“The Sacred Pipe: Black Elks Account of the Seven Rites of Oglala Sioux” edited and complied by Joseph Epes Brown, is a narrative of the life and spiritual beliefs of Black Elk, a Sioux Holy Man, who shares his religious traditions in order for his readers to gain insight and understanding of his culture. Upon reading this book, the reader is able to make connections between the Sioux religious beliefs and those present in Western religions. Black Elk helps the reader to see the many parallels between Christianity and his Native American beliefs. By looking at Christianity through the eyes of someone who was raised with completely different beliefs, the reader is able to gain an outside understanding of Christianity, and therefore better understand the religion.
Within the book, Black Elk reveals the inner workings of the Sioux religion because he believes that it is his responsibility to share this with the world. This text allows the reader to see how, although Christianity and Native American religions seem to be so different, they are very similar and have many parallel qualities and traditions. Black Elk’s retelling of his life and beliefs is a great tool to help the reader have a greater understanding about Native American religion, Christianity, and religion as a whole. It allows the reader to see that just because someone is a different religion, does not mean that they don’t have the same beliefs. For example, in the book, Black Elk describes how there are seven sacred right of the Sioux people, which is a similar concept to the seven sacraments found within Christianity. Some people may look at different religions as having contrasting beliefs, but through reading this book, it is easier to understand how those who are a different religion can still believe and practice similar things.
An exceptionally fascinating aspect of the “The Sacred Pipe” is the idea of the Sacred Pipe itself and how it is a main facet of the Sioux religious celebration. From the very beginning of the book, the pipe takes center stage, seen through the way that smoking a pipe is the first thing that Joseph Epes Brown does when he meets Black Elk. Brown describes this scene by saying “During that first encounter, we simply sat side by side on a sheepskin, and silently smoked the red stone pipe which I had brought with me as an offering in the traditional manner” (xiv). This sets the stage for the importance of the pipe, and shows the reader that it plays a significant role in the Sioux culture and religion. The pipe is shown to have this high level of importance because it is said to represent the culture of the people. Brown says that Black Elk has expressed that “for as long as it is known, for as long as the pipe is used, their people will live; but as soon as the pipe is forgotten, the people will be without a center, and they will perish” (xvii). This shows why the pipe is so important to the Sioux culture, because once the pipe is no longer used, the culture and traditions of the Sioux will end. This allows the reader to understand why Black Elk would be so willing to share his story and the sacred traditions of his people. Through getting his story down in writing, Black Elk is able to preserve the culture of the Sioux and the tradition of the Sacred Pipe, and through this, he hopes that he will be able to safeguard against the extinction of his people and their culture. Because so much of the Sioux culture is passed down orally, Black Elk’s story is a way for the culture to live on. It also gives Sioux people, and other religions, a way to study the history and traditions of the culture, much like Christians study the Bible.
Within the book, Black Elk reveals the seven major rights that are completed within the Sioux culture. He goes into great detail describing each one, allowing for the reader to gain a great understanding of the Sioux culture. These seven rights are The Right of Purification, Crying for a Vision, The Sun Dance, The Making of Relatives, Preparing a Girl for Womanhood, and The Throwing of the Ball. Black Elk reveals a striking resemblance between these seven sacred rights, and the seven sacraments found within Christianity. These rights show similarity to the Christian sacraments in many ways. For examples, the Rite of Purification can be seen as parallel to the Christian sacrament of Baptism in many ways. Both of these rituals are used to expel impurities from the person who undergoes them, and to forgive that person of all the negative things within them. Though these rituals are used for the same purpose, they occur very differently. Christian Baptism uses water to purify the person, while Sioux culture uses the pipe. This shows how although the Rite of Purification may seem out of the ordinary to Christians, it is similar to the rite of purification within their own religion.
Throughout the book, many prayers of the Sioux people are present, intertwined through the stories and cultural traditions. This allows the reader or any religion to connect with the book and the Sioux religion, because although the words of the prayers may not be the same, the message is similar to those found Western religion, including Christianity. The Sioux Great Spirit also has many similarities to the Christian God, a fact which is greatly acknowledged by Black Elk. In reading how Black Elk describes the Great Spirit, some Christians may be surprised to see how similar it is to how the Bible describes God. This can be seen in the following statement by Black Elk “We should know that He is within all things: the trees, the grasses, the rivers the mountains, and the four-legged animals, and the winged peoples; and even more important, we should understand that He is above all these things and peoples” (xx).
Within “The Sacred Pipe,” Joseph Epes Brown allows readers to see inside the culture, religion, and traditions of Black Elk and the Sioux people. Through learning about the Sioux rituals and the meaning behind them, the reader is able to understand the Sioux religion and the importance of the pipe in relation to the successful continuation of the religion. Together, Brown and Black Elk paint a detailed and through image of the Sioux religion. Through the similarities seen between the Sioux religion and Western religion readers are able to come away from this reading with a better understanding of not only the Sioux religion, but their own religion as well.
