Indigenous Poetics in Canada

14. Through Iskigamizigan (The Sugarbush): A Poetics of Decolonization

14 Through Iskigamizigan (The Sugar Bush): A Poetics of Decolonization Waaseyaa’sin Christine Sy Biindigenh (Come In) maadjiimaadiziwin: at the sugar bush1 this is not a jazz tune rap, rock, or riff; the tat-a-tapping of cedar sticks knocking. this is the rhythm & go of mashkikimakwe ziigwaning (mother earth at spring), the creaking of mitigag (trees) sway the cawing of aandegag (crows) caw caw the cracking of mikwam (ice) to & fro crunchy goon (snow) and dripto -the-drop of wiishkaabaaboo maple sap, sugar water flow this is not the push & pull of pen on paper, the push and pull of poles harvesting rice or fish, not a traditional or jingle, this is the long time gather and haul of sugar water, maple sap wiishkaabaaboo, the stand up and walk visit and talk, boiling and toiling in Her ziigwan manidoowin (spring ceremony), 183 184 WA A S E YA A ’S I N C H R I S T I N E S Y this is the all night&day sifting of nibi, lifting herself up to new life in trees, we don’t even have to say please this is Us, cajoling her with love into sweet life ziinzaabaakwad, maple sugar This spoken word poem—the knowledge that it conveys, the aesthetics, and the pedagogical rational imbedded within it—represents the experiences and knowledge embodied through my personal decolonization process as Ojibway Anishinaabe ikawe (being who is capable of creating a separate new person who separates from her; she is woman).2 I began this process in 1995, the moment I learned about colonization in Canada and began to learn about its relationship with Indigenous peoples historically and in the present. My short history is testimony to the powers of colonization: being raised in my white Canadian biological, step-, and adopted family and socialized by white-dominated institutions based on a Canadian value system allowed such a truth—that I did not know about colonization until I was told about it; I did not know I was colonized until I was told about it. Since that time I’ve been on a constant circular path of learning, praxis, and practice. It’s important to note that this decolonization process has primarily occurred and continues to occur within my homelands, Gichi Gamingoong (the Great Lakes). I’ve been focusing on decolonizing and Anishinaabe-izing my relationship with mashkikimakwe (i.e., Mother Earth)3 with serious focus, time, and commitment over the last four years. This has been done specifically within the homelands of my relatives, the Michi Saagii Anishinaabeg (Mississaugi Anishinaabeg) with the guidance and teaching of Elder Doug Williams of Curve Lake First Nation.4 This poem reflects my relationship with iskigamizigan—the sugar bush at the time of harvesting maple sap and making maple sugar.5 The knowledge reflected through it is the result of my engagement with intentionally reclaiming Anishinaabewiziwin—all the elements that make up Anishinaabe life—for the purposes of self-preservation, raising my child in the best possible way in preparation for her adult life within a contemporary colonial society, and for the purposes of maadjiimaadizwin (keeping the Anishinaabe lifeline going through the generations). I wrote this poem on commission for Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians of Michigan and created it with the energy, spirit, and beats that I’ve come to know are characteristic of iskigamizigan specifically , and Anishinaabe life, generally.6 In exchange for creating it, I T H R O U G H I S K I G A M I Z I G A N (T H E S U G A R B U S H ) 185 received a pound of ziinzaabaakwad (maple sugar), a brain-tanned deer hide, and a CD on ash basket making—all made by Pottawatomi Anishinaabeg and non-Pottawatomi in and around Match-e-be-nash-she-wish.7 I’ve performed her as spoken word in several venues, including two important Indigenous-oriented endeavours in Nogojiwanong (mouth of the river; Peterborough, Ontario)—the Sacred Water Conference and TRACKS.8 “maadjiimaadiziwin: at the sugarbush” is situated here with some of her social history and my history with personal decolonization as an entry point into my discussion of the poetics of decolonization. Biingdigenh, come in! Toward an Anishinaabe Gendered Poetics of Personal Decolonization Upon reading “maadjiimaadiziwin: at the sugarbush,” the reader may readily recognize the Anishinaabe knowledge she conveys and/or her aesthetics. In...