“I write from a continuous space of erasure. Poetry was the one way that I was able to hold onto…my history, geography, and language.” — Craig Santos Perez, contributor In this groundbreaking anthology of Indigenous poetry and prose, Native poems, stories, and essays are informed with a knowledge of both what has been lost and what is being restored. It offers a diverse collection of stories told by Indigenous writers about themselves, their histories, and their present. It is a celebration of culture and the possibilities of language. Featuring forty-four poets, including Ishmael Hope, Bojan Louis, Ruby Murray, Simon Ortiz, Leslie Marmon Silko, Luci Tapahonso, Joy Harjo, dg okpik, Sherwin Bitsui, Heid E. Erdrich, Layli Long Soldier, and Orlando White. Original influence essays by Diane Glancy on Lorca, Chrystos on Audre Lorde, Louise Erdrich on Elizabeth Bishop, LeAnne Howe on W. D. Snodgrass, Allison Hedge Coke on Delmore Schwartz, Suzanne Rancourt on Ai, and M. L. Smoker on Richard Hugo, among others. And, a selection of resonant work chosen from previous generations of Native artists. “There really is no better anthology out there that collects indigenous poets publishing from 1960 to the present.” — Dean Rader, co-editor

Table of Contents:
Contents Preface xx Introduction xxiv Carter Revard 3 OSAGE, PONCA, IRISH, AND SCOTCH-IRISH Poems: Indians Demand Equal Time with God People from the Stars Driving in Oklahoma Statement on Energy Policy Essay: "Herbs of Healing: American Values in American Indian Literature" Simon I. Ortiz 30 ACOMA PUEBLO Poems: Culture and the Universe Survival This Way A Story of How a Wall Stands Our Eagerness Blooms Essay: from "Song/Poetry, and Language: Expression and Perception" Diane Glancy 41 CHEROKEE Poems: The Bat House Without Title Buffalo Medicine He Dressed Me for the Pretend Cold Until the times of restitution - Acts 3:21 Essav and influence poem: Federico Garcia Lorca's "From Here" Ernestine Hayes 48 TLINGIT Poems: Shapeshifters Land otter people The Spoken Forest Influence poem: With Elegant Craft: Nora Marks Dauenhauer's "How to Make Good Baked Salmon from the River" Adrian C. Louis 57 LOVELOCK PAIUTE Poems: In Lieu of a Communion Wafer Prairie Madness Skinology The Hermit's Diary Magpie in Margaritaville Essay: Of Craft, Cub Scouts, Mayonnaise, and UFOs Chrystos 67 MENOMINEE Poems: Sky Falls Away Beauti Full Soft Black Tongues She Had to Go Palestinians & Indians Feel I Still Have the Bullet The Earth Where I Live Essay: War Piece Craft Influencing poem: Audre Lorde's "A Litany for Survival" Linda Hogan 79 CHICKASAW Poems: Bones at the River Creation The Fingers, Writing About Myself Lost in the Milky Way What I Keep Essay and influencing poems: Poetry Is My First Language: Layli Long Soldier's "Whereas" and Craig Santos Perez's "understory Leslie Marmon Silko 91 LAGUNO PUEBLO Poems: Poem for Myself and Mei: Concerning Abortion Love Poem The Storyteller's Escape When Sun Came to Riverwoman Essay: from Language and Literature from a Pueblo Indian Perspective Influencing poem: Excerpt from a letter to James Wright, September 12, 1979, and James Wright's poem "Wherever Home Is" Janice Gould 110 KOYANgK'AUWIMAIDU Poems: Indian Mascot, 1959 The Day of the Dead Kim A Poem Poor in Spirit Essay: Influences Influencing poem: Gary Snyder's "Riprap" Ray A. Young Bear 119 MESKWAKI Poems: To See as Far as the Grandfather World Our Bird Aegis John Whirlwind's Doublebeat Songs, 1956 Four Hinterland Abstractions Essay: "The Summer of 1969: Children of Speakthunder" Influence