Indigenous Poetics in Canada

Description

Indigenous Poetics in Canada broadens the way in which Indigenous poetry is examined, studied, and discussed in Canada. Breaking from the parameters of traditional English literature studies, this volume embraces a wider sense of poetics, including Indigenous oralities, languages, and understandings of place.

Featuring work by academics and poets, the book examines four elements of Indigenous poetics. First, it explores the poetics of memory: collective memory, the persistence of Indigenous poetic consciousness, and the relationships that enable the Indigenous storytelling process. The book then explores the poetics of performance: Indigenous poetics exist both in written form and in relation to an audience. Third, in an examination of the poetics of place and space, the book considers contemporary Indigenous poetry and classical Indigenous narratives. Finally, in a section on the poetics of medicine, contributors articulate the healing and restorative power of Indigenous poetry and narratives.

Sujets

• Poetry

Informations

• Publié par: Wilfrid Laurier University Press
• Date de parution: 16 mai 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781771120081
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Indigenous Poetics in Canada
Indigenous Studies Series
The Indigenous Studies Series builds on the successes of the past and is inspired by recent critical conversations about Indigenous epistemological frameworks. Recognizing the need to encourage burgeoning scholarship, the series welcomes manuscripts drawing upon Indigenous intellectual traditions and philosophies, particularly in discussions situated within the Humanities.
Series Editor
Dr. Deanna Reder (M tis), Assistant Professor, First Nations Studies and English, Simon Fraser University
Advisory Board
Dr. Jo-ann Archibald (Sto:lo), Associate Dean, Indigenous Education, University of British Columbia
Dr. Kristina Bidwell (Labrador-M tis), Associate Professor, English, University of Saskatchewan
Dr. Daniel Heath Justice (Cherokee), Associate Professor, English, Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Literature and Expressive Culture, University of British Columbia
Dr. Eldon Yellowhorn (Piikani), Associate Professor, Archaeology, Director of First Nations Studies, Simon Fraser University
For more information, please contact:
Lisa Quinn
Acquisitions Editor
Wilfrid Laurier University Press
75 University Avenue West
Waterloo, ON N2L 3C5
Canada
Phone: [phone] ext. 2843
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Indigenous Poetics in Canada
EDITOR Neal McLeod
This book has been published with the help of a grant from the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, through the Awards to Scholarly Publications Program, using funds provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Wilfrid Laurier University Press acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts for our publishing program. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund for our publishing activities.


Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Indigenous poetics in Canada / Neal McLeod, editor.
(Indigenous studies) Includes bibliographical references and index. Issued in print and electronic formats. ISBN 978-1-55458-982-1 (pbk.).-ISBN 978-1-77112-009-8 (pdf).- ISBN 978-1-77112-008-1 (epub)
1. Indian poetry-Canada-History and criticism. 2. Canadian poetry-Native authors- History and criticism. I. McLeod, Neal, editor of compilation II. Series: Indigenous studies series
PS8147.I6I53 2014 C811.009 897 C2014-901705-7 C2014-901706-5

