An Ecological study of Black Elk Speaks,Mad Bear and Rolling

xIlkogretim Online - Elementary Education Online,2021; Vol 20 (Issue 2): pp.1196-1200

http://ilkogretim-online.org

doi: 10.17051/ilkonline.2021.02.135

1196| Fahmida Manzoor

An Ecological study of Black Elk Speaks,Mad Bear and Rolling Thunder

An Ecological study of Black Elk Speaks,Mad Bear and Rolling

Thunder

Dr. Fahmida Manzoor, Lecturer,SBK Women University Quetta [email protected]

Dr. Shazia Ayyaz. Assistant Professor, University of Okara, Okara, Pakistan. drshaziaayyaz@gmail.com

Dr. Fouzia Rehman Khan, Assistant Professor, Department of English, Sardar Bahadur Khan Women's University,

Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan. [email protected]

Abstract - This study aims to explore the issues of ecology and environmental justice in American Indian

biographies.The paper examines the strong connection of American Indians with nature in three biographies Black

Elk Speaks, Mad Bear and Rolling Thunder. American Indians have a very strong connection with nature and they treat

nature as a living ‘Being’. The Biographies Mad Bear,Black Elk Speaks and Rolling Thunder highlight the issues of

displacement, loss of land, environmentalism.

Keywords: Eco-criticism,American Indianess,Identity crisis,Cultural Genocide.

I. INTRODUCTION

American Indian Literature highlights the issues of ecology and environmental justice in an elegiac and

sad tone. American Indians have a very strong connection with nature and they treat nature as a living

‘Being’. Nature for American Indians is a sacred being and they treat the natural objects as their relatives.

American Indian soul is solely synchronized with the sacred nature and they treat nature as a supreme

‘Being and it ‘possesses equal importance for them. American Indian literature moans the trauma of

terrific loss of eco-system. Native Americans respect nature and have religious ties to it which estranges

them from the euro-Americans. American Indians believe in the spiritual powers of nature and according

to them each and every object of nature is sacred and important and possesses sacred powers. Native

Americans have a great harmony with the objects of nature and value nature as highly sacred being.

II. LITERATURE REVIEW

Eco-criticism is the study of literature and its relation to physical environment. It addresses the issues

and relationship of human to nonhuman nature. Eco-criticism studies the criticism of environment

elucidated in literature. Eco criticism discusses the xenophobic, materialistic, scientific and imperial

behaviors which destroy the harmony of environment. The term Eco-criticism is coined by William

Rueckert in 1978 in his famous essay “Literature and Ecology: An experiment in Eco-criticism” (Glotfelty,

1996, p.3). Eco-criticism refuses the stereotype notion of the world that nonhuman nature is inferior to

human nature. The main focus of Eco-criticism is to study nature through the lens of literature and in this

way discuss the literary edition of human and nonhuman nature. Eco-criticism is an interdisciplinary

branch of studies discusses the global crisis of environment and involves sociology, philosophy, history,

geography and psychology. Eco-criticism focuses on the issue of environment and sheds light on the

deteriorating effects of motorized and mechanical attitude toward nature.

Eco-criticism highlights the ethical and non-ethical behaviors toward nonhuman nature. It elucidates the

environmental problems and their solutions as Glotfelty(1999) talks about the environmental restoration

and says “if we are not a part of the solution, we are part of the problem”(qtd in

Oppermann,1999,p.30).Eco-criticism focuses on the ‘earth-centered’ study in Literature and draws

attention to the devastating attitude of mechanical men toward nonhuman nature. It discusses the

environmental conscious issues in literary studies. Eco-critics want to discuss the environmental

problems and crisis in literary studies. Eco-criticism discusses the relation of culture and nature and

emphasizes the importance of both as both get effected by each other. Harold Fromm and Cheryll

Glotfelty are the pioneer critics in the studies of Eco-criticism. The Eco-criticism Reader: Landmarks In

Literary Ecology(1996)is a collection of Ecological essays collected by Glotfelty and Fromm which draw

attention to the importance of ecological approach to literature. Glotfelty and Fromm talk about the global

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An Ecological study of Black Elk Speaks,Mad Bear and Rolling Thunder

environmental catastrophic situation and strive for its restoration. (Qtd in Glotfelty and Fromm, p.6).Glen

A.Love’s “Revaluing nature: Toward an Ecological Criticism” is another developmental step in Eco-

criticism theory. Love emphasizes the role of eco-consciousness instead of ego-consciousness. He

elucidates the significant role of nonhuman nature in human’s life and draws attention to the sacred side

of nature which is ignored by the mechanical man (Love,1996,p. 8).nonhuman nature is equally important

to the human nature according to eco-critics and they strive for it in their texts.

