhoades: Catholics can take the Johnson & Johnson vaccine ‘in good moral conscience’. She became involved when she received a phone call from a Catholic theologian of Native American history who wanted advice on creating a short video about Nicholas Black Elk. Brave Heart’s words are followed by a black-and-white image of a white settler standing atop a mountain of thousands of buffalo skulls, one of many stunning stills from Marquette University’s archives included in the film. In recent weeks, Americans have witnessed a call to rename university buildings, remove Confederate statues and rethink how school curriculums glorify white historical figures and ignore the struggles and triumphs of Indigenous people and people of color in the United States. Bruce’s Beach is a beachfront park in my neighborhood in Manhattan Beach, Calif., whose disturbing history was raised anew when a recent New York Times video began circulating on social media. Perhaps more controversially, the documentary also enthusiastically celebrates Black Elk’s ability to combine Lakota religious traditions with sincere adherence to Catholicism. Black Elk as a Young Man . Black Elk’s spiritual visions granted him wisdom and healing insight beginning in his childhood, but he grew progressively physically blind in his adult years. In accordance with government policy, the Jesuits ran the school in English and forbade the Lakota children from speaking their native tongue. (Source: The Sixth Grandfather, edited by Raymond … His wishes prevailed, and the Jesuits built a school and church on Pine Ridge Reservation, which remains to this day. We can't do it without you—America Media relies on generous support from our readers. Nicholas Black Elk, daughter Lucy Black Elk and wife Anna Brings White, photographed in their home in Manderson, South Dakota, ca 1910. “Nicholas Black Elk was living in heaven long before he died,” says an anonymous commentator at the beginning of “Walking the Good Red Road.” We can still honor his memory by committing ourselves anew to the ministry of Black Elk to bring the kingdom of God to all who seek it through our own resistance and struggle for justice. Black Elk’s spiritual visions granted him wisdom and healing insight beginning in his childhood, but he grew progressively physically blind in his adult years. Scholars and the general public alike will find this volume appealing. It seems disingenuous for white Americans to claim to be shocked by racism, whether it rears its ugly head as a firebombing or the killing of an innocent man, when our culture regularly dresses up our violent history as bowdlerized children’s plays in our schools. Being Christian and Native American did not always come easy for the baptized Lakota, but Black Elk learned to merge the two. Black Elk taught the Lakota using a pictorial catechism called the ‘Two Roads Catechism,’ which depicted a black road and a red road. Sister Zielinski explores the life of Nicholas Black Elk, a Lakota chief and Catholic convert who has since been declared a “Servant of God” by the Catholic Church. The film was helped by a grant from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. “Killing a buffalo was part of the genocide.”. In the summer of 1930, as part of his research into the Native American perspective on the Ghost Dance movement, Neihardt contacted an Oglala holy man named Black Elk… If you’re already a subscriber or donor, thank you! You can either click on the link in your confirmation email or simply re-enter your email address below to confirm it. That to me was a disgrace, a disrespect.”. We wore ponchos and made tortillas on “Mission Day,” doing all of this without discussing the nuanced and horrifying past of the mission system. As a young boy, Black Elk took ill and fell into a coma during which he had a vision that he felt called him to serve as a spiritual leader for his people. I thought I was well versed in our country’s history. She relates how with all of the suffering of his people, Black Elk could have become bitter and distrustful, but instead he sought holiness and forgiveness. A plaque at Bruce’s Beach that recounts this history—all that is left of the Bruces’ resort—reads: “Those tragic circumstances reflected the views of a different time.”