It is a heinous mistake to believe that Native American cultures are basically the same. That is not true. There are definitely thematic similarities between Native American cultures like ecstatic spiritualism and pantheistic appreciation of spirits—also ancestry culture is fairly common—but as a rule, they should be celebrated as independent tribal religions and cultures. However, that does not mean that Black Elk's story cannot be applied generally as an allegory for the downfall of Native cultures because of the US government. In fact, such an analysis is a powerful way of honoring the text.
When the reader finds out how much Black Elk has accomplished, how fiercely he worked to make his dream a reality, to bring about an age of Native renaissance and peace with the US—it will likely seem unfair and absurd when Black Elk shares his own personal opinion of his life. Neihardt clearly views him as a critical person in history, the last of a certain type of chief. But to Black Elk, his failure to manifest the fate he was shown in ecstatic religious visions amounts to true failure in life. That is a way of saying that he claims full responsibility for the downfall of his tribe.
Although that is technically incorrect, it is a mark of honor for a captain to claim responsibility and go down with his ship, so to speak. But without any debate, the blame belongs with the US government. For hundreds and hundreds of years, European authorities and eventually American authorities participated in eliminating Native people groups and forcefully relocating them. When Native Americans refuse to be moved without a fight, it typically means massacre. Sitting Bull's death is the book's final stroke of dramatic climax, and this leads to Black Elk sharing his disappointment in himself.
So perhaps a way of synthesizing the chief's personal emotional experience with the objective facts might be this: The chief is a true martyr because he does not truly fathom what he is being forced to witness. He is in some ways like a child victim, because the child only knows to blame itself for the mistakes and sins of any potential abusers. This is a mark of honor for Black Elk, because he is motivated by responsibility and personal sacrifice, but was it really possible for him to stop the downfall of his people? That process began back when Black Elk's ancestors were still alive. Perhaps that is why they reached out to him in vision, to frame the tragedy of what he would have to endure.
