Read the Provinces: Carol Rose GoldenEagle (Daniels)

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INTERVIEW WITH CAROL ROSE GOLDENEAGLE DANIELS

 All Lit Up: Tell us about your poetry collection Hiraeth and how it came to be. 

Carol Rose GoldenEagle (Daniels): The name for Hiraeth came about – by chance.  I was looking up the spelling of a word on Dictionary.com and hiraeth was the word of the day. (A homesickness for a home to which you cannot return, a home which maybe never was; the nostalgia, the yearning, the grief for the lost places of your past.)I wrote this collection of poems, because I realized that I had been carrying around a grief and darkness all of my life.  Being a child of the 1960’s scoop, I hadn’t realized how much I had hidden bad memories, abuse, name-calling. When a person is a child, we do not know any differently than the reality in which we grow up.  However, once I became a mother, I noticed the “slights” that were directed towards my own children. The woman I used to refer to as my mom when I was a kid, actually called them wild Indians one day. It was at that point, I understood how I had internalized a deep hurt, having listened to that type of conversation all of my formative years.  I would not allow my children to be subjected to the same verbal abuse, and began to remember, and write. It’s important that my own 3 children understand what happened to me, and too many others, with the scoop-up. I am no longer in contact with that family, where I was raised, although it is important to note that I was very close with my Dad and my Grandma (Dad’s mom – both now deceased).  There was never name-calling when Dad was home.  I also needed to write this collection, because somehow, I think I have managed to find my way out of this dark place. I did so by connecting with my own First Nations culture, which is rich, beautiful and strong. It is my hope that all those who feel lost or disconnected, find their way back to our culture and traditions.  It is a place of strength.ALU: It’s been argued that physical geography shapes our identity, that there’s a connection between our physical place in the world and who we are. As a writer, in what ways does your natural environment inform your writing? CRGD: There is something magical about the wind in Saskatchewan. Ever since I was a child, I have been listening to the wind. I remember, as a child, standing at the side of a grid road and watching mature wheat swaying in the field. Also, the wide-open space of southern Saskatchewan gave me an appreciation for a wide-open sky. A place for dreamers. Even though my biological roots are in the boreal forest of northern Saskatchewan, I do appreciate the plains.ALU: Who are some of your favourite Saskatchewan-based writers?CRGD: Trevor Herriot – Gillian Harding-Russell – Bernadette Wagner – Barb Langhorst – Dave Margoshes – (and even though she now lives in AB) Sharon Buttala  

FROM HIRAETH

From Section III: KOOKUM   (spirit wisdom)our journey and how we choose to experience itdepends on our understanding of selfwise one revered Elder of the circle LILLY I never fully understood the teachings of Jesus Christuntil I met an Old Womanfour foot tenreminds me of Yodaand just as wise She has never been sentenced to jailbut she has done hard timebeaten to the point of death in Residential Schoolinternal bleedingthe nuns did not send her to hospital until the next day Thereshe lay in a comafor eleven months But she does not dwell on itwill not empower those early yearsfraught with a litany of woepeppered with hatea mix of fear She will not allow it to hinder her growthtowards becomingthe Old Woman who stands here proudstrongcourageous Too many now rely on her strengthwhich has become their starting placeof a shared sacred spacebecause of this Old Woman whoyears agoaccepted the unspeakable pain that arrivedwhen her young husband passed too soon It was then two voices showed upboth promising something. Spiritswhich come in a bottleand the Spiritsof the Old Voices we hear in the wind Her husband is gonetheir love remainsso she promisesto never drown those memoriesbut to keep their love       alive and powerfulhonouring the memory of her husbandby honouring Spirit       The Old Ones Transformationsmudging with sage      sweetgrass     cedarshe offers prayers for her childrenfor all childrenand a promise that she will embracethe rhythm of lifeno matter what it may bring It leads her to the circlethat magic placepeaceful place      the church forbadefor no good reason TriumphantOld Woman stands with an Eagle feather fanheld high at the honour beatin a dance honouring her Creator knowsshe has earned the respecttowards her role as an Elderas she continues to beckoninfluenceencourage as many as she canback to the dance ancientbut new to those who have been disconnectedas she once wasbut is no more It is going on now     3 generationsthis dancegetting strongerand happeningbecause she let go of painfelt itbut let it dieremembering instead      the lovea heart so largeit caused rebirthresurrecting with ittraditionsthe Old Waysand extending that knowledge to her children    grandchildren      great grandchildren      all of Creator’s children Determinedthey will not suffer the samepaindisconnectionwandering in darkness that was a long time ago* * *Carol Rose GoldenEagle (Daniels) is Cree/Dene with roots in Sandy Bay, northern Saskatchewan. She is a published novelist, poet, playwright, visual artist, and musician. She is the author of the award-winning novel Bearskin Diary (2015). A sequel, Narrows of Fear, is forthcoming.  She published the novel, Bone Black (Nightwood Editions) in 2019, and her poetry collection, Hiraeth, a finalist for the 2019 Rasmussen, Rasmussen and Charowsky Indigenous Peoples’ Writing Award, was published by Inanna Publications in 2018.  As a visual artist, her work has been exhibited in art galleries across Saskatchewan and Northern Canada. As a musician, a CD of women’s drum songs, in which Carol is featured, was recently nominated for a Prairie Music Award. Before pursuing her art on a full-time basis, Carol worked as a journalist for more than 30 years in television and radio at APTN, CTV, and CBC. She lives in Regina.* * *Purchase a copy of Hiraeth for 15% OFF until January 31, and stay tuned for more Read the Provinces featured authors all month long here on All Lit Up. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram with the hashtag #ALUreadtheprovinces.