The life of an Indian is like the wings of the air. That is why you notice the hawk knows how to get his prey. The Indian is like that. The hawk swoops down on its prey, so does the Indian. In his lament he is like an animal. For instance, the coyote is sly, so is the Indian. The eagle is the same. That is why the Indian is always feathered up, he is a relative to the wings of the air.
John Gneisenau Neihardt, Black Elk, Raymond J. DeMallie (1984). “The Sixth Grandfather: Black Elk's teachings given to John G. Neihardt”, Univ of Nebraska Pr
