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The Idea Of Home In Black Elk Speaks

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Home is an important concept in Black Elk Speaks. The idea of home is the main factor that leads to the Sioux people’s downfall, as it inspires them to fight against the whites, or Wasichus as the Sioux refer to them. But, what exactly is their home? Well, there is no one correct answer to this question; the Sioux people’s home is all of the places and beliefs that made up their society. One such example is the belief of unity. The idea of togetherness is such an important concept that it even appears in one of their most important beliefs: the Nation's Hoop. The hoop is of course the heart of the Nation and the Sioux believe that it is what gives them power. The fact that it is a circle, a shape with no definitive beginning or end shows that …show more content…

This caused them to forget their unity in two ways. The first way is that it caused the Sioux to fight over the right way to go about the choice between moving on to the reservations, to fight back, or to run away all together. This split is best characterized between the three main leaders of the tribe: Red Cloud, Sitting Bull, and Crazy Horse. These leaders all had different beliefs about what to do, this would later become an argument between the people. “After the treaty he made with the Wasichus five years before (1868) he never fought again, and he was living with his band, the Red Faces, at the soldiers’ Town”(Neihardt, 48). After making a treaty with the whites,Red Cloud believed that they should be peaceful with the whites and live on the reservation.However, Sitting Bull and Red Cloud believed differently. “Crazy Horse was in the Powder River country and Sitting Bull was somewhere north of the Hills” (63). Crazy Horse, being the complete opposite of Red Cloud, believed that the Sioux should fight back and reclaim their land. While Sitting Bull, being the middle of the two choices, believed they should move to a place where the whites would not bother them, such as Canada. As the people began to get involved with this dispute, a rift began to split the tribe, as some wanted to follow different leaders than others. Thus, causing the people to lose their

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