Eskasoni First Nation/George Paul
The Mi'kmaw poet from Eskasoni & We'koqma'q First Nations in Unamaki, Rita Joe, is Nova Scotia's honoree for Heritage Day 2023. Often referred to as the poet laureate of the Mi’kmaq people, Rita Joe wrote powerful poetry that spoke about Indigenous identity and the legacy of residential schools in Canada
I Lost My Talk by Rita Joe
I lost my talk
The talk you took away.
When I was a little girl
At Shubenacadie school.
You snatched it away:
I speak like you
I think like you
I create like you
The scrambled ballad, about my word.
Two ways I talk
Both ways I say,
Your way is more powerful.
So gently I offer my hand and ask,
Let me find my talk
So I can teach you about me.
Sources:
heritageday.novascotia.ca/content/2023-honouree-rita-joe
thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/rita-joe