My Claim about Black Elk Speaks

           I find myself torn about which claim to make, because I have two in mind.  This first one is that this book is a fabulous example of how the Native Americans lived and learned: through stories.  I could go into detail on this, and on how valuable stories can be, but I am choosing to go with my second claim.   I would like to claim that this book is a religious classic; it is a great tool to learn about the spirituality of the Native American people.   On pages 76-77,  Black Elk speaks about the time of the Sun Dance, and in this section many things are described as holy:  "Now when the holy tree had been brought home", and  "The next day the tree was planted in the center by holy men who sang sacred songs and made sacred vows to the Spirit.  And the next morning nursing mothers brought their holy little ones to lay them at the bottom of the tree",  and "...for they had been fasting and purifying themselves in the sweat lodges, praying.  First their bodies were painted by the holy men...".  
       My favorite quote, though, that I have come across thus far in the reading is this:
"It does not matter where his body lies, for it is grass; but where his spirit is, it will be good to be" (114).  This quote holds huge significance to anyone who believes in a greater being or even life after death.  It also highlights how physical things do not matter -- it is the spiritual things and an individual's soul that will truly be evaluated once the individual is gone.  This quote allows the reader to tie Black Elk's spiritual view to themselves; the principle of "it's what's on the inside that counts" has held true from Black Elk's time to our current day.
            These snippets are such a good sample of the insight a reader can get from a specific text.  We are reminded that the Native Americans held spirituality in very high esteem, that it somewhat dictated their daily activities, and most of all that their religiosity and spirituality was connected to nature.   I am claiming that Black Elk Speaks is a religious text that highlights and teaches the reader about the religiosity of the Native Americans during Black Elk's period of life.