Poet of the Month January 2009 - Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm
This is the last of a two year series of Poet of the Month Profiles, originated by Liz Zetlin, Owen Sound’s inaugural Poet Laureate, thanks to the support of the Sun Times and the Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library. The profiles also appear on the Library’s website and the Sun Times online Grey-Bruce Poetry Project under the Arts/Life menu. And finally, a round of applause for the Sun Times, the Library and poet laureate business sponsors John A. Tamming and Frank Dabbs, for their support of poetry in the community.
Introduction
by Liz Zetlin
Kateri embodies all the qualities of a poet that I admire – first, of course, the powerful, singing poetry. Then, nuturer and promoter of others’ work, as owner/managing editor of Kegedone Press. And finally, as arts advocate, taking a stand for Indigenous artists, locally and globally. When we were programming the first Words Aloud Festival, we chose Kateria as one of our feature poets. That’s because on the stage she is mezmerizing and inspiring. I also find her belief that poetry is “in my blood,” states an elemental truth about the human condition. Poetry is part of our DNA. So, to support Kateri’s fine work, let’s go shopping at Kegedonce Press (http://www.kegedonce.com). Or request her books at your local bookstore (try the Downtown Bookstore and Ginger Press, for starters).
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photo courtesy Allen DeLeary |
Kateri was featured on the premiere season of the series Heart of a Poet which aired on Bravo!, The Learning Channel and BookTV. She was also featured in the documentary “Words from the Edge” which was filmed on tour in Italy by a film crew from Spain. She has performed across Canada, Italy, Aotearoa/New Zealand, the USA, Australia and has been invited to tour India in February.
Kateri has released a collection of poetry, my heart is a stray bullet, a chapbook, bloodriver woman, and two acclaimed poetry and music cds, standing ground, and A Constellation of Bones which was done in collaboration with Maori hip hop artist and producer Te Kupu. A Constellation of Bones was nominated for a 2008 Canadian Aboriginal Music Award.
Kateri has edited two groundbreaking anthologies Without Reservation: Indigenous Erotica and the award winning skins: contemporary Indigenous writing, as well as a special issue of Rampike magazine featuring the work of Indigenous writers and artists. Kateri is currently completing work on a manuscript of short fiction.
She will be touring India for 3 - 4 weeks in February 2009 as a Visiting Lecturer, doing lectures, readings, and performances. She is also the librettist for a classical choral music composition titled “birdsongs” by composer Timothy Sullivan. Their first collaboration “Between Earth and Sky” was commissioned by The Belle Arte Singers and premiered in Toronto on October 18, 2003. On February 8, “birdsongs” will premiere in Toronto by the Penthelia Singers.
Links:
www.myspace.com/kateriakiwenziedammthenswp
www.nativewiki.org/Kateri_Akiwenzie-Damm
www.aboriginalaffairs.gov.on.ca/english/youth/famous/famous.asp
What drove you to poetry, or poetry to you?
I honestly believe it is in my blood. My grandmother Irene Akiwenzie was a descendant
of the Kegedonce line. Kegedonce is an Anishnaabe word for orator. Not surprisingly,
she was a wonderful storyteller, public speaker and writer. In fact, my grandmother
wrote a column for the Wiarton Echo and was a regular contributor to the Sun Times
for years.
I grew up listening to her stories and watching her write her newspaper columns.
It was a weekly ritual. She would sit at her desk in front of the bay window in
my grandparents’ house at Sydney Bay, and us kids would be expected to tiptoe
around her or play outside. We all had a great respect for her writing and storytelling.
My grandparents’ house was also filled with books. My grandmother loved to read
and for as long as I can remember I was a voracious reader too.
Although I didn’t realize it at the time, I know that my grandmother’s love of
words and the family’s respect for her work had a tremendous impact on me. I was
also greatly influenced by my grandfather Joe Akiwenzie’s quiet strength. He was
great fun, very gentle and a man of few words but when he spoke, his words had
power. When he spoke, we listened. He was also very playful and would make up
nicknames and little songs for us. I learned a lot from him.
My Polish grandmother Anna Damm, on the other hand, was very talkative and animated.
She loved to tell stories and jokes and as someone who spoke English as a second
language, she had an interesting way of expressing herself. I learned a lot about
language and the power of words from my grandparents.
As for poetry specifically, for me it completely makes sense that as an Anishnaabe
woman I would be drawn to poetry. It is such a simple, yet profound form of expression
that I find very much part of a continuum with the songs and stories and invocations
that are part of our traditions.
Where does your inspiration come from?
Simply, my homeland, family, community, and culture. As I say in my poem “standing
ground,” like fossils in stone/ancestors in me. My travels into other Indigenous nations have also been hugely inspiring and
affirming. I find inspiration in love and in the world around me.
What's your writing process?
I don’t have one. Sometimes I write directly onto the computer, sometimes in
a journal, sometimes on scraps of paper. Some of my writer friends have set times
and specific rituals and habits right down to the exact brand of pencil they use
and so on. I am not that disciplined and don’t have the lifestyle or temperament
for many routines in my life. I’ll use a pen, pencil, crayon, marker, or whatever
is handy. I’ve written on planes, trains, beaches, in bed, sitting on Jones Bluff,
laying on the boardwalk at the Cape Croker Park, in waiting rooms, boardrooms.
I’ll write whenever and wherever the inspiration strikes or I have the time or
opportunity.
What are you working on now?
A few things. I’m always working on several projects. I’m finishing a collection
of short stories, doing research for a libretto, working on a 3 minute short film,
writing various poems, some song lyrics….
What books of poetry are you reading now?
