U.S. poet laureate Joy Harjo on opening a 'doorway of hope' for indigenous artists

Summary

Joy Harjo, the first Native American to serve as the U.S. Poet Laureate, brings a unique blend of heritage, history, and artistry to her role. In a captivating discussion with Jeffrey Brown, Harjo reflects on her journey from a childhood in Oklahoma to becoming a celebrated poet and musician. Through her work, she opens pathways for indigenous artists and highlights the interconnected themes of identity, history, and resilience. Her story is a powerful reminder of the enduring spirit of Native American culture and the transformative power of poetry.

Highlights

• Joy Harjo is breaking barriers as the first Native American U.S. Poet Laureate, appointed by the Library of Congress. 👏
• Harjo's unique blend of poetry and music reflects her Muscogee Creek heritage and personal journey of discovery and resilience. 🎷
• She uses her platform to highlight the interconnectedness of personal, native, and national histories. 🌎
• Harjo's work is deeply rooted in her experiences and the wider history of Native American displacement and cultural survival. 🌪️
• Her poetry is described as a medium to time-travel, making historical connections and seeking understanding and healing. ✨

Key Takeaways

• Joy Harjo is the first Native American U.S. Poet Laureate, representing a significant milestone for indigenous representation in the arts. 🌟
• Harjo's work emphasizes the themes of identity, history, and resilience, often drawing from her own Muscogee Creek heritage. 🌳
• Her poetry and music serve as a 'doorway of hope' for indigenous artists, offering a platform for underrepresented voices. 🎶
• Through her storytelling, Harjo connects historical injustices like the Trail of Tears to contemporary issues, creating a continuum of awareness and reflection. 🌿
• Joy Harjo believes in the power of poetry as a form of resistance and healing, allowing people to time-travel and connect across histories. 📜

Overview

Joy Harjo makes history as the first Native American U.S. Poet Laureate, a position she holds with honor and a deep sense of responsibility. Her work as a poet, musician, and educator highlights the rich tapestry of Native American history and culture, offering new perspectives and understanding through art. Harjo’s unique journey, from her roots in Oklahoma to the national stage, exemplifies the power of storytelling and cultural expression.

In conversation with Jeffrey Brown, Harjo discusses the inspirations behind her art — a blend of personal narrative, cultural history, and poetic imagination. Her memoir, 'Crazy Brave,' and her poetry collection, 'American Sunrise,' explore life experiences and ancestral history, emphasizing resilience amid hardships. Harjo's contributions to literature and music underscore the vital role of indigenous perspectives in the broader cultural dialogue.

Harjo's role as poet laureate is not only a personal achievement but also a beacon of hope for indigenous artists across America. Her work sheds light on the ongoing struggles and triumphs of Native communities, encouraging people of all backgrounds to engage with and reflect on these narratives. By bridging past and present, Harjo’s artistry offers healing and hope, demonstrating the enduring power of poetry to transform lives.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Joy Harjo The chapter introduces Joy Harjo, the first Native American poet laureate of the United States, highlighting her role and upcoming inaugural reading at the Library of Congress. Harjo, of the Muscogee Creek Nation, has a rich background rooted in Oklahoma. The chapter includes an interaction between Jeffrey Brown and Harjo, part of the ongoing Canvas series on arts and culture, set in a vibrant scene at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Joy Harjo's Dual Identity The chapter explores the dual identity of Joy Harjo, who is both a poet and a musician. As the new U.S. Poet Laureate, Harjo, a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation, brings her cultural heritage and artistic talent to the forefront. The narrative highlights her achievement and the significance of her role, emphasizing the blend of her spiritual and creative identity. Her appointment is a moment of pride and honor, not only for her personally but also for America, as she represents a rich cultural history and artistic expression through her work.
• 01:00 - 01:30: A Doorway of Hope for Indigenous Peoples The chapter "A Doorway of Hope for Indigenous Peoples" discusses the human qualities and diverse talents of indigenous peoples, such as being poets, astronauts, or mechanics, emphasizing their common humanity. The conversation, particularly between Jeffrey Brown and Joy Harjo, highlights how the various skills and activities of indigenous peoples contribute to hope and empowerment. It also touches on Joy Harjo's personal journey and return to her hometown of Tulsa, reflecting on the societal reactions and her mixed native-white heritage.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Joy Harjo's Early Life in Tulsa The chapter discusses the early life of Joy Harjo in Tulsa. She was born to a beautiful mother of Cherokee and European descent who loved to sing, and a Creek father whom Harjo adored. However, her father's drinking habits eventually led to the end of the marriage. Reflecting on her childhood, Joy Harjo mentions that she still shares the same love for music and poetry as she did back then, although she never imagined becoming a poet, especially given her neighborhood background, where poetry was not seen as a viable career choice.
• 02:00 - 02:30: Harjo's Path to Poetry The transcript discusses Joy Harjo's formative experiences which shaped her path to becoming a poet. Her memoir 'Crazy Brave' reflects on a childhood marked by both happiness and hardship, particularly noting the abuse her mother suffered at the hands of her stepfather. This tumultuous environment catalyzed her departure to an all-Native school, the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. Additionally, it highlights her journey as a teenage mother who pursued higher education at the University of New Mexico, where her poetic inclinations began to take shape.
• 02:30 - 03:00: Harjo's Personal and Cultural Histories This chapter delves into Joy Harjo's involvement in the Native rights movement during the '60s and early '70s, highlighting her affinity for art as her initial passion, which she continues to pursue. Poetry became a significant part of her life in her twenties, serving as a means to explore history and discover her voice. Harjo's literary journey led her to write nine volumes of poetry, including her latest work.
• 03:00 - 03:30: Historical Reflection and Teaching In the chapter titled 'Historical Reflection and Teaching,' the focus is on the intertwining of personal, Native, and national histories. The narrative follows the author's exploration of her ancestral roots, tracing back to a flourishing indigenous civilization in the Southeastern United States prior to their forced removal. During her recent tenure at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, the author composed poems that reflect on this historical journey, capturing the essence of returning to ancestral lands. The theme revolves around rediscovery and the poignant heritage that continues to shape contemporary identity.
• 03:30 - 04:00: Harjo's Work in Poetry and Arts The chapter "Harjo's Work in Poetry and Arts" begins with Joy Harjo reflecting on her connection to the land where her ancestor Monahwee once lived. Monahwee had a history of going to Knoxville to obtain horses from what was technically stolen land, thus not truly committing theft. As Harjo stands in this historic space, overlooking the majestic trees and mountains, she contemplates her own journey and insights gained from being in this place, recalling her presence here with her father, which marks a meaningful inception of her artistic exploration.
• 04:00 - 04:30: The Displaced Creek Nation This chapter explores the history of the Creek Nation, focusing on its displacement and the establishment of its capital in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, in 1867. It highlights a significant historical figure, Samuel Checote, a principal chief born in Alabama. Joy Harjo, who shares insights during the dialogue with Jeffrey Brown, emphasizes common misconceptions about the Trail of Tears, clarifying its broader impact and multiple routes. This narrative underscores the lesser-known aspects of the Creek Nation's past and the widespread misunderstanding of Native American history among the general public.
• 04:30 - 05:00: The Trail of Tears and Modern Parallels The chapter discusses the historical event known as the Trail of Tears, specifically focusing on the Cherokee and the Navajo people's experiences.
• 05:00 - 05:30: Joy Harjo's Cultural and Political Observations The chapter focuses on Joy Harjo, a prominent Native poet and cultural figure, who is involved in various artistic endeavors including editing an anthology of Native poets. It highlights her role as a cultural and political observer within the Native political movement, and her current residency in a Tulsa arts program. Harjo is recognized for her contributions both in poetry and in engaging with Native political themes.
• 05:30 - 06:00: Reflections on Power and Equality In this chapter, Joy Harjo discusses the cyclical nature of history with Jeffrey Brown, drawing parallels between current times and the era of Andrew Jackson. Emphasizing the persistence of hatred, she notes that while such negativity doesn't reflect the views of the entire population, it echoes past attitudes that dehumanized Native people.
• 06:00 - 06:30: The Significance of Poetry The chapter titled 'The Significance of Poetry' discusses the societal influences that equate power with wealth, race, and gender. It highlights the destructive nature of this ideology as it opposes the idea of equality, suggesting that all individuals are created equally by a loving creator. The transcript also touches upon topics such as native rights and women's rights, alongside artistry in poetry and music.
• 06:30 - 07:00: Closure The chapter titled 'Closure' dives into the reflective musings of Joy Harjo on the nature of history and poetry. Harjo, a well-respected poet and musician, shares her unique perspective that history is interwoven with the stories of people, serving as a form of poetry itself. She highlights the power of poetry to allow time-travel within its verse, offering a space to connect with others and providing solace when words are otherwise lost. The chapter closes with Harjo performing on the saxophone, embodying her role as both an artist and a seeker of history through her poetic expressions.

