The Ms. Q&A with Poet Laureate JoyHarjo
When Joy Harjo was in the first grade, she drew a ghost green. Her color choice challenged the collective memory and caused a classroom uproar. That marked one moment in which she learned about the power of imagery—and began her life-long journey of using art to re-examine the truths we cling to about history and ourselves.
And the root story, of course, is Indigenous peoples. We’re not just a Native American or a Native person. We’re over 500 different tribal groups. Each tribal nation has its own story. So often Indigenous people have been left out of this story. And Indigenous women have been left out. So right away, the position shifts that for a moment.
Also, each person has so many bodies. We carry generations. It’s even proven scientifically about how a woman is carrying her mother, and grandmothers, and then can carries grandchildren. It’s complicated, yet so simple. For me, writing poetry is a way to transform. It’s been a way to transform fear into something useful, to transform anger into something that might help us move forward together. That’s what poetry has been for me, and a lot of people worldwide.When I was about 14, I was forbidden to sing in the house by my stepfather. Around that time, I had taken a couple years of clarinet at school. I wanted to play saxophone, but the band teacher wouldn’t let the girls play saxophone.
Well, I think it’s central to anything we do. We are the Earth, you know, we are absolutely the Earth. We’re in the midst of a claim that climactic change, I think it’s undeniable; we all have to work together, because we are together. We can either work together to change our relationship with the Earth, or we’re all going down together. It’s that simple.
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