Manuscripts submitted to my publishing company mostly. Love Medicine and One Song by Metis poet Gregory Scofield is my all time favourite book of poetry so I
constantly read and re-read it. My publishing company, Kegedonce Press will be
releasing a new edition of this canonical collection this year so I’ve been reading
it a lot lately. I’ve also been re-reading poems from The Recklessness of Love by Anishnaabe poet Al Hunter.
What poets do you read over and over?
Gregory Scofield, Al Hunter, Joanne Arnott, Marilyn Dumont, Pablo Neruda, Robert
Sullivan, Hone Tuwhare, and others. Gregory is my favourite poet.
What's your favorite quote about poetry?
It’s not really a quote per se but when I was in my early teens and we were living
on a farm outside of Shallow Lake, my younger brother Sam came running into the
house saying, quite proudly, “I know what poetry is!”
In that snarky 13 year old girl way I said, “Yeah, right. What is it?”
He smiled and said loudly, “A WHOLE BUNCH OF CHICKENS!”
These days he likes to say that while I may do “spoken word poetry” he does “unspoken
word poetry.” I like to tell him that I wish he’d do it more often.
What's your advice to people who want to read poetry but aren't sure where to
begin?
Go to readings by well known poets. A lot of poetry is better heard than read
– especially if the poet is a good reader or performer. Buy the books of people
whose work you enjoy.
If this isn’t possible, go to your local library or bookstore and check out whatever’s
there. Keep in mind that poetry goes far beyond what you may have read in school.
Shakespeare’s sonnets may not be for you but you may love rap poetry, sound poetry,
nature poetry, or poetry by First Nations writers.
How has poetry changed you?
Poetry hasn’t so much changed me as influenced how I’ve developed. I was terribly
shy and it allowed me a voice to express myself and at times, forced me to face
certain fears and topics that I was uncomfortable discussing. For me, writing
poetry can be a spiritual experience. It connects me to the world around me and
to the spiritual realm in a way that nothing else does. There’s something about
the creative process of writing poetry that is significantly different from other
forms of writing.
How do you share poetry with your community? Why is that important to you?
I publish, do readings and performances, have written and performed for radio,
TV and film, record and release poetry cds, organize and host events. Sharing
poetry is essential. If my poetry isn’t shared, it can’t have impact, it can’t
inspire, it can’t stimulate change, it can’t create beauty and for me, those are
important aspects of what I’m trying to do with my life. I also try to share the
poetry of other people. I believe poetry gains meaning and strength when it’s
shared. What I do, I almost always do for the benefit of my community as well.
I strongly believe in giving back and sharing.
Poems
Tell us about your poems. How did they come into being?
The first poem I’ve included is from my book, my heart is a stray bullet. It was written during the “Oka Crisis” and in response to that conflict and
my understanding of the impact of colonization on First Nations peoples.
stray bullets
(oka re/vision)
my touch is a history book
full of lies and half-forgotten truths
written by others
who hold the pens
and power
my heart is a stray bullet
ricocheting in an empty room
my head was sold
for the first shiny trinket
offered
my beliefs were bought cheap
like magic potions at a travelling road show
with promises
everyone wants to believe
but only a fool invests in
my name was stolen
by bandits in black robes
my world was taken
for a putting green
The poem “partridge song” came to me fully formed one day when my dog Otis and
I were on a walk on the Park Road at the rez. It inspired me to write a series
called “birdsongs” which is currently being set to music by Toronto-based composer
Timothy Sullivan. This choral music piece will premiere in Toronto on February
8 performed by the Penthelia Singers choir.
partridge song
come to me
my love
i am calling
hear my song
sweet one
i am drumming
in the reeds
dear one
i am waiting
come to me
my love
i am calling
“Across the Universe” was written for the multi-arts piece “A Constellation of
Bones” which was created in collaboration with two of my friends, Santee Smith
a Mohawk choreographer and dancer from Six Nations, Ontario, and Te Kupu, a Maori
rapper and composer from Aotearoa. It makes reference to various elements of Anishnaabe
and Maori cultures. On the CD A Constellation of Bones it is performed as a dialogue, although I often read or perform it as a solo
piece as well.
Across the Universe
that was the night we stretched ourselves
under a canopy of Northern Lights
you pressed your bones into mine
and we were starfish
outlined in the sand
how were we to know
only one of us would be pulled to sea
while the other stood watching
drops of moon falling down your face
as the waves shimmered
rolling constellations like stories rising and waning
you disappeared behind clouds
I stomped my heels into a graveyard of stars
scattered at my feet
my bones ache for you
was it misheu-pisheu who tore you from me
they say he feeds on the unwary
drawing them into that underworld
where I dream you are imprisoned
goddam you
have you walked on the dark side of the moon
for long enough now
wasting yourself on the stinking sidewalks
where no birds sing
and there are only the distorted shadows of crystal rock dust
carving you to your core
until even the marrow is sucked dry
you who were conceived under the Spirit Moon
a harvest pushed from your mother’s womb
with Matariki setting diamonds on your brow
placing you inside the arms of Te-Ika-Matua-o-te-Rangi
a cluster of nebulae worn round your neck
now you rise skyward getting high
cloaked in broken feathers
marking blame on the skin of this world
like tattoos only you can see
a ceremony of severance
pulling you further from my embrace
while here I stand
arms pulling towards the sand
shifting at my feet
all of the words
pulled from my throat
as if Maui’s fish hook was searching
for another island home
built of ‘I’m sorrys’ and ‘I meant to says’ and
‘Please baby, please come back’
I am drumming for you
on my small red drum
As if torn from my axis
While the planets spin
And another star collapses
