Driskill vs Harjo

Driskill and Harjo use similar themes in their books/collections of poetry. However, I feel that Driskill has made more of an influence on me. When I read his poetry, I really took my time trying to undercover every little theme/topic/hidden subtleties. Every poem was unique and had all kinds of different references to land, sovereignty, death, sex, environment, play on words, imagery, etc. Don’t get it twisted, Harjo is a good poet also, but I didn’t have the same moving experience. Harjo has a huge collection of poems that range over a variety of Native themes. Each section even has a subtitle to kind of hint about what theme she will be using in each set. She did write about a few different topics like songs, dances, and writes some poetry in the form of stories or tales. Although, this is unique style of writing for me, overall, after reading Driskill’s poetry, I was disappointed.

Walking With Ghosts

I loved loved loved the book of poems, Walking With Ghosts, by Qwo-Li Driskill. I felt like the writing was done without a censor. There were some controversial poems, poems that made me cringe, poems that made me sad. It was one of the most interesting book of poems I have ever been forced to read. There were dedications to friends that the author knows which were extremely moving especially the one to Marsha P. (Pay It No Mind) Johnson. Another poem I really liked was Song of Removal. I felt the differences in dualisms being presented and I love the idea of dualisms, especially if they are being presented in a radical way such as what I would like to call a slam poem. In that regard I think, most of Driskill’s poems could be considered slam poetry. The poems represent struggle, ancestry, queer, and contemporary issues. I highly recommend taking a half hour out of your day and reading this book short book of poems. It will open your mind.

A form of biological warfare.

I’ve never thought much about feminism. I was kind of ignorant and believed that most women, of all races, just bound together to “fight the man”. After recent readings, that naïve idea of mine has been completely reversed. In particular, indigenous feminism is based around many ideas that I believe are more affective towards indigenous females. For example, there was a piece written by Winona LaDuke. It was extremely moving and based around the effects of colonization; it was not pleasant. At one point in time, colonization affected the Mohawk women b/c they are the ones to reproduce and keep the Native American culture thriving. But they weren’t able to do that b/c of the amount of toxins they were feeding their babies through breast milk. Where did these toxins come from? The food and air the Mohawk Indians were surrounded by. Which is perfect for the idea of colonization because they want to completely wipe out the population. In a way, this reminds of a biological warfare. Which is just as harmful as a nuclear war, but in a more deceitful manner.

Sweat Lodges

A sweat lodge, which is also called by many other names, is a ceremonial sauna used by many Native American tribes. Depending on the tribe, the lodges come in many different shapes and sizes. Stones are heated and usually put into the middle of the structure to create a sauna. Although, it’s not known completely what happens in a sweat lodge, it is believed to be used for prayers, ceremonies, and offerings to spirits. I found some really cool videos on youtube that show different structures and unique differences.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAtqf_VJcHE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvHmBGVC3LQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXU7eoh6-U8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zpOMDAHrGg&feature=related

This last one has different sweat lodges used around the world. I like this video because it shows the variety between cultures everywhere.

The Porcupine House [Review] by Louise Erdrich

The Porcupine Year is a historical fiction text and the third novel Louise Erdrich has produced through The Birchbark House Series. Readers, who have never read the first two books or aren’t familiar with the series, do not have to worry about getting caught up. However, if readers have read the first two books, Erdich picks up right where she left off, without a single hitch in her story. Omakayas and her family have led an adventurous life which is constantly being uprooted and disheveled by the white settlers. The Porcupine Year does not disappoint and keeps the series alive, giving Omakayas an ending worthy of any woman.

Right from the beginning, Omakayas and Pinch travel into danger. Thankfully, the Gods have spared their lives, and Pinch receives a medicine animal, a porcupine. From the first chapter on, Pinch is now named Quill because of his medicine animal. Omakayas and Quill reunite with their family and together they begin traveling north towards Aunt Muskrat’s camp because of the white expansion slowly suffocating in around them. Deydey (Omakayas’ father) knew the journey was going to be rough, but the events hindering their progress are numerous. The family encounters another tribe, a short adoption of two orphaned children, a fiery escape, and traitor whose wild actions result in the death of a truly beloved character. Throughout all the circumstances thrown at Omakayas’ family, they remain strong and motivated. Rather than continue writing Omakayas’ life in seasons, The Porcupine House, concentrates on winter. Within all the chapters, Erdrich uses subtitles to grab attention to important events. Erdrich has an Author’s note at the end, which supplies information on the Ojibwe language and it’s dialects. A glossary also offers pronunciations and definitions of Ojibwe terms. The book also illustrates the book with black and white pictures throughout.

The Sacred Hoop Review/Summary/Critique

The Sacred Hoop, by Paula Gunn Allen, is a very intense and insightful read. Thinking back on my reading, a couple of key words come to mind: feminist, feminine spirituality, folklore/mythology, religious spirituality, historical, and of course Native Americans (mostly Laguna Pueblo, which is part of the tribe Paula Gunn Allen asserts herself with). In writing her novel, she explores topics and historical information that is not widely known and develops ideas that most people may only conceive but never fully communicate in such a form as mass media.
Paula Gunn Allen uses her Laguna Pueblo heritage, information her mother has taught her and the information she has learned through her schooling to create a gynocentric, contemporary novel full of issues. She also uses other contemporary authors and poets to add more substance. She uses authors like, Silko, Momaday, Wendy Rose, Welch, and Morning Dove. By using some of these authors/poets works in her own, it gives her more credibility and solid resources to back up her opinion and findings.

What I really liked about the book, was the fact that Allen used a multitude of resources and a variety of topics to keep every chapter interesting. She is easier to read than other writers and makes sure explains all her ideas/concepts so no topic may become over someone’s head. She gives plenty of examples and many details on every chapter.

My only critique, I feel the book may be a little to feminist for me. I’m all for women’s rights and equality among the sexes, but I’m not about to go out and join a rally or riot in front of the White House. Also, I know I’m not tribal and therefore I cannot fully understand where she is coming from exactly but sometimes I feel like there is an underlying attack to the white race for reducing the Native American culture into a very ethnocentric world. I believe that whole issue is way more complex and is given only the perception of Allen, who is Laguna Pueblo.

Feminism, but in a good way.

Usually I’m not into that whole feminism scene. By that I mean, I support basic women’s rights like believing that every women should receive equal pay to men, but I don’t go overboard by trying to take the word man out of words. When reading Sacred Hoop, I was very astonished to see that women were once the majority leaders in the tribes. They held high positions and were allowed to cast votes. This all happened until Columbus settled in and his followers of Christianity broke the tradition. Now that I reflect on the discussion from Monday and readings from the book, women are always seen as the givers of life and always given the duties to take care of what they produce. I never knew their culture transformed into what society is today. Although there are some unconventional families and people in society, I just thought it was really cool when women were allowed to hold higher positions of authority than men.