
Nicholas Black Elk (Lakota Medicine Man, Catholic Saint?)
Jimmy Akin's Mysterious World
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The History of the Jesuits
Jesuits were able to carve out a little space in which they could see certain Lakota practices as acceptable from a religious perspective. Many Lakota did differentiate between Jesuits and other white men. The Black Robes were considered holy men, similar to Lakota spiritual leaders. It was by this kind of respect that helped Jesuits get a good hearing for the gospel and make converts.
Play episode from 11:22
Transcript

Two popular books held Lakota medicine man Black Elk as an icon of native American spirituality. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli explore the truths those books suppressed about Nicholas Black Elk, especially his conversion and devout Catholic faith.
