• Title: Letter from John G. Neihardt to Gunard Solberg, February 16, 1973
  • Date: February 16, 1973
  • Author(s): Neihardt, John Gneisenau, 1881-1973
  • Recipient: Solberg, Gunard
  • TEI XML: nei.j4c.65.15.xml
5835 Vine Street
Lincoln, Nebraska 65 8505
February 16, 1973
Mr. Gunard Solberg 118 Third Avenue San Francisco, California 949118
Dear Mr. Solberg:

I am interested in your letter of February 9, concerning Jack Wilson (Wovoka) and his relation to the ghost shirt. I am interested to know that Black Elk spoke about his ghost shirt vision in an affair at Deadwood. I had not heard about it.

I suggest that you read my SONG OF THE MESSIAH beginning on page 48 (The Dance) and reading on through about the vision of Black Elk and the ghost shirt. I have a suspicion that what is known to be true about the ghost shirt has come largely from my BLACK ELK SPEAKS. He and I did, of course, have intimate conversations after the book was written, and you will find the results of such conversations in the text of THE SONG OF THE MESSIAH. This is not good "documentation" for a dissertation but I am quite sure that a great deal of it is approximately true.

I wish I could help you. My interest, however, is almost wholly in the spiritual significance of the whole affair. I don't care much about what scholars have to say. This is not scorn, for I realize the value of scholars, but for me the whole affair was a spiritual experience and still is.

You will find my SONG OF THE MESSIAH in the volume called THE TWILIGHT OF THE SIOUX or the complete one volume CYCLE OF THE WEST.

Do feel my kindly interest in what you are doing and write me again if you think I can help.

Kindest thoughts,

John G. Neihardt
JGN:nh