The Black Elk plays an important role in telling the story of the Lakota Native Americans. Having witnessed the Battle of the Little Bighorn and experienced the relocation of Native Americans to the Pine Ridge Reservation, Black Elk can attest to the treatment the Native Americans endured. Black Elk tells the story of a people wounded in war and subjected to suffering in the years to follow. Black Elk was born in 1863 in Wyoming (“Black Elk”). He would later become the Oglala Lakota holy man (“Black Elk – 1863-1950”). Chief Crazy Horse led a group of Sioux Native Americans in resistance to the government. Being Black Elk's second cousin, Black Elk was able to see the government's actions towards Native Americans up close. In May 1877, Chief Crazy Horse was killed after surrendering to General George Crook. After suffering the loss, Black Elk and other Sioux made their way to Canada, but after a few years Black Elk moved near Wounded Knee Creek on the Pine Ridge Reservation that had been established for the Oglala. In 1886, Black Elk toured with Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show. Black Elk, after being wounded at the Battle of Wounded Knee in 1890, remained on the reservation and later converted to Catholicism. John Neihardt met Black Elk in 1930 and recorded his life story. Black Elk, at that time, was almost completely blind and illiterate. The book, titled Black Elk Speaks, discusses the history of the Lakota and their traditions. He died in 1950. Black Elk witnessed many influential moments in Native American history and provided insight into this time period (“Black Elk”). After gold was discovered in the Black Hills, Chief Crazy Horse led a resistance against General George Crook in 1876. After Crook's defeat, Chief Crazy Horse had... half the paper... but mostly as a historian for the Native American people. Black Elk provided information about life on the Pine Ridge Reservation and was able to draw comparisons to life outside due to his extensive travels with Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show ("Black Elk"). Black Elk will remain a prominent figure in Native American history. Works Cited “Black Elk – 1863-1950.” Biographies of the Plains Indians: Black Elk - 1863-1950 - American Indian Relief Council. American Indian Relief Council, n.d. Web. 10 December 2013. "Black Elk." History.com. A&E and Web Television Networks. December 10, 2013. "History of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation." Oglala Lakota Nation. Oglala Lakota Nation, 2012. Web. 08 December 2013.Martinez, Desiree R. Survival History: A Pine Ridge Example. Np: PBS, 2003. PDF.