OTHER VOICES: Joy Harjo

OTHER VOICES: Joy Harjo

Poet, artist and musician Joy Harjo is a member of the Mvkoke (Creek) Nation.  (More usually, that word is spelled “Muscogee.”)

Harjo became the first Native American to be appointed as a Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the American Library of Congress in 2019 by Librarian Carla Hayden.  In case you didn’t know, the Library is America’s oldest federal cultural institution and is said to be the largest library in the world.

As well as other things, national poets laureate get to help the huge library develop programs that foster the art of poetry, expand the library’s collection of all things related to poetry and help them figure out how to provide services for poetry makers, scholars, and the rest of the citizenry.

When she elevated the poet to the post, Dr. Hayden said, “Joy Harjo has championed the art of poetry – ‘soul talk’ as she calls it – for over four decades.  To her, ‘poems are carriers of dreams, knowledge and wisdom,’ and through them she tells an American story of tradition and loss, reckoning and myth-making.”

reference to the dispossession of ative peoples
“Washington Landscape With Peace Medal Indian NMMA (painting by T.C. Cannon, Native American Kiowa Tribe – Caddo & French) by Regan Vercruysse via Flickr [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0]
The good doctor went on to say that Harjo’s work “powerfully connects us to the earth and the spiritual world with direct, inventive lyricism that helps us reimagine who we are.”

A POP-UP POETRY READING

Shortly after she became the poet laureate for the United States of America, Harjo stopped by the offices of the Academy of American Poets, where she was a member of the Board of Chancellors, in order to do a pop-up reading of her poem, “Grace.”

The reading was uploaded to YouTube by the Academy.

The last lines of her poem still resonate with me:

“I would like to say, with grace, we picked ourselves up and walked into the spring thaw.  We didn’t; the next season was worse….And, Wind, I am still crazy.  I know there is something larger than the memory of a dispossessed people.  We have seen it.”

painting of a sunset on an Indian reservation
“Reservation Dusk” (painting by artist Dan Namingha at the Booth Museum of Western Art, Cartersville, Georgia) by JR P via Flickr [CC BY-NC 2.0]

WE INDIGENES ARE POETS TOO

When she accepted the position as poet laureate, Harjo was working on a major book project.  She was acting as the chief editor for the first-ever comprehensive collection of poetry by indigenous writers ever made.

The book was a 400-plus page anthology with works from 160 indigenous poets who represented 91 of the more than 500 federally-recognized tribal nations in America.

the white buffalo is an American Indian symbol of abundance and manifestation
White Buffalo 1” by David Hill via Flickr [CC BY 2.0]
The poems in the book date from modern times and go back to the 17th century.  There are both written works and poems which are traditionally delivered orally included between its covers.

The ages of the featured poets range from high schoolers whose poems appeared in tribal or community newspapers more than 100 years ago, to more mature spoken-word artists, to the late Louis Little Coon Oliver (Mvkoke), whose first poetry collection was published after he turned 80.

Harjo was helped in this endeavor by her fellow editors, Leanne Howe and Jennifer Elise Foerster, by her students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville where Harjo was teaching at the time, and by “contributing editors” who were all expert native poets knowledgeable about at least one of the five different geographical sections into which the team somewhat arbitrarily divided up the country.

painting of American Indians ready for a dance
“Ready For the Two-Step” (painting by Kevin Red Star at the Booth Museum of Western Art, Cartersville, Georgia) by JR P via Flickr [CC BY-NC 2.0]
The title for the anthology, WHEN THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD WAS SUBDUED, OUR SONGS CAME THROUGH:  A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry, is lyrical.  Its effect is an inclusion, an honoring, and a deepening of the understanding of what it is to be human.

The collection has been called a “landmark” book.  It is the first time anybody tried to recognize and honor such a wide diversity of native voices and viewpoints.  The book has also been credited with helping to make our collective story as a country bigger and more layered.  More of the missing voices can now be heard and acknowledged.

interior of an ancient American Indian earth lodge
“1,000 year old earth lodge…” by densiben via Flickr [CC BY-ND 2.0]
In an interview with Clancey D’Isa for the Chicago Review of Books, Harjo said the book “reframed” American Poetry to include Indigenous Poetry.  She goes on to say:

We are poets, we have accomplished poets, and we had poets long before there was an entity called America. We were here, we are here, we didn’t disappear or die; but, we are living voices and we are poets.

 The Norton anthology is proof of that one.

(For the complete interview, which includes a very interesting account of how the book came to be, click on the button below.)

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two white buffaloes and calf symbolize a legacy of manifestation and abundance
“White Buffalo” by MRHSfan via Flickr [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0]

THE POET LAUREATE’S SIGNATURE PROJECT

About half of the poets laureate appointed over the years have created and developed large scale poetry projects designed to raise awareness and appreciation of poetry on a national scale.  These major works are called “signature projects.”

