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Indigenous Poetics in Canada
"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.
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.
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
2 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Neal McLeod
14 books7 followersNeal McLeod holds a doctorate in Interdisciplinary Studies, and currently teaches Indigenous Studies at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario. In addition to being a visual artist and entertainer, he has published a book of poetry, Songs to Kill a Wihtikow, and has another forthcoming entitled Gabriel's Beach. He is Cree and Swedish, and was born and raised in Saskatchewan.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 10, 2021
I was looking for books on indigenous healing practices while researching for my mental health career. I came across this book since the last chapter mentions Indigenous poetics as "medicine", in the context of narratives being healing for identity.
WOW. I was dazzled from the very first chapter, where the author begins with the "myth of the mirror", aka how different members of a Cree Native American tribe interacted with a mirror for the first time, and how each person assigned subjective meaning to it based on their personal "shadow". This begs the question of how Western / colonial influence darkened that shadow - a theme that is prevalent throughout this work.
Although this is written in the context of Canadian indigenous peoples, I am finding so much beauty and value. What makes this book so powerful and educational for me, is the four pillars it covers:
First, it explores the poetics of memory: collective memory, the persistence of Indigenous poetic consciousness, and the relationships that enable the Indigenous storytelling process. This gets particularly interesting when you think about colonization not only wiping out indigenous "location" from a physical space, but the colonization of literature and poetry that prescribes what it believes to be "quality poetry". That is doubly toxic to Native peoples in that colonial influence has not only taken away land, but the literary domination has attempted to take away their stories, thereby endangering their consciousness.
Second, it explores the poetics of performance: Indigenous poetics exist both in written form and in relation to an audience. There are a lot of things that we have assimilated from Native American culture like "support groups", circles, cultural performances, etc. But when we review the origins of these practices, we can actually honor them rather than exploit them. We can also understand how identity happens in relation to an audience, a community, instead of a silo. I think this could be particularly healing from an arts therapy perspective for indigenous peoples seeking to reconnect with the communal / artistic side of their narrative.
Third, in an examination of the poetics of place and space, the book considers contemporary Indigenous poetry and classical Indigenous narratives. I haven't gotten to this part yet but I'm curious to see how modern Indigenous poets see themselves, and what tools or resources are currently enabling this sharing of stories.
Finally, in a section on the poetics of medicine, contributors articulate the healing and restorative power of Indigenous poetry and narratives. This will probably be the part I try to weave into my mental health research, in terms of how I can better serve Indigenous communities as a mental health healer by tapping into the wisdom of their own traditions, discoveries, and resilience.
WOW. I was dazzled from the very first chapter, where the author begins with the "myth of the mirror", aka how different members of a Cree Native American tribe interacted with a mirror for the first time, and how each person assigned subjective meaning to it based on their personal "shadow". This begs the question of how Western / colonial influence darkened that shadow - a theme that is prevalent throughout this work.
Although this is written in the context of Canadian indigenous peoples, I am finding so much beauty and value. What makes this book so powerful and educational for me, is the four pillars it covers:
First, it explores the poetics of memory: collective memory, the persistence of Indigenous poetic consciousness, and the relationships that enable the Indigenous storytelling process. This gets particularly interesting when you think about colonization not only wiping out indigenous "location" from a physical space, but the colonization of literature and poetry that prescribes what it believes to be "quality poetry". That is doubly toxic to Native peoples in that colonial influence has not only taken away land, but the literary domination has attempted to take away their stories, thereby endangering their consciousness.
Second, it explores the poetics of performance: Indigenous poetics exist both in written form and in relation to an audience. There are a lot of things that we have assimilated from Native American culture like "support groups", circles, cultural performances, etc. But when we review the origins of these practices, we can actually honor them rather than exploit them. We can also understand how identity happens in relation to an audience, a community, instead of a silo. I think this could be particularly healing from an arts therapy perspective for indigenous peoples seeking to reconnect with the communal / artistic side of their narrative.
