I am a member of the Muskogee people. I'm a poet, a musician, a dreamer of sorts, a questioner. Like everyone else, I'm looking for answers of some sort or the other.
Joy HarjoRead
I don't like this romanticization of Indian people in which Indian people are looked at as spiritual saviors, as people who have always taken care of the land. We're human beings. But I think different cultures have developed different aspects of humanness.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote critiques the oversimplified and romantic view of Indian people as merely spiritual figures, highlighting their complexity as humans.
Joy Harjo emphasizes that the romanticized perception of Indian people should not reduce their identity to mere spiritual saviors or caretakers of the land. Instead, she argues that all cultures possess unique dimensions of human experience, and it is crucial to recognize the multifaceted nature of individual identities and cultures rather than relying on stereotypes or idealized notions.
Themes
Indian PeopleCultureHuman ExperienceIdentityStereotypes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a speech about cultural representation and identity at a cultural festival.
More from Joy Harjo
All quotes →It's important as a writer to do my art well and do it in a way that is powerful and beautiful and meaningful, so that my work regenerates the people, certainly Indian people, and the earth and the sun. And in that way we all continue forever.
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A story matrix connects all of us._x000D_ There are rules, processes, and circles of responsibility in this world. And the story begins exactly where it is supposed to begin. We cannot skip any part.
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You just go where poetry is, whether it's in your heart or your mind or in books or in places where there's live poetry or recordings.
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Bottom line, I have to follow what my soul says, or my spirit. And my spirit said that poetry and the arts should be without borders, should be without political borders.
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Humans are vulnerable and rely on the kindnesses of the earth and the sun; we exist together in a sacred field of meaning.
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