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Lnu and Indians We're Called
With this collection, celebrated poet and Micmac Indian, Rita Joe, expands uponher desire to communicate gently with her own people, and reach out to the wider community of Canadians. On the eve of the 500th Anniversary of Columbus' arrival in the Americas, Rita Joe once again extends her hand to us in friendship, and reminds us of the native culture that was here long before the Europeans. These new poems compel us to listen.
- GenresPoetry
73 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1991
About the author
Rita Joe
11 books21 followersRita Joe was born and spent her childhood on a Mi'kmaq Reserve at Whycocomagh on Cape Breton Island. She lived with foster families after her mother's death when she was just 5 years old. Orphaned when she was 10, Rita Joe left the island at the age of 12 to go to the Shubenacadie Indian Residential School on mainland Nova Scotia. Rita Joe later returned to Cape Breton to live on the Eskasoni First Nations Reserve, where she and her husband raised 10 children, including 2 adopted sons.
Rita Joe recalled being told constantly, at the Residential School, "'You're no good.'" She began writing herself to challenge such negative messages, which she encountered again as an adult, in the books her own children were reading. In the prologue to her memoir, Rita Joe states, "My greatest wish is that there will be more writing from my people, and that our children will read it. I have said again and again that our history would be different if it had been expressed by us."
Rita Joe's first collection of poetry, titled Poems Of Rita Joe, was published in 1978. Song of Eskasoni: More Poems of Rita Joe appeared in 1989, followed by in 1991. Rita Joe's poetry is Lnu and Indians We Re Called included in the 1994 anthology Kelusultiek: Original Women's Voices of Atlantic Canada. Kelusultiek, which takes its title from a poem by Rita Joe and translates as "we speak," also includes the lyrics and music to 2 of her best known songs: "The Drumbeat Is the Heartbeat of the Nation" and "Oka Song." The latter was written in response to the 1990 land dispute and armed standoff at OKA. Poems from Rita Joe's now out-of-print first collection can also be found in We Are the Dreamers: Recent and Early Poetry (1999). Her poems cover a wide range of subjects, from the domestic to the spiritual. Her language is blunt but lyrical, and she captures both the anguish and elation of life. Rita Joe co-edited, with Lesley Choyce, and contributed to The Mi'kmaq Anthology (2003).
Rita Joe is the subject of a 1993 NFB documentary titled 'Song of Eskasoni'. Her memoir, Song of Rita Joe: Autobiography of a Mi'kmaq Poet was published in 1996. She relates both the terrible difficulties and the amazing accomplishments of her life in unassuming but compelling prose. Her autobiography also includes poetry, music, and photographs.
Rita Joe received many accolades and honours. She was a member of both the Order of Canada and the Queen's Privy Council for Canada. She received a National Aboriginal Achievement Award, and was awarded a number of honorary doctorates. Rita Joe is often referred to as the "poet laureate" of the Mi'kmaq
Rita Joe recalled being told constantly, at the Residential School, "'You're no good.'" She began writing herself to challenge such negative messages, which she encountered again as an adult, in the books her own children were reading. In the prologue to her memoir, Rita Joe states, "My greatest wish is that there will be more writing from my people, and that our children will read it. I have said again and again that our history would be different if it had been expressed by us."
Rita Joe's first collection of poetry, titled Poems Of Rita Joe, was published in 1978. Song of Eskasoni: More Poems of Rita Joe appeared in 1989, followed by in 1991. Rita Joe's poetry is Lnu and Indians We Re Called included in the 1994 anthology Kelusultiek: Original Women's Voices of Atlantic Canada. Kelusultiek, which takes its title from a poem by Rita Joe and translates as "we speak," also includes the lyrics and music to 2 of her best known songs: "The Drumbeat Is the Heartbeat of the Nation" and "Oka Song." The latter was written in response to the 1990 land dispute and armed standoff at OKA. Poems from Rita Joe's now out-of-print first collection can also be found in We Are the Dreamers: Recent and Early Poetry (1999). Her poems cover a wide range of subjects, from the domestic to the spiritual. Her language is blunt but lyrical, and she captures both the anguish and elation of life. Rita Joe co-edited, with Lesley Choyce, and contributed to The Mi'kmaq Anthology (2003).