When she was appointed for a second term as the national poet laureate in 2020, Harjo began work putting together Living Nations, Living Words.”

This amazing digital project which includes the works of 47 contemporary Native American poets from across the country including Harjo, Henry Real Bird, Joan Naviyuk Kane, b: william bearheart, Alex Jacobs, Mahealani Perez-Wendt, and Luci Tapahonso.

Each of these poets were asked to choose a poem based on the theme of place and displacement.  They were also asked to choose poems that focused on visibility, persistence, resilience, and/or acknowledgement.

modern reinterpretation of American Indian headdress
“Fancy feather headdress in Heavy Metal style (side view)” by “4 Colors” Gallery of Plains Indian Warrior Art via Flickr [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0]
The “Living Nations, Living Words” project is available online.  The first two elements of the work were created during Harjo’s second term as poet laureate.

The STORY MAPan interactive ArcGIS web map – is the foundation of the signature project.

The map was developed by Harjo with the Library’s Geography and Map Division after she asked the poetry makers to pinpoint the place on a map of the United States that each participating poet gave as his or her point of origin.

You can click the markers on the map to access each of the poets and their work.

Harjo says (and I agree) that “place is central to identity, to the imagery and shape of the poems, no matter what country, culture or geographical place.

The words of poets rebuild the worlds they have known and create the worlds of their dreams.  That’s one of the most awesome power of words.

The map is connected to an ONLINE AUDIO COLLECTION.  These are the captured voices of each of the participating poets in the “Living Nations, Living Words” project reading one of their original poems and then talking about their work.  It is housed in the Library’s American Folklife Center.

Hearing the poets adds another dimension to the project.  Poems are meant to be heard.  The voices of the native poets reach out for your ears and for your heart.  Maybe it might be a good thing to light a fire or listen to the poets speak by candlelight.

American Indian fancy dancer looks pensive
“Nimilipuu Experience from the Nez Perce” at the Pioneer Performances on the Oregon Trail Concert Series in Baker City by Baker County Tourism Travel Baker County via Flickr [(CC BY-ND 2.0)]

AND THEN “GREAT” GOT EVEN BETTER

In 2021 Harjo became the second poet laureate ever to be appointed to a third one-year term by the Librarian of Congress.  Harjo still had work to do as the 23rd Poet Laureate of the United States.

During her final year the poet collaborated with her anthology’s book publisher as well as with a group of educators as she worked on expanding the usefulness and the scope and outreach for her remarkable signature project with two more elements:.

A book, LIVING NATIONS, LIVING WORDS:  An Anthology of First People’s Poetry, was published in May, 2021 by W. W. Norton and Company in association with the Library of Congress.  The book is a compilation of all of the poets featured in the project.  Readers could hold the poems in their hands.

Then a COMPANION EDUCATOR GUIDE was released by the Library of Congress in November, 2021.  Harjo, an educator herself, wanted to point out various resources that can help teachers of children in grades 7 or older to do their work.

This guide for teachers was developed with help from an advisory committee of educators that included members of the National Council for the Social Studies, the National Council of teachers of English and the National Indian Education Association.

[If you click on the names of the different elements in Harjo’s master work, you’ll be able to access or get information about each of them.]

coyote is an important American Indian mythic figure who embodies all of the ambivalence in the interactions between humans, gods and animals
“Coyote” by Henry via Flickr [CC BY 2.0]

LAST THOUGHTS

Harjo pointed out in her interview with Clancey D’Isa:

“We can speak out in poetry in a way that allows people to hear multi-dimensionally. A poem can be constructed of many dimensions. Therein is the gift of metaphor.

“Collectively the arts are like that; but, poetry, because we’re humans and we speak, has that power.”

The lady speaks a profound truth, one that she has served for her whole life.

ancient American Indian gift basket connotes generosity and mana
“Gift Basket” (basket by unknown Pomo artist ca. 1900 in Portland Art Museum in Oregon) by Alan via Flickr [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0]
……

Header Photo Credit: “Giving of Life and Spirit” (painting by artist Allan Mardon at the Booth Museum of Western Art, Cartersville, Georgia) by JP R via Flickr [CC BY-NC 2.0]

Please note:  If you would like to contribute a poem to this blog, please let me know by leaving a comment below.  I’d be happy to hear from you.

I do ask three things of my guest poets:

  • a poem of your own making that has great meaning and mana for you,
  • the back-story for the poem — what inspired you or how you made it or whatever you want to tell about it, and
  • an image you own that I can use as the featured photo in the header. (The last is optional. I do ask that the image you share is one you own — either an image of yourself or something that relates to the poem.  If you choose not to send an image, then I’ll go find something that works.)

If you click on this thing –> “Guest Poet Portal” you can submit a poem right now.

……

Thanks for your visit.  I’d appreciate it if you would drop a note or comment below and tell me your thoughts.

 

14 thoughts on “OTHER VOICES: Joy Harjo

  1. WOW!  Other Voices by Joy Harjo was very powerful. 

    Indigenous writers are amazing with the history they tell, soft spoken truths in every body of works. Recognizing and honoring this wide diversity of native voices and viewpoints is a masterful contribution to the indigenous community. 

    I plan to locate the “Living Nations, Living Words” project and learn more.

    1. That’s wonderful, Canty.  Thanks for your visit and for sharing your thoughts.  I agree with you and, more, I think it is an enormous gift to the rest of the USA as well.

      Please do come again.

  2. I love this! Very cool. I love poetry and have written probably hundreds of poems/songs etc. myself through the years so I can resonate with this article very well but I was actually surprised to hear that poetry was so big within indigenous tribes.

    This of course is due to my own ignorance and simply not thinking about the possibility but I love this and kudos to all the indigenous poets!

    1. Thanks for your visit and for sharing your thoughts, RSmedley.  I’m glad you enjoyed the post.

      Please do come again….

  3. Kelly Smith says:

    Harjo has a beautiful way of writing. She can encompass faith/spirituality, family, and history is such a powerful way. 

    I had to reread the last bit of her poem that you included in the blog: “I would like to say, with grace, we picked ourselves up and walked into the spring thaw.  We didn’t; the next season was worse….And, Wind, I am still crazy.  I know there is something larger than the memory of a dispossessed people.  We have seen it.” 

    It was such a beautiful, but painful yet even hopeful piece. Thank you so much for introducing her writing to me. It is truly inspiring. 

    1. I am so pleased you enjoyed the post, Kelly.  Thanks for the visit and for sharing your thoughts.

      Please do come again.

  4. Thank you for sharing this insightful and inspiring article about Joy Harjo. Her accomplishments as the first Native American Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the American Library of Congress are truly remarkable. It’s heartening to see her dedication to championing the art of poetry and her efforts to connect people to the earth and the spiritual world through her powerful and inventive lyricism.

    I’m particularly impressed by her work as the chief editor of the first-ever comprehensive collection of poetry by indigenous writers. This anthology not only showcases the diverse voices and viewpoints of indigenous poets but also helps expand our understanding of what it means to be human. It’s a significant contribution that honors the rich poetic tradition of indigenous peoples.

    1. You’re right, Anoth.  Harjo’s work is extraordinary.

      Please do come again.

  5. Thank you for making me aware of the great indigenous Poet Joy Harjo. I love to read poems by great poets, and now that I have discovered Joy Harjo, I would like to delve more into her work. I love her opening in her poem titled An American Sunrise,

    “We were running out of breath, as we ran out to meet ourselves. We
    were surfacing the edge of our ancestors’ fights, and ready to strike.
    It was difficult to lose days in the Indian bar if you were straight.”

    That line right there, I really love it as it makes me visualize the struggles of the American native indigenous Indian. Thanks again for making me aware of Joy Harjo’s works.

    1. Dominic, thanks for the visit and for sharing your thoughts.  I am so very pleased you enjoyed the post.

      Please do come again.

  6. Beautiful article! l love what you wrote. Your website inspires me. The native american angle resonates with me so well. Ive always admired them and their way of life. its awesome to have this out in the world so we can learn more about the beauty of your lifestyle.

    What is your inspiration? Do you have a specific muse?  

    1. Katy, thanks for the visit and for your questions.  Hmmm…lemme think….

      Mostly, it all comes down to my motto:  “Minding Meaning and Mana.”  I have spent a lifetime, it seems, working on that — reframing my mindset to look for ways to enhance the meaningfulness of my own life and to develop a better way of walking through the world that allows me to follow my own heartsong.

      (I tend to believe that Life-Its-Own-Self is on my side and that, mostly, people are good.) 

      My own particular delusion is that I have developed some as a storyteller and deep thinker as a result, and I like sharing what I’ve learned — what works and what doesn’t — with other people.  I do know that I like my life and am comfortable in my own skin and l’ve noticed that people who do the kinds of things I do and who are interested in the kinds of things I like seem to also be quite pleased with their own way of going.

      I’m not sure whether that answers your very good questions, but, for real, it is the only one I’ve got.

      Please do come again.

  7. Parameter says:

    Harjo’s tenacity for greatness, dedication and humility got my attention. I will research further into her works. I like the last line of her poem where she acknowledged picking herself up with grace and walking into the spring thaw. It is a sense of dedication and commitment which does not depend on other factors but commited to actualising her goals.

    1. Parameter, I am so glad you enjoyed the post.

      Please do come again.

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