poem: James Welch's "In My Lifetime" Joy Harjo 136 MVSKOKE Poems: The Woman Hanging From the Thirteenth Floor Window A Postcolonial Tale Eagle Poem Essay: from "One Song LeAnne Howe 149 CHOCTAW Poems: Gatorland Noble Savage Learns to Tweet The Rope Speaks Now I Lay Me Down Apocrypha Essay: Inner Conflicts Influence poem: W. D. Snodgrass's "Eva Braun" Luci Tapahonso 170 DINÉ Poems: Blue Horses Rush In The Motion of Songs Rising It Has Always Been This Way Daané é Diné Essay: From the Preface to Sáanii Dahataal: The Women Are Singing Ruby Hansen Murray 179 OSAGE Poems: The Dark Mother Nch'i-Wana Rest Assured Food Fight at Hanford, No Laughing Matter The Little Osage Captive, Elias Cornelius, 1824 Essay: Giving Voice to Place: Where You See Yourself Influencing poem: Carter Revard's "Wazhazhe Grandmother' Louise Erdrich 188 TURTLE MOUNTAIN OJIBWE Poems: Dear John Wayne Indian Boarding School: The Runaways Captivity Windigo Rez Litany Essay: Out of the Black Night Influencing Poem: Elizabeth Bishop's "One Art" Gordon Henry Jr. 200 WHITE EARTH OJIBWE Poems: When Names Escaped Us November Becomes the Sky with Suppers for the Dead Jazz Tune for a Hiawatha Woman Essay: Let us be painting painting painter singing singing singer: On the verve of verbs Kimberly Blaeser 208 ANISHINAABE Poems: Captivity Apprenticed to Justice Goodbye to All That Fantasies of Women Of Fractals and Pink Flowering Essay: "Air is Between These Words, Fanning the Flame": Poetry and Literary Inheritance Influence boem: Linda Hogan's "Workday" C. R. Resetarits 226 CHEROKEE-CREEK Poems: Elegy Arroyo Hovenweep Essay: Lost Tribes, Rain C. Goméz, and the Shadow Arts Influence poem: Rain C Goméz's "Mapping Shadow" Allison Adelle Hedge Coke 234 HURON, METIS, LUSO, FRENCH CANADIAN, AND MIXED SOUTHEASTERN NATIVE Poems: America, I Sing You Back Taxonomy Radio Wave Mama Streaming Essay: Beyond the Ballads Influence poem: Delmore Schwartz's "The Heavy Bear that Goes With Me" Elise Paschen 259 OSAGE Poems: Oklahoma Home Under the Dome WI'-gi-e My Mother Descends Parents at Rest Essay: Straddling Two Worlds Influence poem: Joy Harjo's "She Had Some Horses" Suzanne S. Rancourt 270 ABENAKI (BEAR CLAN) / HURON Poems: Fabric Maccha The Smell of Blood Essay: So Glad You Asked Influence poem: Ai's "Warrior" Deborah A. Miranda 280 OHLONE-COSTANOAN ESSELEN / CHUMASH Poems: Juliana, 1803 Indian Cartography Novena to Bad Indians Erasurepoem Tears of the Sun Essay: Looking for Ourselves in the Poetry of Others Influence poem: Wendy Rose's' "Excavation at Santa Barbara Mission" Heid E. Erdrich 298 TURTLE MOUNTAIN ONBWE Poems: Little Souvenirs from the DNA Trading Post National Monuments Kennewick Man Tells All Guidelines for the Treatment of Sacred Objects Pre-Occupied Essay: Real to Me Influencing poem: Kimberly Blaeser's "Rewriting Your Life" Celia Bland 31I CHEROKEE Poems: Car Crash Cherokee Hogscape Lost Highway Essay: Car Crashes, Shootings, and Ghosts Influence poem: Natalie Díaz's "When My Brother Was an Aztec" Margaret Noodin 319 ANISHINAABE Poems: Daanisag/ Daughters Nayendamowin Mitigwaaking / Woodland Liberty Apenimonodan / Trust Essay: Like Sedimentary Stone Influence poem: lane Joinston Schoolcrafis "On Leaving My Children John and Jane,intie Atlantic States, and preparing to return to the interior" Chip Livingston 327 MVSKOKE Poems: Stadium Mocs Punta Del Este Pantoum 52 Hawks Essay: The Influence of Repetition in Chrystos's "Crazy Grandpa Whispers" Esther G. Belin 335 DINÉ Poems: This Is What I Mean ______Child(ren) Left Behind Public Record 1831 Ruby in Me #1 Blues-ing on the Brown Vibe Essay: Poem Making as Making Space Influence poem: Luci Tapahonso's "That American Flag" dg nanouk okpik 349 INUPIAQ-INUIT Poems: Frightening Acid Flakes Haibun Fossil Fuel Embers Haibun Glacial Oil World Man and the Little People Influence poem: Arthur Sze's "The Owl: Thoughts on Word Choice Sammie Bordeaux-Seeger 355 SICANGU LAKOTA Poems: Blue Water No Water November 1900 Essay: Finding Resonance in Roberta Hill's "Star Quilt" Influence poem: Roberta Hill's "Star Quilt" Molly McGlennen 363 ANISHINAABE Poems: Three Poems for Ellia Living the Language Legend Essay: Preface to Fried Fish and Flour Biscuits M. L. Smoker 369 ASSINIBOINE-SIOUx Poems: The Feed Another Attempt at a Rescue Letter to Richard Hugo Mercy Essay: Hugo Influence poem: Richard Hugo's "Degrees of Gray in Philipsburg” Sherwin Bitsui 378 DINÉ Poems: Atlas Apparition Drought Stepping through the drum's vibration Essay: from "The Motion of Poetic Landscape: An Interview with Sherwin Bitsui" by Bianca Viñas Cedar Sigo 388 SUQUAMISH Poems: First Love The Material Field The Studio Essay: Return to Grafitti Land Influence poem: John Trudell's "Rant and Roll" Julian Talamantez Brolaski 397 MESCALERO AND LIPAN APACHE, LATIN@, EUROPEAN Poems: as the owl augurs in the cut I had already shuttered an aspect of my vision Jennifer Elise Forster 403 MVSKOKE Poems: From Coosa Atlas Leaving Tulsa Essay: The Spiral: Circling Closer Influence poem: Joy Harjo's "Speaking Tree" Laura Da’ 416 EASTERN SHAWNEE Poems: Perspective Eve Turned Crow Leviathan Essay and Influence poem: On lames Thomas Stevens's "Tokinish" Bojan Louis 426 DINÉ Poems: The Nature of Mortal Illness If Nothing, the Land Breach Essay: "Between the Abyss and Here, Beauty" Influence poem: Lynda Hull's "Studies from Life" Craig Santos Perez 439 CHAMORU Poems: Interwoven Ode (Ending wich a Confession) to the First Mango I Ate on Guam after Decades Away The Pacific Written Tradition Essay and Influence poem: On Writing from the New Oceania and Cecilia Catherine Taitano Perez's "As I Turn the Pages" Ishmael Angaluuk Hope 456 TLINGIT, IÑUPIAQ Poems: Canoe Launching into the Gaslit Sea from Love Letter to the Future: A Book of the Land in Four Acts Essay and Influence text: "A Story of Turtle Island" told by Sequoyah Guess Michaelsun Stonesweat Knapp 469 OHLONE (COSTANOAN-RUMSEN CARMEL BAND) Poems: Manwreck At What Number Are Numbers No Good? Essay and Influence texts: On "At What Number Are Numbers No Good?" and Tecumseh's Speech to the Osages Michael Wasson 477 NIMÍIPUU Poems: Aposiopesis [Or, the Field Between the Living & the Dead] I Say After-Rain, You Say Hahalxpáawisa Self-Portrait as 1879-1934 This Dusk in a Mouth Full of Prayer Self-Portrait as Article I [r]. [Treaty With Nez Percés, 1855): Cession of Lands to the United States Essay and Influence poem: I Am To Carry This History, This Body: Eduardo C. Corral's "Our Comple-tion: Oil on Wood: Tino Rodriguez: 1999 Benjamin Naka-Hasebe Kingsley 494 ONONDAGA Poems: American Rust just another horse poem Run: 2nd Street Harrisburg PA Summertime 17 Essay: Our Work Is Never Over Influence poem: Gail Tremblay's "Indian Singing in 20th Century America" Orlando White 501 DINÉ OF THE NAANEESHT'ÉZHI TÁBAAHÍ AND BORN FOR THE NAAKAI DINÉ'E Poems: Analogy Sentence Writ Unwritten Whit Essay: from Interview with Orlando White, by Veronica Golos Layli Long Soldier 509 OGLALA LAKOTA Poems: 38 Excerpts from "Whereas Statements" Essay: from "Layli Long Soldier: interviewed by Kaveh Akbar" Permissions 522 Acknowledgments 526