By Kip Tabb
Joy Harjo is the first Native American United States Poet Laureate, but the power of her words and the beauty of her poetry extend far beyond the first peoples of the America continent.
Thursday evening the Bryan Cultural Series brought “An Evening with Joy Harjo” to the Outer Banks. It was a virtual event, but whether in person, as originally planned, or via Zoom, Harjo’s mastery of language and the human condition is unmistakable.
Harjo is a member of the Muskogee Indian tribe and much of the imagery she uses, as well as the philosophic underpinnings of her work, are rooted in Native American culture. Yet the truths she reveals transcend those borders.
She began the evening reading “Eagle Poem.” Written in 1990, the poem took shape when she walked out of a sweat lodge and saw four eagles circling overhead. For many of the 500 plus tribes of North America the eagle is special.
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