Indigenous Poetry: Reminding Us that Every Day is Earth Day

I have recently been spending more time reading Indigenous poetry to hopefully understand Indigenous and First Peoples’ cultures better. As an environmentalist and someone who grew up surrounded by nature, many Indigenous poems speak to me, but one in particular stood out.

This piece, Language is a seed to respect. Respect is a seed to a nation, is by Samara Ingram of the Wiradjuri Nation, an Australian Indigenous people native to what is now called New South Wales. Ingram is also a talented painter, and has worked on projects like the Tarcutta Water Tank on the Australian Silo Art Trail. 

What I love about this and a lot of Indigenous poetry is the deep connection to nature. Whether angry, sombre, or wistful, Indigenous writings about nature are not only affective, but poignant. Especially in contemporary poems, the words pull hard on all of us to see the damage we’ve done, reflect on how and why it’s happened, and hopefully motivate us into doing something about it. A reminder that indeed, every day of the year should be Earth Day.

Click here to read more Indigenous poems!

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Author: Lexa, ITMP Blog Writer

Image credits: Noah Buscher via Unsplash