Poet laureate digs deep for words to bring to Indigenous People's Day

Collingwood’s poet laureate is preparing again to deliver words pulled from deep within her spirit and from feelings that seem to conflict with each other. 

Jillian Morris will be reading an original poem on Indigenous People’s Day, an event that she both dreads and looks forward to. 

“It’s always that weird conflicting feeling because it’s an opportunity to create more awareness and to have those conversations and people are listening … they’re expecting to listen to the stories,” said Morris, who is Kanien’kehá:ka, turtle clan and band member of Six Nations of the Grand River Territory.

“But it’s also very heavy, and a lot to carry sometimes,” she said. “It’s really hard to help people understand the lived experience. I think the more stories we get to tell, the better … but it’s tough because it also means for us opening it all up so that it can be exposed.” 

Morris is going into her second and final year as the town’s poet laureate, an appointment that has come with its own challenges and inner conflicts, from reading poems via Zoom to presenting at formal events where she struggled to connect with a seemingly disconnected audience. 

On the other hand, there were times when she felt the crowd listening, digesting, and connecting to her through her poetry. 

“It’s been like crazy rewarding, but also challenging,” said Morris. “It’s a mixture of feeling like it’s just a duty versus feeling like people actually want to see me and want to hear me.” 

Those are the honest words of a deep thinker, and Morris is grateful for the title of poet laureate and the work that comes with it. 

“I’ve met incredible artists along the way … I don’t think I would have met otherwise,” said Morris. “I really enjoy the opportunities that this has given me to be with other artists and do things collaboratively with other people.” 

Morris said as Indigenous Peoples Day approaches, she has been listening to Amanda Rheaume’s music to prepare. 

Rheaume is Métis and a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. She'll be performing some of her original songs at the amphitheatre and will be sharing the amphitheatre stage with Morris. 

A lyric about returning to the water has inspired Morris to explore a poem around the idea of coming home, which is exactly the thing that brought Morris back to the creative outlet of poetry in the first place. 

“I really got back into culture and started going to ceremony and listening to the storytelling the elders were doing … And it reawakened that creativity in me,” said Morris. “Part of our teaching is that you can’t forget to play as an adult. It’s a really important part of who you are because a lot of the work that we do for our community is difficult, heavy work. And so it’s really important that we remember to play.” 

For Morris, poetry is playful. 

Ceremony also reminds her to be outside, to sit in silence, and to remember she is a spirit on a physical journey, asked to be here because she has things to learn.

She has also been a teacher in her role as poet laureate. 

On July 1 last year, sandwiched between Canada Day traditions like the citizenship reaffirmation ceremony and a round of God Save the Queen, Morris read out a poem she finished just that morning called “With Respect”, reminding and even challenging the crowd to remember that July 1 is a sombre day of remembrance for her and many others. 

“It’s one of my proudest pieces because it felt a little bit defiant without being disrespectful …. Like civil disobedience,” said Morris. 

When some people pointed out the juxtaposition of her poem in a Canada Day celebration, she didn’t get angry, just acknowledged what is true. 

“I don’t want to take away people’s patriotism, their relationship to their country is for them to care for,” she said. “I don’t want to interfere with the way people feel about their country and the place they live … I want people to love where they are.” 

Perhaps, suggests Morris, loving where you live should include the people you live with. 

This National Indigenous History Month and Indigenous People’s Day, Morris’ message is an encouragement to access Indigenous art. 

“I think there’s so much storytelling in all the mediums … and you can get some really raw stories through the arts,” she said. “There’s a lot going on in film and television and poetry and music, and listening to the artists talk about how they’re inspired by their culture is a really powerful thing.” 

National Indigenous Peoples Day is Wednesday, June 21. Rheaume and Morris will be at the Collingwood Shipyards Amphitheatre from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. The event is free to attend and will be outdoors. 

For the month of June, there is a collection of Indigenous art on display at the Simcoe Street Press Room Gallery (65 Simcoe St.) featuring works by Jay Bell Redbird, Roy Thomas, Stephen Snake, Frank Polson, Richard Bedwash and Brian Marion. The works are part of a collection by Shorelane Arts.