Modern man neglects the sacred part of nonhuman nature and subjugates nature. Dante Curtain

elucidates the issue of ‘Environmental Racism’ and connects the suppression of man and nature and

says” The Connection, in Literary theory and practice, of race and the environment so that the oppression

of one is connected to, and supported by, the oppression of the other” (Curtain, 11).Nature is suppressed

by the cruel ways of man according to the critics of eco-criticism as Crosby calls it ‘Ecological

Imperialism’.crosby illuminates the ways through which nature is subjugated and treated as ‘other’ in a

dominating society.(Qtd in Huggan and Tiffin,p.3).Eco-critics discuss the ‘hegemonic centricism’ and

draws attention to the barbaric ways of the destruction of nonhuman nature. They stood against the

institutionalized murder of ‘other’ nonhuman nature. The voice of the nature is silenced according to the

eco-critics and nature is turned into a silenced subject from a valuable being.(Manes, 1996, p.18) .Eco-

criticism illuminates the rights of nonhuman nature on human nature and believes in social justice with

environmental justice. The maxim of ‘environmental justice‘was first raised by the ecological martyr

Ken Saro-Wiwa who was executed on November 1995.He stood against the pollution of water which

destroyed the water species.(Huggan and Tiffin, 2010, P.35).Eco-criticism illuminates the destruction of

Land and Environment and seeks for ‘EnvironmentalSalvation’. Eco-Criticism discusses the issues of

nature and the natural objects are considered as the ecological-literary devices by the eco-critics.(Qtd in

Oppermann,p.38).

III. DISCUSSION OF DATA

American Indian Literature highlights the issues of ecology and environmental justice in an elegiac and

sad tone. American Indians have a very strong connection with nature and they treat nature as a living

‘Being’. Nature for American Indians is a sacred being and they treat the natural objects as their relatives.

American Indian soul is solely synchronized with the sacred nature and they treat nature as a supreme

‘Being ‘possess equal importance for them. American Indian literature moans the trauma of terrific loss of

eco-system. Native Americans respect nature and have religious ties to it which estranges them from the

euro-Americans. American Indians believe in the spiritual powers of nature and according to them each

and every object of nature is sacred and important and possesses sacred powers. Native Americans have a

great harmony with the objects of nature and value nature as highly sacred being.

American Indian biographies illuminate the issue of ecology in a very poignant tone and shed light on the

destruction of eco-system. Native Americans give equal importance to the non-human nature and rise

against the genocide of ecological life. American Indian culture has a great harmony with physical world

and environment which is illuminated in American Indian biographies. Eco-criticism as a theory has one

strand with ecology and the other with literature and the American Indian biographies represent this

connection of literature and environment in a beautiful way. The discourse of these biographies has a

pure synchronization with ecology and celebrates the rituals of environment in a very religious way.

American Indians struggle to maintain their traditional identity which is harmonious with nature. Native

Americans own nature as a relative of their own and strive hard for the ‘environmental Salvation’ .The

land is considered very much sacred to Native Americans and have a reciprocal relation to nature.

Black Elk Speaks is a biography, a personal narrative of an American Indian holy man translated by John

G.Neihardt. It traces the pre-reservation to reservation life of the Sioux tribe. It poignantly traces the

cultural displacement and the loss of land of the Sioux tribe. Black Elk Speaks the historical genocide and

trauma of the loss of land at the hands of ‘Wasichuas’. Black elk Speaks shows an affinity with nonhuman

nature and a great respect for nonhuman life. Black Elk starts narration of his life to Neihardt and

elucidates the importance of nature in American Indian life as he says” It is the story of all life that is holy

and is good to tell, and of us two –legged sharing it with the four-legged and the wings of the air and all

green things; for these are children of one mother and their father is one Spirit”(Neihhardt,1979,p. 1).The

life of American Indians revolve around the nature and nature is treated as a sublime being by them.