U.S. poet laureate Joy Harjo on opening a 'doorway of hope' for indigenous artists Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 AMNA NAWAZ: There is a fresh voice these days leading the poetry world. Joy Harjo is the first Native American to serve as poet laureate of the United States. Tonight, she will give her inaugural public reading at the Library of Congress. She is a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation, who grew up in Oklahoma. Jeffrey Brown recently sat down with Harjo in Tulsa to talk about her life and career. It's part of our ongoing series on arts and culture, Canvas. JEFFREY BROWN: A recent night at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in Tulsa.
• 00:30 - 01:00 The leader of the band blowing her saxophone is a poet. JOY HARJO, U.S. Poet Laureate: His feet are made of his mother's spiritual concern. JEFFREY BROWN: And not just any poet. Joy Harjo, a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation, is the new poet laureate of the United States, appointed by the Library of Congress, to begin her term this month. JOY HARJO, U.S. Poet Laureate: It's quite an honor. And what is especially exciting to me is that I'm carrying this for -- it's for America,
• 01:00 - 01:30 but for indigenous peoples in particular. JEFFREY BROWN: You feel that? JOY HARJO: Yes. And it becomes a doorway. Yes, we're human beings, and yes, some of us are poets. Some of us are astronauts. Some of us are really good at fixing cars. But we're human beings. And some of us write poetry. And so it makes a doorway of hope. JEFFREY BROWN: So people were surprised you moved home, huh? JOY HARJO: Yes, they were. JEFFREY BROWN: Harjo, now 68, grew up here in Tulsa in a mixed Native and white working-class
• 01:30 - 02:00 neighborhood, child of a beautiful mother of mixed Cherokee and European ancestry who loved to sing, and a handsome Creek father Harjo adored, but whose drinking would lead to the end of the marriage. Does it make sense, when you look back to that girl then, to now? JOY HARJO: Well, she still has the same loves that I do. You know, there's still music. I love poetry. I never thought I would be a poet. I mean, that -- certainly, if you look in this neighborhood, that wasn't a career.
• 02:00 - 02:30 (LAUGHTER) JOY HARJO: There are no poets here. JEFFREY BROWN: In her memoir, "Crazy Brave," Harjo writes of a childhood of joy and discovery, but also great pain, including a stepfather who abused her mother, and eventually pushed Harjo to leave home for the Institute of American Indian Arts, then an all-Native school in Santa Fe. A teenaged mother, she later attended the University of New Mexico, where she was involved
• 02:30 - 03:00 in the '60s and early '70s Native rights movement. Art was her first love. She continues to draw and paint to this day. Poetry didn't come until her 20s. JOY HARJO: Poetry came along at that time. I basically put a pen in my hand, and that's how I came through it. And it had a lot to do with investigating history and finding a voice when I felt that I had no voice. JEFFREY BROWN: She would go on to write nine volumes of poetry, including the brand-new
• 03:00 - 03:30 "American Sunrise," often examining personal, Native and national histories bound together. She traces her ancestors to the once-thriving indigenous civilization that populated the Southeastern U.S. before being forcibly removed. Harjo recently taught at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where she wrote the poems for her new book, including the line: "I returned to see what I would find in these lands we were forced to leave behind."
