Black Elk's Hoop

Acrylic painted papier mache relief, 36" diameter, Tomasito, December 2008.

The Hoop from Black Elk's Vision

Black Elk, an Oglala Sioux holy man, had a vision for his people long ago.

He recounted his life story, including the vision, to a European American, John G. Neihardt, who wrote the tale in English and published it in his book Black Elk Speaks in 1932.

There is a good new paperback edition of this beautiful book published by the University of Nebraska Press which I hope you will read.

Black Elk, whose native American people suffered so much in the Indian Wars of long ago, recommended that people should want reconciliation, not victory.

This idea is well worth considering right now.

As I understand it, the central image of his vision is a hoop of peoples, a circle including and enclosing the nations. Crossing this hoop are two roads—one from North to South being a “good road” and one from East to West, being a “bad road”. In the center—where these roads cross—blooms a holy stick that is a tree.

The image at the head of today's blog is a papier mache representation of this central image which I made to honor the memory of Black Elk, John Neihardt and all those who are peace.

With this reminder: There ARE no foreign wars—no “us” or “them”--there is only “us”--the people of the earth.

Tomasito, 2008

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