Native Americans believe in traditional ways of life and according to them nature is a relative to them

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An Ecological study of Black Elk Speaks,Mad Bear and Rolling Thunder

possesses all rights which a human has in the society. The whole sphere of American Indian life is

harmonious to nature and the respect to nature reflects in each and every aspect of their life such as the

names of individuals are harmonious with nature. Names such as Black elk, Crazy Horse and Iron Hawk

show the American Indian’s affinity to the objects of nature. Themonths, years and places are also names

in the same very way such as the month of December is ‘Moon of the Popping trees’ and September is

‘Moon when the calves grow hair’. Blacks Elk Speaks illuminates the beliefs of American Indian about

nature as they believe in the spiritual powers of nature and regard nature as a sacred being. The natural

objects are used by the American Indians for cure for instance water and fire is an integral part of

American Indian ceremonies. Black Elk Speaks discuses different traditional ceremonies of Indian life

which show a complete harmony and affinity with nature for instance the Heyoka ceremony, War dances,

Horse dances and the Dog vision ceremony all revolve around the sublimity and elevation of sacred

Earth.Black Elk Speaks sheds light on the ‘earthed –centered ‘life of the American Indians which is very

much visible in each and every aspect of Indian life. The vision of Black Elk is all about the natural objects

which bring peace on the earth. The herbs, cup of water the spotted stick all show the desire of Black Elk

for peace on Indian land which is destroyed by the wasichuas.

Black Elk Speakselucidates the issue of ‘Ecological Imperialism’ and sheds light on Indian’s strive for

their land and against Ecological Imperialism. The chapters of ‘ Fight with three stras’,’Wasichuas in the

hills’, and ‘The Butchering at Wounded Knee’ all show American Indian’s strife against Ecological

Imperialism. In his Invocation song Black Elk addresses the all Objects of nature and seeks help from

them for peace and power. Black Elk addresses different objects of nature and says “Hearme, Four

Quarters of the world-a relative I am!give me the strength to walk the soft earth, a relative to all that

is…(Neihardt,4).The world of Indians is very much traditional and Black Elk speaks shows how Indians

crave to maintain kinship with nature. The American Indians strive against the Ecological racism by the

wasichuas who according to the American Indians destroyed Indian harmony with land and nature as

Black Elk says “The wasichuas came, and they have made little islands for the us and other little islands

for the four-legged… wasichua; and it is dirty with lies and greed”(Neihardt, 1979, p. 8). The American

Indians stood against the cultural genocide and the loss of land. Black Elk narrates the history of the cruel

murders of Native Americans by wasichuas in his chapter ’Butchering at Wounded knee’ and mourns the

loss of people and land. The land which is considered very much sacred by the Indians was snatched by

the wasichuas and exploited. The battles traced in Black Elk speaks are the instances of the Indian strife

for the ‘Environmental salvation’.Nature is treated as a sacred and sublime being by the Indian

Americans but the Wasichuas silenced the voice of nature by destroying the harmony of nature and Earth

Mother. The Native Americans pay respect to nature to a very great extent and mourn the loss of land and

destruction of the eco-system. Black Elk Speaks elucidates the different objects of nature which are very

much sacred to the Native Americans such as the sacred herb which was gifted to Black Elk by one of the

fathers in his vision and had a great significance in Black Elk’s life.Black Elk speaks illuminates the

American Indian’s respect for nature and animals. The horses and bison are very much sacred for the

Sioux tribe and horse become very much sacred for Black elk in his vision .The American Indians perform

rituals like ‘Horse dance’ and value animals as their relatives. Black Elk connects himself to eagle feels

affiliation and kinship for it. Thewhole sphere of Black Elk Speaks spins around the Ecological loss of

American Indians and mourns for the ‘environmental salvation’.

Native Americans regard nature as ‘Supreme Being’ possesses great powers which control their lives.

Rolling Thundercommemorates the sacred and spiritual powers of nature and grieves the loss of land and

demolition of eco-system.Rolling Thunder is a biography of a medicine man narrated by Dough Boyd.The

American Indians approach to life is ‘earth-centered’ and they value each and every object of and believe

in the spiritual powers of the objects of nature such as Rolling Thunder calls the ‘herbs’ his helpers to cure

humanity and says that he feels the feelings of the herbs and says “Often Herbs just appear when they are

needed”(Boyd,1974,p.9).Rolling Thunder venerates plants ,feels association and connection with them

and pays respects to the plants.American Indians pay respect to all objects of nature such as Rolling

Thunder put coins at the head of the plants to pay them respect and show his regard for the plants. The

American Indians have a different kind of affinity with nature which alienates them from the Euro-

