My Painting of Black Elk by Paha Ska Salway

Ranked #8,383 in Arts & Design, #141,274 overall

One of my most prized possessions is a painting of Black Elk

It is difficult to say exactly why this is such a valued possession to me. Black Elk was in his own right a great man, but the painter of this portrait was also a wonderful man; Paha Ska Salway.

Paha Ska Salway was a dear, dear man who happened to be a friend of mine. He was given the name "Paha Ska", which means "White Hills" by Ben Black Elk (who was the son of Black Elk). I was given this painting by Paha Ska's widow although I knew Paha Ska before he passed away. The intertwining of the stories is part of why the painting is so special to me.

Who was Black Elk?

A Sioux Medicine Man and Holy Man

Black Elk (1862-1950) was a much respected and wise holy man and medicine man of the Sioux Nation. He was cousin to Crazy Horse and knew Red Cloud and Sitting Bull. He was a man who even with his last breaths worried that he had not lead his people to the Good Red Road. He spent much of his days praying and fasting and was known for his visions and wisdom. Black Elk also travelled with the Buffalo Bill Wild West Show and although he did not speak English, he visited France, England and Italy.

Black Elk was married twice. His first wife was Katie War Bonnet whom he married in 1892. It was his and Katie's youngest child, Benjamin, on whom Black Elk relied the last years of his life and also the man who named Paha Ska. Katie died in 1903. Black Elk's second wife was Anna Brings White, who he married in 1905, She died in 1941. All total, Black Elk had four sons and one daughter.

He lived in traditional Lakota ways until he was a young man and he was one of the last of the generation to do that. He was a part of the Battle of Little Big Horn in 1876 (He was 12 years old), and he witnessed the bloody massacre at Wounded Knee (1890) and that memory haunted him until the day he died. He claimed he could still see the blood red mud in the dry gulch just as clearly as an old man as he had when he witnessed it in his younger days.

It was Black Elk who revealed the seven sacred rituals of the Lakota:
Please keep in mind these are sacred to the Lakota. I write them with all due respect to the Sioux People


1. Legend of White Buffalo Woman;

2. Keeping of the Soul

3. The Rite of Purification

4. Sun Dance

5. Crying for a Vision

6. The Making of Relatives

7. A Girls Coming of Age



In his words to John Neihardt when interviewed for "Black Elk Speaks", he was quoted as having another haunting experience:
"However, when he was nine years old, he had an experience that was to haunt him the rest of his life. He contracted an unidentified illness and was semi-comatose for 12 days, during which time, he had an extremely intricate and powerful vision full of symbols of Lakota spiritual beliefs. In his vision, two men came and took him up into the heavens, where he saw many beautiful different colored horses with manes of lightening and thunder in their nostrils. He met the six Grandfathers who were the powers of the East, West, North, South, Sky and Earth and he saw himself as the Sixth Grandfather or the spirit of mankind. He saw himself being given great power to heal and to destroy and to lead his people. He foresaw that he would live to see four generations and the demise of the buffalo and he saw himself standing at the center of the universe. He did not tell anyone about his vision for many years, because it frightened him and confused him, and because he was so young, he did not think anyone would believe him or take it seriously."

Although he was a medicine man and a holy man, he converted to Catholicism in 1904. In fact, Paha Ska's painting inculdes a cross because Black Elk was insistant that he was not a heathen and Paha Ska wanted that known through his painting.

Black Elk Quotes:
"You have noticed that everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the Power of the World always works in circles, and everything tries to be round..... The Sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars. The wind, in its greatest power, whirls. Birds make their nest in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours... Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves."

"The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us."


>Black Elk,paha ska,vbright,copyright" Black Elk. Seeker of Vision by Paha Ska

Black Elk

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A video tribute to Ben Black Elk

Ben Black Elk: A Short Tribute by Kevin P. Miller
by kevinphilipmiller | video info

39 ratings | 10,234 views
curated content from YouTube

Ben Black Elk speaks

The Son of Black Elk

In the shadow of Black Elk Speaks comes a moving tribute about Ben Black Elk (who named Paha Ska) in Ben Black Elk Speaks

Ben Black Elk Speaks

Amazon Price: $39.95 (as of 02/14/2012)Buy Now

The stories are really fascinating. Learn the facts from the Native American Point of view.

