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

• Canadian literature
• Poetry

Informations

• Publié par: Wilfrid Laurier University Press
• Date de parution: 16 mai 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781771120098
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

Extrait

Indigenous Poetics in CanadaIndigenous 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 (Métis), 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-Métis), 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] Poetics in Canada
editor Neal McLeod
WILFRID LAURIER
UNIVERSITY PRESSThis 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 fnancial sup -
port 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 certifed Ecologo. It is made from 100% post-consumer
fbre, 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 ix
Acknowledgements xi
Introduction
Neal McLeod 1
Poetics of Memory
1 Achimo
Duncan Mercredi 17
2 Interview with Armand Garnet Ruffo
Conducted by Neal McLeod 23
3 Edgework: Indigenous Poetics as Re-placement
Warren Cariou 31
4 Pauline Passed Here
Janet Marie Rogers 39
5 Writer–Reader Reciprocity and the Pursuit of Alliance through
Indigenous Poetry
Sam McKegney 43
6 Remembering the Poetics of Ancient Sound kistêsinâw/
wîsahkêcâhk’s maskihkiy (Elder Brother’s Medicine)
Tasha Beeds 61v i c o n t e n t s
7 On Reading Basso
David Newhouse 73
8 The Pemmican Eaters
Marilyn Dumont 83
9 Cree Poetic Discourse
Neal McLeod 89
Poetics of Place
10 “Bubbling Like a Beating Heart”: Refections on Nishnaabeg
Poetic and Narrative Consciousness
Leanne Simpson 107
11 Getting (Back) to Poetry: A Memoir
Daniel David Moses 121
12 Kwadây Kwańdur—Our Shagóon
Alyce Johnson 137
13 “Pimuteuat/Ils marchent/They Walk”: A Few Observations on
Indigenous Poetry and Poetics in French
Michèle Lacombe 159
14 Through Iskigamizigan (The Sugarbush): A Poetics of
Decolonization
Waaseyaa’sin Christine Sy 183
15 The Power of Dirty Waters: Indigenous Poetics
Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair 203
16 A Poetics of Place and Apocalypse: Confict and Contradiction in
Poetry of the Red River Resistance and the Northwest Resistance
Jesse Rae Archibald-Barber 217
17 My Poem Is an Indian Woman
Rosanna Deerchild 237c o n t e n t s v i i
Poetics of Performance
18 Interview with Marvin Francis
Conducted by Rosanna Deerchild and Shayla Elizabeth 247
19 Blood Moves with Us—Story Poetry Lives Inside
Janet Rogers 253
20 Revitalizing Indigenous Swagger: Poetics from a Plains Cree
Perspective
Lindsay “Eekwol” Knight 259
21 A Conversation of Infuence, Tradition, and Indigenous Poetics:
An Interview with Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm
Conducted by Rhiannon Johnson 263
22 The “Nerve of Cree,” the Pulse of Africa: Sound Identities in
Cree, Cree-Métis, and Dub Poetries in Canada
Susan Gingell 271
23 Poetics of Renewal: Indigenous Poetics—Message or Medium?
Lillian Allen 293
Poetics of Medicine
24 Indigenous Poetry and the Oral
Lee Maracle 305
25 Poems as Healing Bundles
Gregory Scofeld 311
26 Small Birds / Songs Out of Silence
Joanne Arnott 321
27 Stretching through our Watery Sleep: Feminine Narrative
Retrieval of cihcipistikwân in Louise Halfe’s The Crooked Good
Lesley Belleau 331v i i i c o n t e n t s
28 “Learning to Listen to a Quiet Way of Telling”: A Study of Cree
Counselling Discourse Patterns in Maria Campbell’s Halfbreed
Gail MacKay 351
About the Contributors 371
Index 381Preface
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 yôtin (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 notifed
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
fancée, 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 frst 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 frst 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
ixx p r e f a c e
the way in which Indigenou