• 03:30 - 04:00 JOY HARJO: I had come there, and we were living up on a block that my great-great-great-great grandfather Monahwee, I knew he had stood there when he used to go to Knoxville to steal horses. Well, he wasn't really -- they weren't really stealing them, because the horses were on stolen property. And I looked down into those beautiful trees, toward those beautiful mountains, and said -- asked -- well, I heard my spirit ask: What did you learn here? And that's how it started. I know I came here with my dad.
• 04:00 - 04:30 JEFFREY BROWN: In Oklahoma, Harjo took us to the historic Creek Council House in Okmulgee, what became the capital of the displaced nation in 1867. A plaque outside commemorates another distant relative, Samuel Checote, who was born in Alabama and served as principal chief of the Creek Nation here. This is a history that most people probably don't know. JOY HARJO: No, there's... JEFFREY BROWN: The whole removal, the Trail of Tears. JOY HARJO: No, usually I think most Americans think the Trail of Tears is one trail, and
• 04:30 - 05:00 it's Cherokee. JEFFREY BROWN: Yes. JOY HARJO: But there were many trails of tears. Even the Navajo people had a trail of tears. And now there's another trail of tears coming up from the South. JEFFREY BROWN: So, you connect those -- what's going on now at the border to... JOY HARJO: Definitely, because there was no border before. It wasn't that long ago, just a few generations. And this was the House of Warriors, which is more like the -- more like Congress. JEFFREY BROWN: There's the continuity of history, which we explored inside the council house, now a cultural center.
• 05:00 - 05:30 JOY HARJO: He is probably one of the more well-known Native poets of his time. He's often published in some of the anthologies of... JEFFREY BROWN: Is he going to be in yours? JOY HARJO: Yes, of course. JEFFREY BROWN: And there's the world we live in today, where Harjo has a residency in a Tulsa arts program and, among many other things, is editing a new anthology of Native poets. You came of age at this moment of a very strong Native political movement, right, of civil
• 05:30 - 06:00 rights. JOY HARJO: Yes. JEFFREY BROWN: And I wonder where are we now. JOY HARJO: Back to the beginning. (LAUGHTER) JEFFREY BROWN: Backwards? JOY HARJO: Yes. These times are very similar to the times of Andrew Jackson, the times of Indian removal, with -- where, you know, hatred, the utter hatred of not everyone, not -- it's not everyone. In fact, I think those forces of hatred are really a relatively small part of the population. But whatever this force is, it's the same force that said Natives weren't human.
• 06:00 - 06:30 It's the same force that came in and said, well, you are more powerful if you have more money than anyone else, or that you're more powerful if you have light skin, or you're more powerful if you're male. There's something about that that's destructive to everyone, because we were all created by a creator who loved us. JEFFREY BROWN: Native rights, women's rights, poetry, music, which she didn't take up seriously
• 06:30 - 07:00 until her 40s, and a sense of history. JOY HARJO: History is people. History is stories. It's poetry. And that's what I love about poetry, and that's how poetry teaches me. Poetry has taught me that you can time-travel in a poem. You can get to know people in a poem. And poetry is the place you can come to when you have no words. JEFFREY BROWN: And when the performance is over, the sax-playing, history-seeking poet
• 07:00 - 07:30 laureate relaxes by shaking it all out on the dance floor. For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Jeffrey Brown in Tulsa, Oklahoma.