Rita Joe is the subject of a 1993 NFB documentary titled 'Song of Eskasoni'. Her memoir, Song of Rita Joe: Autobiography of a Mi'kmaq Poet was published in 1996. She relates both the terrible difficulties and the amazing accomplishments of her life in unassuming but compelling prose. Her autobiography also includes poetry, music, and photographs.
Rita Joe received many accolades and honours. She was a member of both the Order of Canada and the Queen's Privy Council for Canada. She received a National Aboriginal Achievement Award, and was awarded a number of honorary doctorates. Rita Joe is often referred to as the "poet laureate" of the Mi'kmaq
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 16, 2018
“I
I am the Indian
And the burden lies yet with me
II
I see the spirit
The load on his back, heavy
He is unsure of himself, so very shy
The spring of the year awakens the song
He sings through his life, but
The pattern of history is in the way.
You ask why.
III
I see the spirit
The unloading is done through writing
Aboriginal across the land, tell our side
Tell it as it is, and gain pride
The spring of the year awakens your song,
The one I told.
Assumed fact is not always a true tale
In my role I’m recognized.
(“Analysis of my poem: 1”)
to be honest I'm not sure how to feel about this collection. on the whole — I liked it.
but. the politics of it are strange. it’s strange that, despite writing from one of the most obviously illegitimate parts of Canada (not that places where there are land cession treaties would be more legitimate, just that the Canadian state doesn’t even have a treaty to hide behind to claim to sovereignty over Nova Scotia), Joe still consistently writes in the spirit of the Peace and Friendship Treaties: teaching, extending goodwill, learning to live in harmony. “Oka” is explicitly saying “I feel you but also Not All Settlers! we have to let the well-meaning majority, slowly, painfully, do the right thing”, which feels really politically weird.
so...I liked it overall, but also you can see why after her somewhat more polemic early poems Joe went on to become a poet beloved by Canadians across the country, and I don’t necessarily mean that as a good thing. I understand where she’s coming from, and I don’t think she’s wrong, necessarily, about the value of educating settlers — but it seems like that’s where she stops, and that doesn’t feel like it’s quite enough, you know?
I am the Indian
And the burden lies yet with me
II
I see the spirit
The load on his back, heavy
He is unsure of himself, so very shy
The spring of the year awakens the song
He sings through his life, but
The pattern of history is in the way.
You ask why.
III
I see the spirit
The unloading is done through writing
Aboriginal across the land, tell our side
Tell it as it is, and gain pride
The spring of the year awakens your song,
The one I told.
Assumed fact is not always a true tale
In my role I’m recognized.
(“Analysis of my poem: 1”)
to be honest I'm not sure how to feel about this collection. on the whole — I liked it.
but. the politics of it are strange. it’s strange that, despite writing from one of the most obviously illegitimate parts of Canada (not that places where there are land cession treaties would be more legitimate, just that the Canadian state doesn’t even have a treaty to hide behind to claim to sovereignty over Nova Scotia), Joe still consistently writes in the spirit of the Peace and Friendship Treaties: teaching, extending goodwill, learning to live in harmony. “Oka” is explicitly saying “I feel you but also Not All Settlers! we have to let the well-meaning majority, slowly, painfully, do the right thing”, which feels really politically weird.
so...I liked it overall, but also you can see why after her somewhat more polemic early poems Joe went on to become a poet beloved by Canadians across the country, and I don’t necessarily mean that as a good thing. I understand where she’s coming from, and I don’t think she’s wrong, necessarily, about the value of educating settlers — but it seems like that’s where she stops, and that doesn’t feel like it’s quite enough, you know?
April 4, 2018
enjoyed these poems - the range of subjects, times and tones.
Read
April 26, 2012With this collection, celebrated poet and Micmac Indian, Rita Joe, expands uponher desire to communicate gently with her own people, and reach out to the wider community of Canadians. On the eve of the 500th Anniversary of Columbus' arrival in the Americas, Rita Joe once again extends her hand to us in friendship, and reminds us of the native culture that was here long before the Europeans. These new poems compel us to listen.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews