A Storm Is Coming

A storm is coming that is bigger
than Florence or Michael.
We are hunkered down
thousands of miles away.
How can I be here,
writing these lines?
I've been given
extra time
to do it.

We Have Been Here Fourteen Thousand Years

We have been here fourteen thousand years,
you have been here for a few hundred.
What gives you the right
to kill us,
to steal our land,
to reduce us to misery?
I am asking you,
I am asking you
now.

ulinawi amayeli (revised, with translation)

ulinawi amayeli tla gesvise "goluwadvdita" ani-yulaqui digvwalosv, nasgi gesvise adayvsedita. itsula gayula gesvise ahani nigadu agayvlidi tsudetiyvda hilayvi nasgidv nvlise.

ᎤᎵᎾᏫ ᎠᎹᏰᎵ Ꮭ ᎨᏒᎢᏎ "ᎪᎷᏩᏛᏗᏔ" ᎠᏂ-ᏳᎳᏈ ᏗᎬᏩᎶᏒ, ᎾᏍᎩ ᎨᏒᎢᏎ ᎠᏓᏴᏎᏗᏔ. ᎢᏧᎳ ᎦᏳᎳ ᎨᏒᎢᏎ ᎠᎭᏂ ᏂᎦᏚ ᎠᎦᏴᎵᏗ ᏧᏕᏘᏴᏓ ᎯᎳᏴᎢ ᎾᏍᎩᏛ ᏅᎵᏎ.


Turtle Island was not "discovered" by the Europeans, it was invaded. We had already been here 14,000 years when they came.

ulinawi amayeli / ᎤᎵᎾᏫ ᎠᎹᏰᎵ

ulinawi amayeli tla gesvise "goluwadvdita" unegv yvwi digvwalosv, nasgi gesvise adayvsedita. itsula gayula gesvise ahani nigadu agayvlidi tsudetiyvda hilayvi nasgidv nvlise.

ᎤᎵᎾᏫ ᎠᎹᏰᎵ Ꮭ ᎨᏒᎢᏎ "ᎪᎷᏩᏛᏗᏔ" ᎤᏁᎬ ᏴᏫ ᏗᎬᏩᎶᏒ, ᎾᏍᎩ ᎨᏒᎢᏎ ᎠᏓᏴᏎᏗᏔ. ᎢᏧᎳ ᎦᏳᎳ ᎨᏒᎢᏎ ᎠᎭᏂ ᏂᎦᏚ ᎠᎦᏴᎵᏗ ᏧᏕᏘᏴᏓ ᎯᎳᏴᎢ ᎾᏍᎩᏛ ᏅᎵᏎ.

Persistence

Like light from a star that has died,
sights and sounds of the past
still hurtle through space
at light-speed.
They are coded
in our DNA,
they affect us
still.

ᏗᏁᎸᏙᏗ ᏂᎪᎯᎸᎢ ᎨᏒᎢᏎ ᎬᏗᎯᏔ

ᏗᏁᎸᏙᏗ ᏂᎪᎯᎸᎢ ᎨᏒᎢᏎ ᎬᏗᎯᏔ ᏥᎸ ᎧᎵᏬ-ᏗᎳᏏᎪ ᎤᏲᎬᏁᏙ ᎾᏍᎩᎭᎢ ᏁᏰᎯᏯ ᏴᏫ ᎥᎿᎢ.

Comment on nasgidv unadetiyisgv (with translation)

nasgidv agisdiyise aquatseli elohine, ale itsula agisdiyise unatseli tsuhageda-gowelidine,

ᎾᏍᎩᏛ ᎠᎩᏍᏗᏱᏎ ᎠᏆᏤᎵ ᎡᎶᎯᏁ, ᎠᎴ ᎢᏧᎳ ᎠᎩᏍᏗᏱᏎ ᎤᎾᏤᎵ ᏧᎭᎨᏓ-ᎪᏪᎵᏗᏁ.


They got our land, and we got Bibles.