Only Earth and Sky Last Forever by Nathaniel Benchley
"Only Earth and Sky Last Forever" by Nathaniel Benchley is a historical novel that intertwines the coming-of-age journey of a young southern Cheyenne boy named Dark Elk with the broader narrative of the destruction of Plains Indian cultures, particularly the Cheyenne and Sioux, culminating in the infamous Battle of the Little Bighorn. Orphaned at a young age due to violence from white settlers, Dark Elk is raised by the Oglala Sioux at a government agency. He struggles with his identity and seeks to prove himself worthy of the warrior society, ultimately joining Crazy Horse and learning vital cultural and survival skills.
Through Dark Elk’s eyes, the novel depicts the tensions between agency Indians and free Indians, the cultural practices of the Plains tribes, and the impact of white encroachment on their way of life. Benchley emphasizes the rich cultural traditions of the Cheyenne and Sioux while also capturing the tragic circumstances they faced during this tumultuous period in American history. The novel serves as a poignant exploration of individual growth against a backdrop of historical conflict, highlighting the resilience of Native American identity amidst adversity.
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Subject Terms
Only Earth and Sky Last Forever by Nathaniel Benchley
First published: 1972
Type of work: Historical fiction
Themes: Coming-of-age, war, and race and ethnicity
Time of work: 1875-1876
Recommended Ages: 10-13
Locale: The Black Hills of North Dakota
Principal Characters:
Dark Elk , a Cheyenne orphan reared by the Sioux who eventually joins Crazy Horse and participates in the Battle of the Little BighornLashuka , a Cheyenne maiden who is the object of Dark Elk’s loveLone Wolf , Dark Elk’s Cheyenne friendRunning Horse , Lashuka’s other suitorCrazy Horse , an Oglala Sioux leader
The Story
Only Earth and Sky Last Forever tells two intertwined stories, both of which culminate in the Battle of the Little Bighorn: The first is the personal story of Dark Elk’s initiation into manhood; the second is the story of the destruction of the Plains Indians, especially the Cheyenne and the Sioux.
Dark Elk narrates and immediately introduces his personal history: A southern Cheyenne, he was orphaned in 1868 at the age of twelve when both of his parents were killed by whites. (This is where General Custer is introduced—his troops slaughtered Black Kettle’s band of Cheyenne, including Dark Elk’s mother.) Dark Elk was then adopted and reared by the Oglala Sioux at the Red Cloud agency. While visiting Lone Wolf, a Cheyenne friend from one of the few remaining nonagency bands, Dark Elk falls in love with Lashuka. Her grandmother will not allow Lashuka to marry an unknown like Dark Elk, but Lashuka encourages Dark Elk because she does not care for Running Horse, her other suitor. Dark Elk then sets out to prove himself. Because he has spent so much time at the agency (such Indians are disparagingly called “coffee-coolers” by free Indians), Dark Elk lacks the skills and cultural knowledge to become a member of a warrior society. He knows that the agency cannot give him the knowledge he needs, so he joins a band of nonagency Sioux led by Crazy Horse.
There is much humor in the early chapters as the ignorant Dark Elk tries to prove himself in inappropriate ways. Eventually, primarily through the tutelage of Crazy Horse, Dark Elk matures. By the end of the novel—the Battle of the Little Bighorn—Dark Elk has become a fully functioning member of the Oglala Sioux culture, and the reader has a better understanding of that culture by being initiated into its ways with Dark Elk.
Dark Elk’s story is only part of the novel; as he describes his own growth, he also describes the disintegration of the Cheyenne and Sioux cultures. Dark Elk initially seeks help from his stepfather, who remained an agency Indian; what he finds is a drunken man full of self-hatred and a starving band of agency Indians. It is then that he joins Crazy Horse, a skilled and respected leader. Crazy Horse invents new and successful tactics to fight the whites, but even Crazy Horse is a fatalist, for he realizes that, because of the recent discovery of gold in the Black Hills, the pressure from the growing number of whites will be too intense to resist.
Dark Elk observes and describes important events leading up to the Battle of the Little Bighorn: the conflict between Red Cloud’s agency Indians and their agent, J. J. Saville; the conflicts between prospectors and Indians; the negotiations over mineral rights to the Black Hills; the threats and intimidation to force all Indians onto the agencies; the destruction of Lashuka’s village; the Battle of the Rosebud, where Crazy Horse tried out his new tactics; and Sitting Bull’s celebrated three-day sun dance. The novel ends with an accurately detailed description of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The historical events are interspersed with accurate glimpses of what the Plains Indian culture was like: a raid against the Crow to steal ponies, a buffalo hunt, ceremonial dances, warrior societies, and courtship rituals.
While there is conflict between whites and Indians, such conflicts only provide the background. Benchley is more interested in exploring what life was like for the Cheyenne and Sioux before and after the whites came, and the differences between life for agency Indians and the few remaining bands of free Indians in the Black Hills. Dark Elk—orphaned, reared on an agency, initiated into Sioux culture by Crazy Horse—is an ideal vehicle to examine these contrasts.
Context
Nathaniel Benchley was a prolific writer who published more than two dozen works in his career. Only Earth and Sky Last Forever is one of five novels he wrote for young adults, all of which are works of historical fiction. The best known is Bright Candles: A Novel of the Danish Resistance (1974), a scrupulously authentic work which shows individuals acting heroically in the face of overwhelming historical forces.
Benchley includes a bibliography of eleven items at the end of Only Earth and Sky Last Forever, and two titles are especially worth mentioning. Dee Brown’s Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (1970) fully describes the historical events portrayed in Only Earth and Sky Last Forever. Reading Brown’s chapter “The War for the Black Hills” helps one realize how careful Benchley was with his sources and how comprehensive he tried to be. Thomas Berger’s Little Big Man (1964) also describes the Battle of the Little Bighorn, and it has many structural similarities with Only Earth and Sky Last Forever (first-person narration, some humor in a basically tragic work, similar verbal motifs, and a similar ironic tone).
Only Earth and Sky Last Forever is similar to other significant works of historical war fiction for young readers such as Howard Fast’s April Morning (1961), James Collier’s My Brother Sam Is Dead (1974), and Irene Hunt’s Across Five Aprils (1964). All focus on one young man’s coming of age as a vehicle commenting on war, the nature of dignity, and personal responsibility when confronted by cataclysmic upheaval.