LANGUAGE 

It could name anything. The names of mountains and rivers. Soft and hard woods. Edible wild berries and those that harm. Wet and powdery snow. The north wind, violent, incessant; the calm sea breeze in the early morning, at twilight. The, Innu, Atikamekw, Wendat, Maliseet, Mi'gmak, and Naskapi languages could name every single thing on earth, every human emotion.

These are ancient languages that remind us of a distant past, where poetry and rhythm are as much inspiration as nature itself.

Poetry is necessary and vital since a people’s literature begins with the orality of its poetry. It is a life force that grabs you by the gut, which tugs at the back of your throat; it is a wild territory of words just waiting to be discovered and scattered by the winds. So here we are. Talk of beauty. Talk of truth. Talk of the world. Take part in our unique perspective of this beautiful and great narrative, in the wealth of these outlooks.

With words, we find and share the beauty that surrounds us, the stories and the different perspectives on the world introduced by each language; of all these characteristics that make us rise and define us in terms of identity. For us, poetry, the language of observation, makes perfect sense, it comes naturally. It is what allows for the understanding of reality in the most fluid manner possible, the most organic.

Aboriginal languages tell our story, the places where our ancestors have travelled, however they are unable to name all the modernity, the sudden and swift changes.

Aboriginal languages are not often written since they are read by few people. They were practical languages, created to name the function of things. They were not languages designed for writing, but rather for chanting and speeches. Both of these arts are still the most mastered today. In new Aboriginal literature, we use maternal languages to recreate the time of our ancestors, renew our perspective on their gestures, and poetize the vastness of nature. Each word conjures a powerful and real imagery.