John Neihardt (1881–1973) was an American poet and writer, author of many books about the indigenous people of America - the Indians.

In 1930, Neihardt met a shaman named Black Elk. Black Elk, being almost blind, nevertheless agreed to talk in detail about the amazing visionary episodes that transformed his life.

Neihardt was a white man, but he was lucky: the Sioux-Oglala Indians accepted him into their tribe and agreed , so that he becomes a kind of intermediary, transmitting the visions of Black Elk to other peoples. This is how the book gradually took shape, which is now known as “Black Elk Speaks.”