Celebrating Native voices that intertwine ecological stewardship with cultural heritage. Indigenous eco-poetry is not merely a literary form-it is an act of cultural preservation, a living dialogue between the past and present, and a testament to the enduring relationship between Indigenous communities and the Earth.

The Interwoven Roots of Land and Language

For centuries, Indigenous poets have used language to map the intricate connections between their ancestors, the land, and non-human kin. Their verses often embody what scholar Greg Garrard calls the "ethics of place," where mountains, rivers, and forests are not passive landscapes but active participants in memory and identity. Poets like Joy Harjo (Muscogee Creek Nation) and Linda Hogan (Chickasaw Nation) infuse their work with the rhythms of the natural world, weaving traditional ecological knowledge into lines that sing of survival and reciprocity.

Ancestral Wisdom as Ecological Practice

Indigenous eco-poetry transcends metaphor. It documents practices of sustainable living rooted in kincentric ecology-a philosophy that views humans as equal members of a larger ecological family. In these poems, the harvest of wild rice, the seasonal migration of animals, or the planting of the Three Sisters (corn, beans, and squash) are not just agricultural acts but sacred rituals of gratitude. This wisdom, passed through generations, is both a blueprint for resilience and a critique of exploitative modern systems.

Reciprocity Over Dominion

A defining theme in Indigenous eco-poetry is the rejection of human supremacy. Writers such as Craig Santos Perez (Chamoru) and Tommy Pico (Kumeyaay) dismantle colonial narratives of land ownership, instead advocating for relational accountability. Their poetry invites readers to see forests as teachers, oceans as ancestors, and deserts as kin. By framing environmental stewardship as a moral obligation rather than a choice, these voices challenge the anthropocentric norms that have fueled ecological crises.

Resistance and Resilience in Verse

Indigenous poets also use their craft to document the impacts of colonization-oil spills, deforestation, and the erasure of sacred sites-while reclaiming their communities' agency. Poems become protest, history, and healing. For instance, LeAnne Howe (Choctaw Nation) blends storytelling and satire in works that reveal how Indigenous land ethics contrast starkly with extractive capitalism. Such works are not only acts of resistance but also seeds for regenerative futures.

A Call to Listen and Learn

The power of Indigenous eco-poetry lies in its ability to bridge worlds: between traditional knowledge and contemporary activism, between grief and hope. As climate change accelerates, these voices remind us that the solutions to ecological collapse are often ancient, rooted in philosophies of balance and respect. To engage with this poetry is to honor the unbroken thread of ancestral wisdom-a thread that, if nurtured, can help mend the fabric of life itself.