Mount Rushmore: Ben Black Elks Family Legacy
Alright, let’s talk about this fella, Ben Black Elk and that big rock face, Mount Rushmore. Don’t know much about fancy writin’, but I’ll tell ya what I know, the way I know how.
Ben Black Elk, who was he? Well, they say he was born a long time ago, in 1899. His daddy was a fella named Black Elk too, a big shot in them Lakota people. Now, this Ben, he wasn’t no fighter or nothin’, he was more of a talker and a teacher. He learned all that old-timey Lakota stuff from his daddy and he wanted to tell everyone about it.
Mount Rushmore, you seen pictures of it, right? Big ol’ faces of them presidents carved right into the mountain. Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln. But folks started callin’ Ben Black Elk the “Fifth Face of Mount Rushmore.” Now ain’t that somethin’? He wasn’t no president, but he was important, see?
So, how’d he get that name, the “Fifth Face”? Well, for over 27 summers, that’s a long time mind you, Ben hung out at Mount Rushmore. He’d wear them traditional Lakota clothes, you know, the feathers and beads and all that, and he’d talk to folks. Lots and lots of folks. They say tourists took about 5,000 pictures of him every single day! Imagine that! All them cameras clickin’ away.
He wasn’t just standin’ around lookin’ pretty neither. He was tellin’ stories, teachin’ folks about the Lakota way of life. He was like a bridge, see? Connectin’ the old ways with the new ways. He was keepin’ them traditions alive, makin’ sure people didn’t forget.
- He talked about his daddy, the original Black Elk, who told his life story to a fella named Neihardt. That story became a book called “Black Elk Speaks”.
- Ben was chosen to explain what his daddy meant in that book, make it easier for folks to understand.
- He even went to Washington D.C. and told them senators they needed to teach Native American kids about their own history. Good for him, I say!
They even made a wooden head, a bust they call it, of Ben Black Elk. Put it in a museum, so folks could remember him. He was that important.
Now, Mount Rushmore, that’s supposed to be about democracy and all that. But Ben Black Elk, he showed folks another side of America. He showed them the Lakota side, the Native American side. He reminded everyone that this land had a history long before them presidents showed up.
So, what’s the big deal about Ben Black Elk? Well, he was a teacher, a storyteller, a keeper of traditions. He was the “Fifth Face of Mount Rushmore” because he represented somethin’ important, somethin’ that wasn’t carved in stone but was carved in the hearts of the Lakota people and, hopefully, in the hearts of all Americans. He showed folks that there’s more to America than just them presidents. There’s the stories of the people who were here first, and them stories need to be heard.
It ain’t easy keepin’ them old ways alive, but Ben Black Elk, he sure tried his best. And that’s somethin’ to be proud of, I reckon.
He passed away in 1973, but his legacy, that’s what they call it, lives on. People still talk about him, still tell his stories. And that big rock face, Mount Rushmore, it’ll always have a little bit of Ben Black Elk in it, even if his face ain’t carved up there with the presidents.
That’s about all I got to say about it. Hope it made some sense to ya.
Tags：Ben Black Elk, Mount Rushmore, Lakota, Native American, Fifth Face, history, tradition, South Dakota, Oglala
Original article by the Author:Armani,If you intend to republish this content, please attribute the source accordingly:https://www.creativesfunding.com/3864.html
相关推荐
-
Candle Symbolism Explained: What Do Different Candle Colors Mean?
