The Haiku and First Nations/Aboriginal Poetry Poetry and Nature The Haiku and First Nations/Aboriginal Poetry

forest, winds howl in rage Haiku: History From Japanese origin (17th century) Very short poem: one sentence broken into 3 lines with a 5, 7, 5 syllable pattern This pattern is followed in Japanese writing, but not always in English Over the wintry forest, winds howl in  rage with no leaves to blow Natsume Soseki

Haiku: Techniques Brevity: Focus on one or two images in nature Suggestiveness: The reader should be able to image a scene. An autumn evening, a sunrise, a windy tundra Objectivity: Haikus do not express emotion. Rather, they focus on reporting an image or scene Connection to Nature: Words that showcase nature and a deeper meaning for it.

Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival

Theme: CONNECTIONS: How do you connect to people, places and moments of experience in the context of seeing cherry trees bloom? Write a haiku and submit it to the VCBF

First Nations Poetry IMPORTANT: There are many different styles of poetry and literature based on different groups in Canada Ie, Mohawk literature, Okanagan literature Literature can be split into theme that applies to multiple groups, or split by region, by language, by history

Tea and Bannock Stories: First Nations Community of Poetic Voices Collection of poetry put together by researchers at SFU and members from the First Nations Community put together at the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Center Examines the First Nations relationship with environmentalism through poetic and artistic form “humankind’s active relationship to Homeland and her Beings”