Third, in an examination of the poetics of place and space, the book considers contemporary Indigenous poetry and classical Indigenous narratives. I haven't gotten to this part yet but I'm curious to see how modern Indigenous poets see themselves, and what tools or resources are currently enabling this sharing of stories.
Finally, in a section on the poetics of medicine, contributors articulate the healing and restorative power of Indigenous poetry and narratives. This will probably be the part I try to weave into my mental health research, in terms of how I can better serve Indigenous communities as a mental health healer by tapping into the wisdom of their own traditions, discoveries, and resilience.
October 8, 2020
Indigenous Poetics in Canada edited by Neil McLeod is an in depth look at history and practice of poetry among native Canadians. McLeod grew up Cree on the James Smith Reserve in Saskatchewan. He has written two collections of poetry: Songs to Kill a Wihtikow and Gabriel’s Beach, and is also the author of Cree Narrative Memory. McLeod teaches Indigenous Studies at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario.
To start with, this is not a collection of poetry, but rather a very scholarly study of what indigenous poetry is and the experience of native authors. Each section meticulously sited with an abundance of source material. Sections that are not sited are interviews with scholars and poets -- primary source material. At least one section is an excerpt of a graduate thesis. Actual poems are, however, few.
There are several themes that seem to run through the book. First is the oral tradition (and an explanation why oral tradition is not a valid term) or verbatim memorizations of stories and traditions. The importance of remembering the story without changing a word. Words mean things, and changing even one word affects the story. Education and the Reserves play another role in the book. There is a paradox between Cree parents wanting their children to have White-Man’s Knowledge to move beyond the reserves and being “welfare Indians” and the death of culture:
“The objective of Indian Residential Schools, paid for by the government, was to kill the Indian within the child. Languages other than English were forbidden. Hair was cut and families torn apart, We were literally silenced.”
Modern Western society marginalizes poetry in general and native poetry even more so. There have been periods where there has been a resurgence in native literature and poetry, however, much of it is not in the tradition or is written outside the experience. One professor who receives many books of native poetry and literature and despite all the praise on the back cover, he feels sorry that trees had to die to make the book. Quantity over quality...or maybe just marketing is cheapening the genre.
Although I was hoping for more poetry, I finished this book with a much better understanding of native literature and poetry than I would have gotten from reading a collection poems. Although, that will be my next step. Indigenous Poetics in Canada is a detailed and scholarly study of the Literature of the Native Canadian peoples. It is rich with background information and source material. An essential read for anyone wanting to know the philosophy of native literature.
To start with, this is not a collection of poetry, but rather a very scholarly study of what indigenous poetry is and the experience of native authors. Each section meticulously sited with an abundance of source material. Sections that are not sited are interviews with scholars and poets -- primary source material. At least one section is an excerpt of a graduate thesis. Actual poems are, however, few.
There are several themes that seem to run through the book. First is the oral tradition (and an explanation why oral tradition is not a valid term) or verbatim memorizations of stories and traditions. The importance of remembering the story without changing a word. Words mean things, and changing even one word affects the story. Education and the Reserves play another role in the book. There is a paradox between Cree parents wanting their children to have White-Man’s Knowledge to move beyond the reserves and being “welfare Indians” and the death of culture:
“The objective of Indian Residential Schools, paid for by the government, was to kill the Indian within the child. Languages other than English were forbidden. Hair was cut and families torn apart, We were literally silenced.”
Modern Western society marginalizes poetry in general and native poetry even more so. There have been periods where there has been a resurgence in native literature and poetry, however, much of it is not in the tradition or is written outside the experience. One professor who receives many books of native poetry and literature and despite all the praise on the back cover, he feels sorry that trees had to die to make the book. Quantity over quality...or maybe just marketing is cheapening the genre.
Although I was hoping for more poetry, I finished this book with a much better understanding of native literature and poetry than I would have gotten from reading a collection poems. Although, that will be my next step. Indigenous Poetics in Canada is a detailed and scholarly study of the Literature of the Native Canadian peoples. It is rich with background information and source material. An essential read for anyone wanting to know the philosophy of native literature.
