Part of TDR’s Behemoth Gargantuan Canadian Poetry in Review

by Mary Williamson

[January 2009]

I spoke with Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm in Montreal where she was performing with Taqralik Partridge, Moe Clark, Guido del Fabbro and Mad Eskimo in Tusarnituq—a Festival of Words, Music and Images (sponsored in part by Wired on Words Productions http://www.wiredonwords.com/) held at Casa Del Popolo this past November.

Before my micro cassette starts recording, Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm and I have discussed the dehumanising elements of modern capitalism, land claims in Ontario and recent outrage over comments made by McGill University Chancellor Richard Pound, who, during an interview with Montreal's La Presse in relation to the Bejing Olympics and issues of human rights in Canada, asserted that "400 years ago, Canada was a land of savages, with scarcely 10,000 inhabitants of European descent, while in China, we're talking about a 5,000-year-old civilization."

KAD: Did you read Margaret Wente's article in the Globe and Mail supporting Dick Pound? He said that our Indigenous cultures 400 years ago were less evolved than that of Europe and Asia. I was speaking to Joseph Boyden who wrote a rebuttal to Wente's article. He's an award winning Canadian author and the Globe refused to publish it.

Akiwenzie-Damm's reflections are void of spite or anger, and although irked and somewhat astonished, she's in no way discouraged.

Kateri exemplifies the virtuosity of contemporary Aboriginal artists in Canada. She is the owner and managing editor of Kegedonce Press, a poet and spoken word artist, has written and edited fiction, including Skins: Contemporary Indigenous Writing (2000, with Josie Douglas), and Without Reservation: Indigenous Erotica (2003) a seminal anthology of Native Erotica. She has collaborated with Canadian dancer/choreographer Santee Smith, and shared the stage with Buffy St-Marie.

Further to her diverse artistic pursuits, Akiwenzie-Damm has worked with the Canadian government on Native land claims, AIDS awareness among Aboriginal communities, operates a consulting company and is an active member of Sisters in Spirit a community based group that maintains records of missing Aboriginal women throughout the world.

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TDR: I often find it difficult to avoid contemporary representations of North American Indigenous people as the "Oppressed" or "Inherently Compromised" – usually in relation to their bodies, however, also in terms of their land, culture and history.

KAD: I think it goes back so long in our clash of cultures--I mean, not just here, but aboriginal women around the world are considered fair game. Based on our histories I don't think that it's surprising that over 500 Native and Aboriginal women have gone missing around the world. And we're always aware of each other – I mean, we have our own media and we're much better informed about what is happening.

TDR: What inspired you to explore Native Erotica in your own writing and that of other Indigenous writers?

I felt excited to contribute to the movement of reclaiming who we are and embracing sexuality – especially reaching out to our young people and giving them a positive example.

There seemed to be plenty of images of Native women and rape scenes in literature and I understand why, but on the other hand, that image became a kind of symbol of shame related to Native women's bodies and sexuality and with Native erotica, i wanted to show an example of something more positive, where we weren't being compromised.

TDR: What was the response like?

KAD: People were really excited – Richard Van Camp had already written some and hadn't done anything with it.

For me personally--to be able to express a sexually empowered attitude or freedom in my work – was something I hadn't experienced that much in Native writing.

TDR: How would you describe your work?

Years ago I was doing a poetry reading and the wife of a friend said it was very angry. There's definitely that side of my writing, some of it is more overtly political. Sometimes what I do isn't conscious on my part. I'm trying to put so many things together in my work. I want people to have an access point in my poetry and I like to embed different things into it...And it can be a punch in the side of the head sometimes!

TDR: Yes, there are certainly many haunting and halting images in your poems. However, I find that there is also an underlying message of hope, or optimism perhaps.

KAD: I don't like the word hope necessarily, but I do like that there's some kind of positive result to exposing the issues and wounds.

I think that there is beauty in a lot of suffering – like when I see various forms of pollution; of course I am angry, but I always think of the beauty of the land underneath it.

When I see broken down buildings and abandoned lots of course I consider the impressiveness of how quickly the land can reclaim those spaces.

When I see people in despair there is a mix of beauty and tragedy within them: that people are still beautiful despite the suffering they've endured.

So many people in our communities have been abused yet still produce beauty around them, whether it is a work of art, or their lovely children...they can be very dysfunctional people and still be creating beauty in the world – I try to be aware of that in what I am doing – that's part of the way I try to look at things.

TDR: That sounds tactical, like you're not simply satisfied with being angry. You want to do something about that anger.

KAD: I want to surround myself in beauty. Certainly some of my poetry is intense, however I want to create something beautiful as well as something that will make people think.

Kateri Akiwenzie Damm is currently working on a new collection of poetry, a collaborative performance piece with artist Himiona and "A Constellation of Bones," a performance project that combines poetry, music, and dance.