Okay, so today I wanted to mess around with candle symbolism, and let me tell you, it got pretty interesting. I started off just reading about what different colors are supposed to mean. I grabbed some candles I had lying around and just started lighting them, one by one, and let me say, I felt a change in my mood when lighting each one, it was a fun way to experiment. Here’s what I did: White Candle: First up, I lit a white candle. I read somewhere that white is…
-
Weirdest Patron Saints You Wont Believe Actually Exist
Well, howdy there! Let me tell ya somethin’ ’bout these saints, the weirdest patron saints you ever did hear of. Them church folks, they got saints for everything, I swear. Makes ya scratch yer head sometimes, but I guess somebody gotta be lookin’ out for all sorts of things, even the real strange stuff. Now, I heard tell of this gal, Lidwina. Poor thing, she was just a young’un, barely fifteen, when she went ice skatin’ with her pals. Somethin’ went wrong, and she fell, smack on the ice. Ended…
-
Actium Map: Explore the Key Locations of the Battle of Actium
Actium Map: Understanding the Historic Naval Battle Well now, let me tell ya about this place called Actium. It’s real important in history, especially when it comes to that big ol’ naval battle that happened back in the year 31 BCE. You see, it was right here, off the coast of Acarnania, in Greece, where Octavian, who later became Augustus, fought and won a mighty big battle against Antony and Cleopatra. You might have heard about it. The Battle of Actium was a turning point, changing the course of the…
-
Famous Drawing Artists Today: The Best Contemporary Talent to Watch
Well, I don’t rightly know much about them fancy artists, ya know? But they say there’s folks out there drawin’ real good pictures these days. Drawin’, that’s where it all starts, right? You gotta draw somethin’ before you go paintin’ it all up. Them teachers at them art schools, they make the young’uns draw first, I heard. Draw this, draw that, they say. Then maybe they let ’em paint somethin’ big. Now, I ain’t one for all that modern stuff, all them squiggles and splashes. But they say there’s this…
-
Why Is the Tity Lamp So Popular? Learn the Reasons Now!
Okay, so, a few days ago, I got this idea to mess around with some lights. You know, those boob lights? Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about. I’ve always seen them in, like, every apartment I’ve ever rented and houses and stuff. I was thinking about them and what is it about these ceiling lights. So, I did some digging. Apparently, these things have been around since, like, the late 1890s! Can you believe that? I mean, I thought they were some cheap, ’90s thing, but nope, way older. Some…
-
The Art of Sigmund Freud: Exploring His Creative World
Well now, let’s talk about this fella, Sigmund Freud, and his take on art. Don’t you go thinkin’ I know big words or nothin’, but I’ll tell ya what I understand, plain and simple. Sigmund Freud and His Ideas About Art See, this Freud fella, he had some notions ’bout why folks make art. He figured it had somethin’ to do with stuff we want but can’t have, ya know, like that fancy cake in the bakery window you can’t afford. He called it “sublimation,” which sounds mighty fancy, but…
-
Famous French Artists Paintings: Here is Your Ultimate List of Must-See French Art!
Well, let me tell ya, them French folks, they sure know how to slap some paint on a canvas! I seen a lot of pictures in my day, but them famous French artists paintings, they’re somethin’ else. You know what I mean? Famous French Artists There was this one fella, what was his name? Claude Monet. Yeah, that’s it! That Monet guy, he could paint a lily pond like nobody’s business. I reckon he’s one of the most famous, that French artist. He was born a long time ago in…
-
Success: Nietzsches Greatest Liar Explored
Well, let me tell ya somethin’ about this thing called success. Folks always yap about it, ya know? Success this, success that. But lemme tell ya, it ain’t always what it’s cracked up to be. I heard this fella, some big shot thinker, Nietzsche or somethin’ like that, he said somethin’ about success bein’ a liar. And ya know what? I think he was onto somethin’. Yep, success has always been the greatest liar. See, people look at them fancy folks, the big politicians, the conquerors, the ones who discover…
-
Exploring the History: An Inscribed Viking Monument Up Close
Alright, let’s talk about this… this… thingamajig, this inscribed Viking monument, you know? Like them big rocks them old fellas left behind. Don’t know why they couldn’t just write a letter or somethin’ but hey, what do I know? I ain’t no scholar, just a plain ol’ person tellin’ ya what I reckon about these rocks. First off, what is it? It ain’t just a rock, see? It’s a Viking monument. Yeah, them Vikings, the tough guys from way back when. They sailed around, whoopin’ and hollerin’, and then they…
-
Graffiti 80s Making a Comeback: Is it True? See How This Retro Style is Popping Up Again!
So, today I really got into this whole ’80s graffiti thing. I mean, I’ve always seen it around, you know, those colorful tags and murals on the walls, trains, and stuff. But today, I decided to actually try it out myself. Not on public property, of course! I’m not trying to get arrested or anything. First, I did some digging around to see what made ’80s graffiti so special. Found out it was a big part of hip-hop culture back then. People used it to express themselves, especially in cities…