Americans. Nature and Man according to American Indians are one and part of one being. They believe in

the spiritual powers of nature and take what is needed and make apologies to the animals when they

need to slaughter them and then they use the whole of it only for good purposes. Natural objects have

mystical powers according to Rolling Thunder and he says even a simple water can cure you if you pray

over it. (Boyd,1974,p.9).Rolling Thunder calls nature an ‘Organism’ a living Being and can hear the

melodious voice of nature which according to famous Eco-critic Glotfelty is ‘Silenced’(Glotfelty,8) by the

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An Ecological study of Black Elk Speaks,Mad Bear and Rolling Thunder

destruction and demolition.American Indians could hear the voice of nature in each and every object of

nature such as Alice Floto in Rolling Thundercommunicates to the bees and dogs. Rolling Thunder strives

against the “ecological racism” and the way nature is marginalized and make ‘other’ by the Euro-

Americans. Rolling Thunder elucidates the sublime position of nature in American Indian life and says;

”Great Spirit is the Life that is in all things-all the creatures and the plants and even the rocks and the

minerals .All things …have their own will and their own way and their own purpose; this is what is to be

respected”(Boyd,1974, p. 52).

Rolling Thunder celebrates the sublime issue of nature on one hand and mourns the genocide of the

natural environment on the other hand. He craves for the ‘Environmental salvation’ and illuminates the

incidents which disturbed the harmony of American Indians and nature. Rolling Thunder sheds light on

the treaty of 1863 which was made in Navada between U.S government and the Shoshone tribe. The

treaty which was paid in blood according to Rolling Thunder disturbed and destroyed the harmony of

nature and Shoshone tribe. American Indians take what they really need and they take it with reverence

and never waste anything.Rolling Thunder discusses the Indian ways and draws a comparison between

white ways and calls whites ‘trophy hunters’ who hunt just for the sake of their name and prize and never

care and thin that what they kill. He calls them destructive, greedy and inconsiderate while the Indian

way is very much considerate and cordial. Human and nonhuman nature has a melodious harmony in

American Indian life which is highlighted in Rolling Thunder as Rolling Thunder communicates to

different objects of nature for instance to the clouds and snakes. It rains when he communicates to the

clouds and the snake leaves when Rolling Thunder communicates to it. Rolling Thunder draws attention

to the voice of nonhuman nature and says that nature doesn’t understand the language but get the

meanings. Rolling Thunder highlights the issue of ‘spiritual’ spirit of nature and draws a comparison

between Indian ways and the scientific ways of medicine. A physical pain and infection according to the

American Indians is a sign of spiritual impurity and to cure such a disease needs much more than the

physical body. American Indians believe mainly in man not the sickness and they cure the man while

Euro-Americans look at the sickness not the man.

Eco-criticism raises voice against the devastating effects of modernizations and Industrialization on

nature. Rolling Thunder poignantly discusses the same issue and says “They’ve taken everything,…, Killed

every bit of life here, trees, Indian tea, sacred herbs, everything”(Boyd ,1974,p. 173).Rolling Thunder

elucidates the ways Indians lands were exploited by the Euro-Americans. The broken treaty of Shoshone

and the issue of ‘Eli’ chains and pinion tress is an environmental genocide by the Euro-Americans. The

progress of civilization damaged the face of earth according to Rolling Thunder and mourns the death of

each Piniontree. The American Indians are declared the ‘custodians of land’by Rolling Thunder and he

treats nature as a sublime ‘Being’. The nature is marginalized by the Euro-Americans and the American

Indians strive to restore its real state and place as Rolling Thunder says that the Indians want to live in

harmony with nature. Glen A.Love, a very famous Eco-Critic in his essay “Revaluing Nature; Toward an

Ecological Criticism” (qtd in Joni Admson,2001,p.23) talks about the diversion to ‘Eco-consciousness’

from ‘ego-consciousness’.Rolling Thunder highlight the environmental genocide and sayswe are still

losing our lands…and they are still killing our people. “(Boyd,1974,p.78). Rolling Thunder bewails the loss

of land, cultural heritage and beliefs.