June 30, 2014
I asked to read this book because I fell in love with the title. The idea of tasting a different way of understanding poetic language grabbed my attention. Looking at the table of contents is a little disconcerting with articles entitled Achimo, Edgework: Indigenous Poetics as Re-Placement, Writer-Reader Reciprocity and the Pursuit of Alliance through Indigenous Poetry. The book delighted me with accessible writing and engaging subjects. The heavy sounding titles are a cover for a range of fascinating discussions about language, place and culture. I googled and bookmarked more than one book from the tastes I was offered in the text.
The subject of the book is language, and the thesis is that indigenous poetics deserve to be recognized and discussed based on the texts rather than settler (white) understandings of poetry and form. Authors speak of the importance of place and story. Some use the imagery of pictographs as a way of showing the dimension of time in indigenous story and language. There are interviews with indigenous poets of a range of nations, and a smattering of stories to whet the appetite to hear more.
Along with the discussion of language and poetry, there is the inevitable political reality of colonialism and how to respond to it. The politics are not ignored, but they aren’t allowed to overwhelm the discussion. Rather they become another layer on the stories that are being told. It is important to note that the stories are not myth stories as we are used to reading and dissecting in English Literature courses. The stories are living stories of living nations. If we are ever going to learn to live as neighbours, we need to learn to hear these stories.
I highly recommend this book for any who love language or have in interest in indigenous culture.
The subject of the book is language, and the thesis is that indigenous poetics deserve to be recognized and discussed based on the texts rather than settler (white) understandings of poetry and form. Authors speak of the importance of place and story. Some use the imagery of pictographs as a way of showing the dimension of time in indigenous story and language. There are interviews with indigenous poets of a range of nations, and a smattering of stories to whet the appetite to hear more.
Along with the discussion of language and poetry, there is the inevitable political reality of colonialism and how to respond to it. The politics are not ignored, but they aren’t allowed to overwhelm the discussion. Rather they become another layer on the stories that are being told. It is important to note that the stories are not myth stories as we are used to reading and dissecting in English Literature courses. The stories are living stories of living nations. If we are ever going to learn to live as neighbours, we need to learn to hear these stories.
I highly recommend this book for any who love language or have in interest in indigenous culture.
June 18, 2014
I received a review copy from Wilfrid Laurier University Press via NetGalley, and a copy of this review is on my page of the NetGalley site as well as on my education blog.
This collection of essays features a variety of approaches: interviews with poets, personal reflections by poets and authors, academic literary analysis. I found the personal reflections by poets to be the most effective and affecting. My students are not quite at the academic level to grapple with the most academic writing in this collection, but I did find a couple of essays that may prepare them to engage with Indigenous poetry: Daniel David Moses' "Getting (Back) to Poetry, A Memoir," and Rosanna Deerchild's "My Poem Is An Indian Woman." I might also use Lillian Allen's "Poetics of Renewal: Indigenous Poetics--Message or Medium?" and Lee Maracle's "Indigenous Poetry and the Oral" for my own preparation and background knowledge before teaching the subject.
Overall, this is a thoughtfully put together anthology that highlights dynamic voices in contemporary Indigenous writing.
This collection of essays features a variety of approaches: interviews with poets, personal reflections by poets and authors, academic literary analysis. I found the personal reflections by poets to be the most effective and affecting. My students are not quite at the academic level to grapple with the most academic writing in this collection, but I did find a couple of essays that may prepare them to engage with Indigenous poetry: Daniel David Moses' "Getting (Back) to Poetry, A Memoir," and Rosanna Deerchild's "My Poem Is An Indian Woman." I might also use Lillian Allen's "Poetics of Renewal: Indigenous Poetics--Message or Medium?" and Lee Maracle's "Indigenous Poetry and the Oral" for my own preparation and background knowledge before teaching the subject.
Overall, this is a thoughtfully put together anthology that highlights dynamic voices in contemporary Indigenous writing.
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October 22, 2018Last weekend, I (re-)read a couple of chapters in this fantastic book! Hopefully, I'll be doing research in that area myself someday ^^
March 15, 2019
I have no words to describe how beautiful this is.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews