I am a member of the Muskogee people. I'm a poet, a musician, a dreamer of sorts, a questioner. Like everyone else, I'm looking for answers of some sort or the other.
Joy HarjoRead
Someone accompanies every soul from the other side when it enters this place. Usually it is an ancestor with whom that child shares traits and gifts
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote suggests that every individual is guided by an ancestral spirit when they come into the world, which influences their traits and abilities.
Joy Harjo's quote reflects the idea that the birth of each individual is accompanied by the presence of an ancestor, symbolizing the connection between generations. This connection implies that our traits and gifts are not solely our own but are influenced by those who came before us, reinforcing the notion that we are a product of our heritage and the shared human experience.
Themes
AncestorsTraitsSoulGuidanceHeritage
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about cultural identity, one might use this quote to emphasize the importance of ancestral connections.
More from Joy Harjo
All quotes βIt's important as a writer to do my art well and do it in a way that is powerful and beautiful and meaningful, so that my work regenerates the people, certainly Indian people, and the earth and the sun. And in that way we all continue forever.
Joy HarjoRead
A story matrix connects all of us._x000D_ There are rules, processes, and circles of responsibility in this world. And the story begins exactly where it is supposed to begin. We cannot skip any part.
Joy HarjoRead
You just go where poetry is, whether it's in your heart or your mind or in books or in places where there's live poetry or recordings.
Joy HarjoRead
Bottom line, I have to follow what my soul says, or my spirit. And my spirit said that poetry and the arts should be without borders, should be without political borders.
Joy HarjoRead
I don't like this romanticization of Indian people in which Indian people are looked at as spiritual saviors, as people who have always taken care of the land. We're human beings. But I think different cultures have developed different aspects of humanness.
Joy HarjoRead
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