공존, 상생, 호혜: 사이먼 J. 오티즈의 초기 시에 나타난 토착 생태계와 구전 전통적 세계관

Abstract

Acoma Pueblo poet Simon J. Ortiz depicts in his poetry the diverse flora, fauna, and inanimate entities of the native land as vivid and vibrant beings. This should be understood in terms of the traditional values of survival, coexistence, and reciprocity. Particularly, reciprocity is a concept that refers to the mutually respectful, complementary, and mutually equal relationship between humans and non-humans. Encompassing and including all living and non-living things, the holistic approach of Indigenous epistemology constitutes, develops, and sustains Indigenous ecology through oral traditions. In this context, this article examines the early poems of Simon J. Ortiz, which were published from the mid-1970s to early 1980s in collections such as Naked in the Wind, Going for the Rain, and A Good Journey. The article particularly focuses on how Ortiz embodies the relationship between human and non-human living or non-living things, and between humans and nature or the land. It identifies the specific instances where Ortiz’s poetic expressions connect with the Indigenous concept of community and ecology, especially those of Pueblos. It thus argues that, by restoring and modernizing the Indigenous view of the ecological or natural community, Ortiz’s ecology clearly distinguishes itself from that of other Western and mainstream White ecological poets, and resists the anthropocentric discourse of the West.