The western United States for much of the 1800s belonged to the native tribes that had lived

there for thousands of years. Each tribe had it's own set of customs, values, and belief systems that were at the very center of the native's way of life. The a!ota "eo"le of the #orthern $reat %lains, for e&am"le, held visions as sacred, "ro"hetic and an honor to receive them. The "erson who had the vision became revered and res"ected by the entire tribe. This ha""ened to 'lac! El!, a a!ota medicine man during the relocation of #atives in the (est onto reservations in the late 1800s. )ery young when he had his first vision, 'lac! El! became a "owerful voice of the a!ota "eo"le leading u" to their massacre at the 'attle of (ounded *nee in 18+0 and after, as he recounts his story to ,ohn $. #eihardt in the later half of his life. -t the time of 'lac! El!'s birth in .ecember of 18/0, the a!ota "eo"le found their home and hunting land already being threatened by (asichus, the name given to white men by the a!ota. The 1omestead -ct went into effect on ,anuary 1, 18/0 which stated that 1/0 acres of free land was available for settlers in the (est. $old was also being mined in 2ontana, and conflict rose between the a!ota and (asichus on building a road to the gold mines, which would cut the a!ota hunting ground in half. 'y the time 'lac! El! was three, the a!ota were engaged in a war with the (asichus, one of the main causes being the road. 3t was the following year that 'lac! El! started e&"eriencing voices. 'eginning his vision, it was a sim"le voice, calling to him. 3t wasn4t until the ne&t year, when 'lac! El! was five, that he e&"erienced his vision for the first time, but he didn4t have his full vision until he was nine years old. -s a young child, the voices scared him, causing 'lac! El! to run away. 'ut the following year, he got the initial glim"se of his vision. #ow

considered old enough, 'lac! El! was given a bow and arrow from his $randfather. 1e was out "racticing when he was about to shoot a !ingbird when the bird s"o!e to him. 1e loo!ed u" into the s!y li!e he was told and he saw 5two men were coming there, headfirst li!e arrows slanting down6 and as they came, they sang a sacred song and the thunder was li!e drumming.7 The vision got more intense when he was nine. There was a change in 'lac! El!4s body when he e&"erienced the full vision. 1is legs and arms were swollen, enabling him to wal!, and having his family believe that he was dead. 1is "hysical body was tem"orarily sto""ed in order to let his s"iritual body wander into the S"irit realm where he would get a vision from the Si& $randfathers8one re"resenting each direction including u" and down8that showed the future of the a!ota. U" until that "oint, 'lac! El! had a ha""y and normal childhood for a a!ota. They had "lenty to eat, his "eo"le were at "eace, and there were not many conflicts with the (asichus. -t first they gave him ob9ects that re"resented "arts of his life that would influence his "eo"le.