. As a frequent reader of our website, you know how important America’s voice is in the conversation about the church and the world. Did you enjoy this article? St. Kateri Tekakwitha of the Mohawk tribe was the first Native American Catholic saint. Childhood. That may start to change when a documentary she wrote and produced, “Walking the Good Red Road: Nicholas Black Elk’s Journey to Sainthood,” begins airing nationally today on ABC … Food shelter, clothing.”, Damian M. Costello, a Catholic theologian, narrates how during Black Elk’s lifetime, white settlers were paid by the U.S. government to kill the buffalo in order to “starve out” and subjugate Native people. As a first grader, I was cast as a “Chinese twin” in our play called “We Come From Everywhere.” My classmates and I dressed as “Indians” and put on a play in second grade about their “friendships” with the white settlers. Christopher Salvador of New Group Media, based in South Bend, Indiana, served as director and producer for the documentary, while Sister Judith Zielinski, OSF, functioned as screenwriter and producer for the project. These stories, and countless more, offer insight … With James Earl Jones. Wondering why we ask for your email, or having trouble registering. Black Elk, who married again after the death of his first wife, was a husband and father and a faithful catechist for more than 30 years. It is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the ways in which we have rewritten history to gloss over injustice and suffering. Copyright © 1996-2021 Our Sunday Visitor, Inc. Nicholas Black Elk is pictured in an undated historical photo teaching a girl how to pray the rosary. “He embraced Christianity, but didn’t reject the Lakota way.” Black Elk reportedly was often seen carrying both a rosary and a Lakota prayer pipe. In my own hometown, white violence is part of the fabric of our community. (Courtesy of … These stories, and countless more, offer insight into this extraordinary man whose cause for canonization is now underway at the Vatican. Yes, I remember saying, firebombing a house, hate crimes, racial discrimination—it is OUR Manhattan Beach. The “spiritual … Bishop Gruss opened the canonization process for Black Elk and Jesuit Father Michael Steltenkamp, the biographer for Black Elk’s life, among others. Explainer: Cardinal Tobin will now help Pope Francis pick bishops. Copyright © 2021 America Press Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Sister Judy began research in November 2018. After enduring threats from the Ku Klux Klan and protests from the city’s white residents, the Bruces were forced off their land in 1924 by the city’s claim of eminent domain. The Jesuits in residence at Pine Ridge today played an important part in bringing Black Elk’s story to life through the documentary, providing interviews along with time-period religious artifacts from their own archives, which lent authenticity to the film. I am a senior at a Jesuit university; I was raised in a politically minded family, attended well-funded public schools in a liberal neighborhood, and have always read a lot, both growing up and now. Charles and Willa Bruce, an African-American couple, bought the land to build a resort in 1912, at a time when African-Americans were banned from most Los Angeles County beaches. … But he also remained open to the spirituality of the Lakota, which is very nature-based — very Franciscan. This still from Sr. Judy Zielinski's new documentary, "Walking the Good Red Road: Nicholas Black Elk's Journey to Sainthood," depicts Nicholas Black Elk's 1904 baptism. His search for God, for the Great Spirit, led him to Christ. It called me to reckon with my ignorance of this tragedy and how it reveals the greater issue of how, as both Americans and Catholics, we address the history of oppression in this country. The "spiritual genocide" to … When hair is cut, it is an important ceremonial process. Subscribe now. We had stopped at the church when we first arrived from Rapid City by way of Scenic, the … Since you’re a frequent reader of our website, we want to be able to share even more great, As a frequent reader of our website, you know how important, Walking the Good Red Road: Nicholas Black Elk’s Journey to Sainthood. Much of what was previously known of Black Elk is taken from a book written about his life in the 1930s by John Neihardt called “Black Elk Speaks.” Unfortunately, according to Sister Judith, the book makes no mention of his Catholic faith. Perhaps more controversially, the documentary also enthusiastically celebrates Black Elk’s ability to combine Lakota religious traditions with sincere adherence to Catholicism. If you login and register your print subscription number with your account, you’ll have unlimited access to the website. Nicholas Black Elk … — New Group Media out of South Bend, Ind. It isn’t often that a Native American is considered for sainthood in the Catholic Church, much less one who was a cousin to Crazy Horse, toured with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and was involved in the Battles of Little Bighorn and Wounded Knee. 