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Luminaries of the Humble (Volume 30)
This collection of poems by one of the Pacific Northwest's finest poets focuses on the land and people of that region, especially the Plateau Indian tribes and the contemporary issues that affect their lives. Luminaries of the Humble offers images of the Northwest's natural environment, with its rivers and diverse landscapes, while also conveying the author's deep personal insights, experiences, and understanding of the relationship between people and their land. Woody's strength lies in her ability to recognize connections to specific places that also define her relationship to a region. Through her work, non-Native readers can learn to see through popular misinterpretations of Native cultures that are often mistaken for truth.
In opening remarks, Woody shares anecdotes of her youth that contributed to her sense of personal history and her development as a poet. "The petroglyphs on rock in the Columbia River Gorge are part of my literary heritage," she writes. Now through the medium of the printed word, Luminaries of the Humble marks an important continuation of that tradition.
In opening remarks, Woody shares anecdotes of her youth that contributed to her sense of personal history and her development as a poet. "The petroglyphs on rock in the Columbia River Gorge are part of my literary heritage," she writes. Now through the medium of the printed word, Luminaries of the Humble marks an important continuation of that tradition.
- GenresPoetryNative American
148 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1994
About the author
Elizabeth Woody
16 books20 followersElizabeth Woody s an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs in Oregon. She also descends from the Navajo, Wasco, and Yakama peoples.
She was a recipient for the 1990 American Book Award for her book Hand into Stone from the Before Columbus Foundation. In 1993, she also Elizabeth received a "Medicine Pathways for the Future" Fellowship/Kellogg Fellowship from the American Indian Ambassadors Program of the Americans for Indian Opportunity.
She is a recipient of the William Stafford Memorial Award for Poetry from the Pacific Northwest Bookseller's Association and was a finalist in the Oregon Book Awards in poetry in 1995.
She was a recipient for the 1990 American Book Award for her book Hand into Stone from the Before Columbus Foundation. In 1993, she also Elizabeth received a "Medicine Pathways for the Future" Fellowship/Kellogg Fellowship from the American Indian Ambassadors Program of the Americans for Indian Opportunity.
She is a recipient of the William Stafford Memorial Award for Poetry from the Pacific Northwest Bookseller's Association and was a finalist in the Oregon Book Awards in poetry in 1995.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 14, 2016
Woody is not only one of the best poets I've ever read, or had the honor to meet (I took a class from her several years ago), she is also the new Oregon State Poet Laureate, and this book shows why she was chosen for that honor!
While I consider her poetry easily accessible by any one who reads it, her poems are not to be devoured as French fries—mindlessly one after the other. They are to be savored one at a time, should be read out loud even if you're alone, just to get the full taste, the mouth feel, the beauty of her chosen words.
A Native American, her poems reflect her heritage and this book gives us a look at the traditions and myths with which she was raised. There are stories about life, as it is and as it could be, there songs of the People and the land. And there are secrets. Why should one not listen when Raven sings?
The poems in this book are beautifully written and are a door to a culture with which you may not be familiar, but should be.
While I consider her poetry easily accessible by any one who reads it, her poems are not to be devoured as French fries—mindlessly one after the other. They are to be savored one at a time, should be read out loud even if you're alone, just to get the full taste, the mouth feel, the beauty of her chosen words.
A Native American, her poems reflect her heritage and this book gives us a look at the traditions and myths with which she was raised. There are stories about life, as it is and as it could be, there songs of the People and the land. And there are secrets. Why should one not listen when Raven sings?
The poems in this book are beautifully written and are a door to a culture with which you may not be familiar, but should be.
November 4, 2019
This collection contains “My Brother.”
July 14, 2025
Some really beautiful passages.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews