New Developments in Native American Catholicism: The Opening of Black Elk’s Canonization Cause

Copyright © 2024 Association for the Academic Study of New Religions, Inc. 53 Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions, Volume 27, Issue 4, pages 53–78, ISSN 1092-6690 (print), 1541-8480 (electronic). New Developments in Native American Catholicism The Opening of Black Elk's Canonization Cause Bernadette Rigal-­Cellard ABSTRACT: This article addresses issues raised by the 2017 opening of the canonization process for Black Elk, the voice of the celebrated Native American autobiography, Black Elk Speaks (1932). Though it was begun by his own family to recognize his merit as a Catholic catechist, some observers criticize the project as a ploy by the Church to erase his Lakota identity. The debate centers around the inculturation initiative begun by the Catholic Church in the 1960s that evolved to include the current reconciliation policy: by allowing Indigenous Catholics to bring into the Church their own cultural traditions, Rome sought to retain them when the call to leave grew stronger in the wake of decolonization. It is likely that the second stage in the canonization process—that of Venerable, now being discussed in Rome—will soon succeed. (The first stage of the process is being declared a Servant of God at the diocesan level. ) Allowing Black Elk's future sainthood would substantiate the good faith of the Catholic Church in its declarations on reconciliation with Indigenous Americans. KEYWORDS: Black Elk, Native American Catholicism, Indigenous Catholicism, Jesuits, Jesuit missions, canonization, inculturation, Catholic Church, reconciliation, dual religious allegiance, Tekakwitha Conference, Kateri Tekakwitha NR-27-4Text. indd 53 NR-27-4Text. indd 53 5/9/24 3: 33 PM 5/9/24 3: 33 PM Nova Religio 54 Copyright © 2024 Association for the Academic Study of New Religions, Inc. O n 21 October 2012, in Saint Peter's Square in Vatican City, I attended the canonization ceremony performed by Pope Benedict XVI (p. 2005–2013) to consecrate the first—and, to this day, only—Catholic Native American saint of North America, Kateri Tekakwitha (1656–1680), whose long-­ protracted cause (1884–2011) I had researched at length. 1 It was there that another Native American Catholic, George Looks Twice, imagined the same canonization for his grandfather, Nicholas Black Elk (1863–1950). "I would like to see my grandfather canonized, too, someday, " he said to Mark Thiel, seated next to him. Though the two of them were, like hundreds of participants, longtime members of the Tekakwitha Conference that had turned Kateri's cause into a major crusade, they had never met before. 2 Their chance encounter that day would prove momentous. Mark Thiel was the Marquette University archivist who administered the bulk of original archival documents by and about Black Elk. Saints are acknowledged as a hallmark of Catholicism, and the process, or "cause, " that leads to canonization is extremely complex, involving not just a person's religious life but also salient social, cultural, and political issues. Beyond the technicalities of the process, however, is an intriguing case in the recent history of canonization: the candidacy of Black Elk, a celebrated Oglala Lakota medicine man from Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, the voice of Black Elk Speaks (1932), one of the most influential books on Native American spirituality. 3 Black Elk, who converted to Catholicism in 1904 and long served as a respected catechist, is currently being considered for sainthood, but the project raises several issues in the context of post-­ colonialism and post-­ missionization. Since canonization rewards faithful adherence to the moral and theological teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, critics view the move to canonize Black Elk as an effort by the Church hierarchy to celebrate the success of evangelization efforts among ­ Native Americans. The critics estimate that in spite of decades of intense evangelization, Catholicism has not been able to suppress and replace tribal beliefs and rituals that have regained great popularity. 4 It is unclear, at this time, what considerations will be privileged by the specialists compiling the record of Nicholas Black Elk's life. He may be considered solely as a committed Catholic catechist, to the neglect of his life prior to baptism, and his being a healer in the Lakota ritualistic tradition mostly ignored; or, his double. . .