Joe Jackson, the author of *Black Elk: The Life of an American Visionary*, delves into the life of Black Elk, a revered Lakota medicine man. They discuss Black Elk's transformative near-death vision at nine, which compelled him to champion his people's spirituality and resilience. Jackson highlights Black Elk's participation in pivotal battles against the U.S. government, his complex fusion of Lakota beliefs with Catholicism, and the cultural impact of *Black Elk Speaks*, which opened a dialogue on Native American spirituality in the West.
