On one occasion a preacher asked him if he thought it right to honor the Blessed Virgin. The following dialogue took place:
"Are the angels good people?"
"Yes."
"And St. Elizabeth, is she good?"
"Yes."
"And the Holy Ghost?:
"Yes.""
"Well, then, if all these honored her, why should not I?"
A very interesting extensive mention is made of Black Elk, the famous Lakota Sioux, with a much-needed historical correction: contrary to popular belief, for at least the last fifty years of his life, Black Elk was a devoted Christian
The Circle
"You have noticed that everything an Indian does is
in a circle, and that is because the Power of the
World always works in circles, and everything tries
to be round. The Wind, in its greatest power whirls.
Birds make their nests in circles... the sun comes
forth and oes down again in a circle. The Moon does
the same, and both are round. The life of a man is a
circle from childhood to childhood and so it is in
everything where power moves."
- Hehaka Sapa (Black Elk), Oglala
(Teton) Dakota Elder
The world is not linear. Life is not linear. Our
understanding is limited when it is linear.
Native American wisdom always works in circles.
Many people use the Medicine Wheel, which is a
powerful teaching tool and way of understanding
ourselves and our world.
There are the four directions: north, south, east,
and west. There are the four races: black, white,
red, and yellow - all my relations moving together.
There are the four cycles of life: the baby (child),
the youth, the adult, and the elder, who returns to
the child. There are the four parts of our being that
need care: the physical, the emotional, the mental,
and the spiritual. All are interconnected.
The universe is round. We come from the earth, it
nourishes us even in our mother's womb, and we
return to the earth.
We view life differently when we think in circles.
