Native Poetry in Canada by Jeannette Armstrong

Native Poetry in Canada by Jeannette Armstrong

Native Poetry in Canada: A Contemporary Anthologyis the only collection of its kind. It brings together the poetry of many authors whose work has not previously been published in book form alongside that of critically-acclaimed poets, thus offering a record of Native cultural revival as it emerged through poetry from the 1960s to the present. The poets included here adapt English oratory and, above all, a sense of play. Native Poetryin Canada suggests both a history of struggle to be heard and the wealth of Native cultures in Canada today.

“In one of her poems Rita Joe writes, ‘I lost my talk/The talk you took away’ In another, she claims, ‘And I will relate wonders to my people.’ The first statement brings us face-to-face with the attempted destruction of Native People and their rich and varied cultures, including their mother tongues. The second affirms the blessings that poems can bring to a particular people and to others who want to listen. What the poets in this anthology bring to the page is, indeed, a series of wonders. Such a gathering of writers and words, to borrow a phrase from Wayne Keon, makes ‘all the stars/cooperate/and come out shining.’” — Lorna Crozier, University of Victoria, winner of the Governor General’s Award for Poetry

“This collection shows the breadth of contemporary Native poetry, from the resistance literature of the many poems remembering the murdered Helen Betty Osborne to the playful fishing game of Daniel David Moses; it is an excellent anthology.” — Terry Goldie, York University, co-editor of An Anthology of Canadian Native Literature in English

“Armstrong and Grauer have arranged a collection of works of extraordinary breadth in their thematic treatment of cultural, political, and spiritual subjects. Instructors will value the accompanying biographical information, the substantial selections from each poet’s work, and the authors’ prefatory comments, all of which situate this collection as an ideal text for the university classroom.” — Canadian Literature

Jeannette Armstrong is Syilx Okanagan, a fluent speaker and teacher of the Nsyilxcn Okanagan language and a traditional knowledge keeper of the Okanagan Nation. She currently is Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Okanagan Philosophy at UBC Okanagan. She has a Ph.D. in Environmental Ethics and Syilx Indigenous Literatures.