A Poetry Mixtape Edited by Francine Cunningham
Francine's Liner Notes
Poetry carries with it our hearts, and in that, the hearts of our ancestors. When we write we bring to the page not just our own lives but all those who have come before us. How we view and interpret the world is directly influenced by the generations that have come before us.
In these selected poem’s you will find ruminations on the various previous lives that have trickled down to influence these poets. Whether that is through struggle and the ability to triumph even through dwindling odds, or through acts of resurgence, resistance, and reclaiming. In a lot of these poems you will also hear words in different Indigenous languages as these poets claim back the use of their languages, many of whose family was forced not to speak them. But by fusing their poetry with the languages their ancestors would have used they keep alive their history, culture, and family.
As you read these poems try to think of ways in which you can likewise fill your life, poetry, and writing with the voices of your own ancestors. Whether that is through the stories told around kitchen tables, the rituals and celebrations you still partake in today, and the harder moments that you have to work to not forget and let go silent. As you fill your heart with your ancestors they will begin to spill out on to the page in a wondrous celebration like these poets here.
The Poems
Recommended reading
Music: Janice Jo Lee’s album Ancestor Song " 'Oil in the Grand' was the first Ancestor Song that came out of my body, as instrument. It is a mourning melody for the Grand River inspired by the Anti Line 9 Movement. When I first sang this song to myself, I didn’t believe this melody was my own creation. I had accessed a deeper part of my musical spirit in my blood memory. I felt these melodies had been passed down to me by my ancestors, who gave me the voice in my chest. It has been through stillness and silence that these melodies have gathered the courage to release. Ancestor Song is my creation story.” https://janicejolee.ca/ancestor-song
Short Film: Savage. This film looks at a young girl being taken to school for the first time and is representative of understanding the struggles that some of our ancestors have gone through. https://youtu.be/ysQxpSb1MRo
Research: Indigenous peoples and epigenetics: https://www.afn.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Indigenous-Knowledge-Epigenetics.pdf
Science: Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK). The passing down of scientific traditional knowledge. A simple introduction: https://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/docs/support/sila_video/tek.pdf
Visual Art: https://saymag.com/ancestral-knowledge-inspires-art-leadership/
Recommended artist: Summer-Harmony Twenish is an Algonquin artist from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg. They share their artwork on their Instagram account (@nibinikwe ), and their portfolio can be found at summertwenish.ca