Who was Paha Ska Salway?

Christian name Orville Salway

Paha Ska was born in White Clay Nebraska in 1923. He grew up on Pine Ridge Reservation learning the ways of his people. He was named Paha Ska by Ben Black Elk because he had been born in White Clay, which is in the sand hills of Nebrska. He had an incredible knack for keeping and understanding native traditions and yet being somewhat worldly. He did some acting in his younger days and was in movies such as "White Savage" and "Life and Times of Crazy Horse", among others.

His first wife's name was Joyce and they had 5 children. Like Black Elk, Paha Ska had four sons and a daughter. He and Joyce eventually divorced and in 1983 he married Susan. Before he married Susan, he promised her she would always have horses...and he kept that promise. Susan learned the Lakota language and traditions from her husband and also learned the legends. She became an accepted member of the tribe and was named Susan Yellow Bird Woman. They had a wonderful life together and Paha Ska was the official greeter for Keystone for over 50 years. He and Susan met people from around the world who came to Keystone. They also visited many of the people they met from overseas.

He was an elder on Pine Ridge Reservation and was a respected man. He tutored many young people in art and storytelling. His art now hangs in castles and other prestigeous places around the world. He was particularly talented with painting on buffalo (or any other animal) hide. He was witty and charming and in his early days as greeter for Keystone, he had his horse and he would let children ride his horse with him. That is, those who were not frightened by him in full Regalia. Some children only knew what they had seen in movies about Native Americans and were naturally frightened when he reached out for them. Others, however, gladly accepted the lift atop the horse and proudly rode with Paha Ska through town.

Sadly, in November of 2005, Paha Ska passed away. After he died, he was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame and there was even talk of erecting a monument and park to his memory in Keystone. Paha Ska's grown children were given his possessions and Susan moved into the gallery where Paha Ska did his painting. Although all of his original paintings are sold, she does still have prints that were made of the pictures he painted the years before he died. She also continues to give tours of the Black Hills, just as she and Paha Ska did for years. You can find out more about the tours by checking the Paha Ska Black Hills Tours Lens.

Paha Ska is sorely missed by many, many people who had the opportunity to know him over the years. He was a great man and a true modern Native American legend.

More information about Native Americans and Paha Ska

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My connection with Paha Ska and Black Elk

I am not a Native American, nor do I consider myself a "wannabe". I have a great respect for Native American History and am proud to have known some great people of that heritage. Through Paha Ska, I learned that there are many reasons why one can become so involved in Native American History and that there are almost always connections which link us. Paha Ska's widow gave me this painting because of the connections she felt I had with Black Elk through Paha Ska.

Connections between myself and Black Elk:

  • Paha Ska was born in Nebraska (I am from Nebraska)

  • Black Elk's son named my friend Paha Ska

  • Paha Ska painted a portrait of Black Elk

  • "Black Elk Speaks" is a famous book written by John Neihardt (Who was from Nebraska-I am from Nebraska)

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  • Reply
    John West woboston@swbell.net Aug 1, 2011 @ 3:58 pm | delete
    Thank you for your tender and most helpful homage to Paha Ska. I am in the process of appraising a painting on elk skin of his, and your writing gives me a better understanding of the artist and his work.
  • Reply
    Susan Feb 20, 2010 @ 9:28 pm | delete
    HI Veronica, Could you please give me a call?
  • Reply
    vbright105 Mar 14, 2010 @ 7:21 am | delete
    Susan...if you see this, I will call soon. I have been out of commission for several months. Rose and I are coming up there soon too!
  • Reply
    CherylK Sep 28, 2009 @ 10:33 pm | delete
    This is so interesting. I've always been fascinated with the Native American culture so I really enjoy reading about it. Thanks so much for sharing this personal story with us. 5*s and lensrolled to my White Cloud's Prayer lens.
  • Reply
    Bryan Aug 31, 2009 @ 1:08 am | delete
    Thank you for posting about Blackelk and Ben. My grandmother was a good friend to Ben, and has given me many original photos of him.
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vbright105

I'm Veronica, and I have been creating lenses on Squidoo since July of 2008. I am now a "Giant Squid 100"! I have graduated from Rocket Moms... more »

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