Cover image: mistahi-maskwa (Big Bear) by Neal McLeod, 2012 (acrylic and oil on birch panels, 8 feet 6 feet), University of Saskatchewan Art Collection. Photo by Blair Barbeau. Cover design by Martyn Schmoll. Text design by Daiva Villa, Chris Rowat Design.
2014 Wilfrid Laurier University Press Waterloo, Ontario, Canada www.wlupress.wlu.ca
Small Birds / Song Out of Silence, copyright 2014 by Joanne Arnott Getting (Back) to Poetry: A Memoir, copyright 2014 by Daniel David Moses Interview with Armand Garnet Ruffo, copyright 2014 by Armand Garnet Ruffo
This book is printed on FSC recycled paper and is certified Ecologo. It is made from 100% post-consumer fibre, processed chlorine free, and manufactured using biogas energy.
Printed in Canada
Every reasonable effort has been made to acquire permission for copyright material used in this text, and to acknowledge all such indebtedness accurately. Any errors and omissions called to the publisher s attention will be corrected in future printings.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the publisher or a licence from the Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For an Access Copyright licence, visit http://www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free to 1-800-893-5777.
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Neal McLeod
Poetics of Memory
1 Achimo
Duncan Mercredi
2 Interview with Armand Garnet Ruffo
Conducted by Neal McLeod
3 Edgework: Indigenous Poetics as Re-placement
Warren Cariou
4 Pauline Passed Here
Janet Marie Rogers
5 Writer-Reader Reciprocity and the Pursuit of Alliance through Indigenous Poetry
Sam McKegney
6 Remembering the Poetics of Ancient Sound kist sin w/w sahk c hk s maskihkiy (Elder Brother s Medicine)
Tasha Beeds
7 On Reading Basso
David Newhouse
8 The Pemmican Eaters
Marilyn Dumont
9 Cree Poetic Discourse
Neal McLeod
Poetics of Place
10 Bubbling Like a Beating Heart : Reflections on Nishnaabeg Poetic and Narrative Consciousness
Leanne Simpson
11 Getting (Back) to Poetry: A Memoir
Daniel David Moses
12 Kwad y Kwa dur-Our Shag on
Alyce Johnson
13 Pimuteuat/Ils marchent/They Walk : A Few Observations on Indigenous Poetry and Poetics in French
Mich le Lacombe
14 Through Iskigamizigan (The Sugarbush): A Poetics of Decolonization
Waaseyaa sin Christine Sy
15 The Power of Dirty Waters: Indigenous Poetics
Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair
16 A Poetics of Place and Apocalypse: Conflict and Contradiction in Poetry of the Red River Resistance and the Northwest Resistance
Jesse Rae Archibald-Barber
17 My Poem Is an Indian Woman
Rosanna Deerchild
Poetics of Performance
18 Interview with Marvin Francis
Conducted by Rosanna Deerchild and Shayla Elizabeth
19 Blood Moves with Us-Story Poetry Lives Inside
Janet Rogers
20 Revitalizing Indigenous Swagger: Poetics from a Plains Cree Perspective
Lindsay Eekwol Knight
21 A Conversation of Influence, Tradition, and Indigenous Poetics: An Interview with Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm
Conducted by Rhiannon Johnson
22 The Nerve of Cree, the Pulse of Africa: Sound Identities in Cree, Cree-M tis, and Dub Poetries in Canada
Susan Gingell
23 Poetics of Renewal: Indigenous Poetics-Message or Medium?
Lillian Allen
Poetics of Medicine
24 Indigenous Poetry and the Oral
Lee Maracle
25 Poems as Healing Bundles
Gregory Scofield
26 Small Birds / Songs Out of Silence
Joanne Arnott
27 Stretching through our Watery Sleep: Feminine Narrative Retrieval of cihcipistikw n in Louise Halfe s The Crooked Good
Lesley Belleau
28 Learning to Listen to a Quiet Way of Telling : A Study of Cree Counselling Discourse Patterns in Maria Campbell s Halfbreed
Gail MacKay
About the Contributors
Index
Preface
Neal McLeod
This book emerged during the Ogamas Aboriginal Festival in Brandon in the fall of 2009. One panel, which included Randy Lundy, Louise Halfe, and Duncan Mercredi, discussed the creative process within Indigenous poetry. Randy Lundy talked about the nature of poetic language, Louise Halfe talked about the power of y tin (wind) and breath, and Duncan Mercredi spoke of the sound of the rapids. A lively and rich discussion ensued. Marilyn Dumont suggested writing a book on creativity in the context of Indigenous poetry. At the break, I asked Randy Lundy if he would help me edit a book on Indigenous poetry and poetics to which he agreed. I could sense that there was momentum in writing such a book and using it for teaching and research. During the festival, I asked many of the poets if they would contribute. They agreed and were supportive of the project.
The next stage of the book involved applying for a SSHRC workshop grant. There were only ten days until the deadline, and Randy and I worked very hard to complete the grant application. In the spring, I was notified that we were successful in obtaining the grant. Randy, unfortunately, was unable to complete the project. However, without his help, this book would not have been possible. I would also like to acknowledge the support of my fianc e, Natasha Beeds.
At the workshop in early November 2010, writers and academics gathered to discuss Indigenous poetics. Daniel David Moses remarked that this was perhaps the first gathering devoted to Indigenous poetics in Canada. To the best of my knowledge, this is the case, and indeed it was an honour to facilitate this process.
The book is divided into four sections. The first section, The Poetics of Memory, examines the dynamic way in which classical poetic narratives intersect with the living Indigenous present. The second section, Poetics of Place, examines the embodiment of Indigenous consciousness, and the way in which Indigenous oralities are animated through performance. Third, The Poetics of Performance examines one of the central elements of Indigeneity: namely, the consciousness of specific places that emerges as people dwell in specific places over long periods of time. Fourth, The Poetics of Medicine has the power to heal collective trauma, and to imagine and dream new possibilities.
I have deliberately not written a conclusion because I think that readers should arrive at their own understandings, and to imagine the possibilities of Indigenous poetics for themselves. My father, Jermiah McLeod, who passed way during the writing of this book, always taught me that I had to find the meaning of stories and words ultimately for myself.
It is hoped that this book will contribute not only to the discussion of Indigenous poetry but also to expand how we think of Indigenous consciousness in the larger context of Indigenous poetics.
All author royalties for this book will go towards a scholarship in the name of Marvin Francis.
Neal McLeod
Peterborough, 2014
Acknowledgements
This book would not have been possible without the assist