Ishki, Mother, upon Leaving the Choctaw Homelands, 1831

Abstract

Ishki, Mother, upon Leaving the Choctaw Homelands, 1831 Leanne Howe (bio) Right here is where I once suckled babies into Red peopleRight here we grew three sisters into Corn, Beans, and SquashRight here we gave goods to all who hungeredRight here we nurtured abundance. Right here my body was a cycle of giving untilTorn from our homelands by the Naholla, andAndrew Jackson, the duteous seamsterIntent on opening all veins. Right here there's a hole of sorrow in the center of my chestA punctureA chasm of muscleSinewBones Right here I will stitch my wounds and live onAnd sing,And sing,I am singing, still. [End Page 7] Leanne Howe University of Georgia Leanne Howe leanne howe is a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and is Eidson Distinguished Professor in the Department of English at the University of Georgia. She has received a United States Artists (USA) Ford Fellowship, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers' Circle of the Americas, an American Book Award, and an Oklahoma Book Award, and she was a Fulbright Distinguished Scholar to Jordan. She is author or editor of several award-winning plays and books, from Shell Shaker (2001) to Savage Conversations (2019). Copyright © 2023 The University of North Carolina Press