Table of Contents
What is Indigenous Poetry?
The term “indigenous” refers to those people, belonging to ethnic groups which have been associated with a particular geographical region and are its earliest known inhabitants.
Indigenous poetry, also referred to as poetry by aboriginal or native peoples hence refers to the expression of these people for liberty, enhanced recognition and safeguard of basic rights.
Contemporary Aboriginal Poetry
Contemporary Aboriginal poetry constitutes an integral part of Aboriginal art. This form of poetry is an expression of the feelings, sufferings, problems and challenges faced by the aboriginal people belonging to different parts of the world today.
The poetry mostly reflects the presence of Australian Aboriginal verse, and poems from the Native Americans.
Common Identities in Indigenous Poetry
Indigenous peoples are united by a common range of disquiet and concerns associated with their standing and relations with other cultural groups. Some challenges are specified to particular groups while others are shared and faced by all in mutuality.
Common identity challenges are related to human right issues, lingual preservation, property rights, political discrimination , poverty, education and health concerns.
Poetry hence, is a popular medium to highlight these concerns as it brings together the crucial elements of historical antiquity, present-day cultural disambiguation and global distribution.
Contemporary Practices in Indigenous Culture
Modern day indigenous culture includes expression in the form of music, literati, active blogging and poems.
According to international legislation the Indigenous Peoples are recognized by geographic-specific terms; for example "Native Americans" "Pacific Islander" (USA), "Inuit", Métis "First Nations" (Canada), Aborigines (Australia), Hill tribes (South East Asia), indigenous ethnic minorities, Scheduled tribes or Adivasi (India) tribal groups.
Popular Examples of Indigenous Poetry
A Song of Hope by Oodgeroo (Kath Walker), Pre-Columbian Poem
by Nezahualcoyotl and Paolo’s Poems are some of the popular examples of indigenous poetry.
