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Black Elk - Native American Indians - The Arrow men visit
Identifier
011564
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
The use of arrows as a symbol of speed is extremely widespread across cultures worldwide, for example, Black Elk falls seriously ill when he is nine years old, and is confined to bed in his tipi. While lying there, he has a vision in which he is approached by two men who come from the clouds. These two ‘Arrow Men’ hurry Black Elk to a small cloud which carries him into the sky.
A description of the experience
Black Elk Speaks – as told through John Neihardt
I knew they were the same [men in a vision] that I had seen before. Each now carried a long spear, and from the points of the spear a jagged lightning flashed. They came clear down to the ground this time and stood a little way off and looked at me and said “Hurry, come, your grandfathers are calling you”