Mi’kmaq Creation Story for Faith Liljegren upon her Confirmation Of course you are familiar with the Genesis creation stories, and know others exist in different cultures around our world. We Mi’kmaq have our version, too—deep and involved. It goes something like this: All life seen and unseen comes from me, always creating, never still. I…Read More
Issues/Articles
Dale Carson
THE MAN WHO WEEPS Long, long ago, when the world was still new, there was a family of people who called themselves “The Hammonassetts.” In their language this meant “The People.” They lived on the shores of a river, which later came to be named for them. One of the young children of this tribe…Read More
Claudia Ford
REBEL DAWTA 2: The Kitchen Formica tables with stainless steel strips around their edges yellow tables, the color of freshly churned country butter glass topped butter dishes gold-rimmed sugar bowls plastic paper napkin and matching salt and pepper shakers marvelous shakers labeled P and S fat bellied enigmatic short white men with big red painted…Read More
Marie Francis
Picture in Hand You never know when inspiration is going to sneak up and hit you. It could be a walk in the cold, while working or maybe even at a construction site. This is a collection of pictures I have taken when I felt inspired by the beauty of life surrounding me. Stay or…Read More
Virginia McLaurin
Pushing the Boundaries: An Interview with Two New England Native Artists Virginia McLaurin is a PhD student in the Anthropology Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, specializing in Native Studies and Film. Her Eastern Cherokee ancestry led to her academic focus on both dominant filmic and televisual representations of Native peoples as well as…Read More
Sam Quinney
Circle the Powwow Drum The grass dancers circle the powwow drum The fancydancers circle the powwow drum The jingle dress dancers circle the powwow drum The traditional dancers circle the powwow drum The braves circle the powwow drum The veterans circle the powwow drum The chief circles the powwow drum The medicine man circles the…Read More
Rebecca Thomas
Not Perfect I don’t shower everyday. I’m not perfect. I sing off-key when I drive on the highway I’m not perfect, I have a dedicated partner but still get crushes everyday. But hey, I’m not perfect. There are a lot of things I can forgive and understand as human error, But not a single one…Read More
Cecelia E. Vaughan
Cecelia Estrada Vaughan/iti kafi The Lady who lived next to the Railroad Tracks When ipok, granddaughter, and her parents left home to visit the Lady, Mama cuddled her little girl tight and kissed her four times. The little girl wore her Simplicity Pattern jumper dress made by her mother, laced white high-top shoes, and a…Read More
Letter from the Editors
Letter from the Editors Dear Readers, We are excited to bring you this second issue of Dawnland Voices 2.0. Dawnland Voices 2.0 is an extension of the anthology Dawnland Voices, edited by Siobhan Senier, which includes voices from all over the Dawnland, from the 1600’s through the present day. The anthology has brought…Read More
Carol Bachofner – Featured Poet
Statement on Poetry by Carol Bachofner I’ve been “writing things down” for a very long time. In fact I don’t recall when I didn’t. Because of the fact that I write things down, words are important to me. When I write poems, I am acutely aware that words are the framework for what I am…Read More
Marge Bruchac
Condolence* for Frank Speck, April 2014 “Here,” the Curator says, “identify these.” Throwing the wampum on the table as though it is an inanimate thing. The answer is close at hand but the words catch in my throat the lights dim other voices whisper. “These damn Indians can’t tell one wampum from another,” snorts the…Read More
Natalie Dana
Natalie Dana has written a children’s song which has been translated into Passamaquoddy. We are happy to present both. Margaret Apt sings “Lintuwakon Aputamkon” here, and the CD is called “All My Children, Songs and Lullabies from Wabanaki Singers.” This project was funded by Wabanaki Maine Families. The poem has changed since this recoding was made…Read More
Sherri Mitchell
Creation Songs (excerpt of Sacred Instructions, by Sherri Mitchell) Our individual stories begin with the story of our creation. My creation stories have come to me through the teachings of my tribe. My tribe is Penahwabskek, the Penobscot Nation, a small island nation that floats in the Penobscot River. We are the people of the…Read More
Rebecca Murtha
The Wasp and Spider People in Low Income Tribal Housing i. Circles of Mud, Dust, and Spit the wasps were making their home inside the crease in the siding of my apartment they wove and wove circles of mud and dust and spit their numbers increased to thirty or fourty and i was watching them…Read More
Paula Peters
Cultural Lives Matter by Paula Peters As Native Americans we endure regular acts of cultural degradation from children dressed up for Halloween in outfits that are a reflection of our traditional regalia to team mascots and sports fans wearing feathers and face paint mocking ancient spiritual rites and tradition. The concert of voices in opposition…Read More
Elizabeth James-Perry
On Wampanoag Clothing in Native Fashion Now by Elizabeth James-Perry I would have to conclude, after this playful photograph was snapped at the November 2015 exhibit opening, that my brother and I are indeed, Re-visitors. My Aquinnah women’s outfit in Native Fashion Now, Peabody Essex Museum exemplifies the way trade materials such as linen, sterling…Read More
Suzannne Rancourt
Kataahdin Read Suzanne Rancourt’s article in Combat Stress about trauma and her healing through expressive arts and Native culture and ceremony at www.stress.org Suzanne S. Rancourt‘s book, Billboard in the Clouds, Curbstone Press, was the 2001 recipient of the Native Writers First Book Award. She is an Abenaki writer and holds a Master…Read More
Asata Radcliffe
The Indigenous Coast to Coast Film Festival by Asata Radcliffe When is the last time you’ve seen a horror film starring Native American actors? Or a dystopian film set 71 years into the future filmed entirely on a reservation? How about a documentary that features Native Americans living in Los Angeles during the 1950’s? And wait…Read More
