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

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.