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As a warrior in the Battle of Little Bighorn and a first responder to the Wounded Knee Massacre, Black Elk witnessed violence and participated in active resistance as he worked to bring his vision to life. We ask our visitors to confirm their email to keep your account secure and make sure you're able to receive email from us. What does that mean for the U.S. Church? Nicholas Black Elk may be better known for all of these things, yet his Catholic faith is the highlight of a new documentary that began airing on ABC affiliates in May. They forced the children to dress in European clothes and cut the boys’ hair against their will. Brave Heart goes on to explain that the Lakota word for white man, “wasi’chu,” does not refer to the color of their skin. The documentary explains that the long hair of Lakota men is an integral part of their cultural tradition. James Earl Jones narrates a stunning and informative documentary "Black Indians: An American Story", which explores issues of racial identity between the mixed-descent peoples of both Native American and African American heritage. Black Elk Speaks is a 1932 autobiography of an Oglala Sioux medicine man as told to John Neihardt. This documentary can be considered one more piece of the recent American narrative pushing us continually to wake up to our past injustices. The USCCB's documentary on Black Elk's cause for sainthood will be airing in the Washington, D.C. area on WJLA Sunday July 5th at 11:30 AM. Every detail was important in the filming, so Salvador and Sister Judith scouted filming locations on the Pine Ridge Reservation and sought actors from among the Lakota Sioux who spoke the language and understood their customs. Send feedback to us at oursunvis@osv.com, VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Jesus invites everyone to always go to him, which, Pope Francis…, Attending the tasks of caring for your spouse and children provides a pathway to holiness, VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- God's saving word doesn't seek pristine and safe places to reside…. These regrettable histories are everywhere, but for too long they have remained undiscussed by white mainstream culture. Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2014. The documentary, which took more than a year to produce, involved the collaboration of media, historians and the Lakota tribe. Red Cloud Indian School, located on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, was founded in 1888 by members of the Society of Jesus who had been expelled from Germany. “People were surprised because of the lack of knowledge about him as a Catholic,” Sister Judith said. “That hair that they cut fell on the floor,” he says. The documentary is filled with original photographs and interviews with Thiel, Bishop Robert Gruss, current ordinary of Saginaw, Michigan, and former bishop of Rapid City, South Dakota, … Black Elk, the Native American holy man, is known to millions of readers around the world from his 1932 testimonial Black Elk Speaks. PINE RIDGE, S.D. Why am I being asked to create an account? This retelling of Black Elk… Continue reading A new documentary on the life of Nicholas Black Elk will answer this question and many more when it airs this Saturday, May 23 at 11 a.m. on Denver’s KMGH (Channel 7). The red road leads from the birth of Christ to salvation, and Black Elk said he ‘saw [his] vocation as leading my people from the black road to the red road.’”. The documentary, produced by … Cardinal Joseph Tobin, named today to the influential Congregation for Bishops, has been known as a “Pope Francis bishop”—one who generally follows the pope’s lead in prioritizing social justice issues and dialogue over culture war flashpoints. Directed by Chip Richie. “Walking the Good Red Road: Nicholas Black Elk’s Journey to Sainthood” is available for free streaming on the website of the Diocese of Rapid City, S.D. “I see Black Elk as a kind of bridge builder,” Sister Judith said. Watching “ Walking the Good Red Road: Nicholas Black Elk’s Journey to Sainthood,” a documentary by Judy Zielinski, O.S.F., woke me up to the gap between my perception of my … As a young man, Black Elk was a medicine man, also called a … Recent efforts to respond to that injustice include the Lakota Language Project. Damian Costello, Sister Judith spent long hours doing research at Marquette University, the Jesuit college in Milwaukee that holds the nation’s largest archive of information on Native American Catholicism. What we did not do is talk about the history of segregation, whether it be the seizing of the Bruces’ resort or the intentional segregation Manhattan Beach has enforced by maintaining a separate school district, keeping funds for ourselves and away from poorer, more ethnically diverse communities in Los Angeles.
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