American Indians customs and culture believe in ‘Unity’ with nature. Mad Bear illuminates the ‘unity’ of

American Indians with nature. American Indians live in complete harmony with nature and possess

strong bond and connection to each and every object of nature.Mad Bear illuminates the significant role of

‘Earth’ in American Indian life. Earth is considered very much important and sacred in Native American

life and they call it ‘Earth Mother’ .Mad Bear sheds light on the deterioration of’ Earth Mother’ by the

Euro-American interlopers.American Indians were subjugated by the Euro-Americans and in the same

very way nature was silenced by the Euro-Americans. Mad Bear mourns the loss of land and the

destruction of Earth Mother in a very harsh tone. Indian Americans venerate nature as a spiritual being

and Mad Bear bereaves the issue of deforesting and calls it a ‘rape’ of Earth Mother by the Euro-

Americans .Eco-criticism focuses the issue of despoliation of nature and rebel against it through their

written work.Cheryll and Glotfelty elaborated the point of physical world and human culture and say they

are very much interlinked and connected.(Glotfelty,1996,p.18).Mad Bear elucidates the same aspect of

human and nonhuman nature. Human culture has a great link to the nonhuman nature. The traditional

ceremonies of American Indians all spin around the natural objects and American Indian believe in the

mystic powers of nature as Mad Bear says” In our religious services we pray for all people, no matter

what colour, skin–and for the animals, and all things around us in Mother Earth”(Boyd.78).American

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An Ecological study of Black Elk Speaks,Mad Bear and Rolling Thunder

Indians strongly believe in the spirit of Nature and traditional ways which relate to nature. Mad Bear

predicts upcoming events which shows his great harmony with nature. American Indians listen to the

voice of nature which was silenced by the devastation of Euro-Americans. The American Indians don’t

believe in the mechanic modern life and stay in harmony with nature. Nature for them is sacred and they

believe in ‘collectiveness’ and ‘unity’ as mad bear say”Cooperate,cultivate and live, Compete,Combat and

die”(Boyd,1994,p.8).Competition is near to death for the Native American life and Mad Bear illuminates

this issue in a very ironical tone. Mad Bear doesn’t believe in the dictum of ‘survival of the fittest’ which

brings American Indians in conflict with the main stream of America. Euro-Americans strongly believe in

competition and mechanic ways of life which according to Native Americans is death. American Indians

pay respect to Earth Mother and for the Euro-American, the connotation of Earth is different. The Notion

of earth for Euro-American is derogatory as according to them anything which belongs to nature is dirty,

earthy and inferior. Mad Bear illuminates the role of nature in American Indian life and discusses the

Indian way of life which pays great reverence to nature as Mad bear says” Simple thing, giving thanks to

Mother Earth-every time you eat, every time you walk on the grass”(Boyd,1994,p.61).The American

Indians stood against the ‘ecological imperialism’ as Mad Bear bereaves the issue of juniper and Pinon

tress which were cleaved by caterpillar tractors. The deforesting this way destroyed the whole ecological

life, plants, animals and Mad Bear calls it a funeral of relatives. Mad bear narrates the story of false face

for Dough Boyd which is a symbolic story and reflects the white ways of deterioration of nature.

IV. CONCLUSION

Eco-criticism discusses the materialistic, scientific and imperial behaviors which destroy the harmony of

environment. American Indian Literature highlights the issues of ecology and environmental justice in an

elegiac and sad tone. American Indians have a very strong connection with nature and they treat nature

as a living ‘Being’. The Biographies Mad Bear,Black Elk Speaks and Rolling Thunder highlight the issues of

displacement, loss of land, and environmentalism.

REFERENCES

1. Admson,Joni.(2001).American Indian Literature, Enviornamental Justice snd Ecocriticism.

Tuscon: University of Arizona.

2. Boyd, Dough.(1974).Rolling Thunder. New York: Random House.

3. Boyd, Dough.(1994) Mad Bear. New York: Simon&Schuster.

4. Glotfelty, Cheryll &Fromm,Harold.(1996).The Eco-criticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary

Ecology University of Georgia Press.

5. Huggan,Graham &Tiffin,Helen.(2010). Postcolonial Eco-criticism” London: Routledge.

6. Love,Glen.(1996).Revaluing Nature:Toward an Ecological Criticism in Glotfelty,Cheryll.&

Fromm, Harold. “The Eco-criticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology”: University of

Georgia.

7. Manes,Christopher. in Glotfelty,Cheryll & Fromm,Harold. “The Eco-criticism Reader: Landmarks in

Literary Ecology”: University of Georgia Press, 1996.

8. Neihardt,John. (1979).Black Elk Speaks. London:University of Nebraska Press.

9. Oppermann, Serpil.(1999). Eco-criticism:natural World In the Literary Viewfinder” Journal of

faculty of Lettters.16.2(1999):29-46.