In her first idiom-shattering book of poetry, Wanda John-Kehewin
endeavours to "speak her truth," combining elements of First Nations
oral tradition with a style of dramatic narrative that originates from
the earliest traditions of cultural storytelling and also keeps pace
with the rhythmical undulations of Canadian poets such as James Reaney
and E.J. Pratt.
However, in a contemporary setting, the magniloquent narrative of
nation-building has given way to fragmentary and reflexive self-
examination that is inextricably bound to a history of colonization, the
residual effects of which are buried deep within silent sufferers.
Divided into four aspects of the Medicine Wheel - one of many stone
structures scattered across the Alberta Plains - this collection calls
for us to acknowledge the blatant neglect of quality of life on Native
reserves and to explore ameliorative processes of restorative justice.
In emotive and yet wryly unsentimental tones, John-Kehewin lends her
voice to many forms of suffering that surround enforced loss of culture,
addressing topics such as alcohol addiction, familial abandonment,
religious authority, sexual abuse, and the pain of mourning for loved
ones. John-Kehewin does not spare herself when relating her own stories,
even as she tells the stories of others that are so like her own,
admonishing humanity for its lack of conscience in poems that journey
from the turmoil of the Gaza Strip to rapidly dissolving ice floes ...
Wanda John-Kehewin is, as she describes herself, "a First Nations woman
searching for the truth and a way to be set free from the past" -
shoving aside that lingering sense of shame and stigma - taking the
reader on a healing journey that reveals language to be an elusive
creature indeed and one that gives new definition to what being "in the
dog house" could be, if we as human beings listen carefully and learn to
remedy our misunderstandings.
