Cree-English’: the Creative Word in the Poetry of Louise Halfe

Abstract

For Aboriginal people, language is not only a means of communication, but is also an expression of the real essence of human nature, a symbol of identity and a way of passing on the traditional knowledge of the past. The language has a spiritual  quality that emanates directly from Mother Earth and the essential interdependence between human beings, the earth and language is at the centre of indigenous cultural philosophy. This article focuses on the creative use of indigenous linguistic expressions in the poetry of Louise Halfe, “Skydancer” and on the use and meaning of ‘Cree- English’, a distinctive linguistic form which reflects the hybrid condition of the Cree people and culture.

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WEBLIOGRAPHY

Armstrong, Jeannette. 2006. The Aesthetic Qualities of Aboriginal Writing (keynote address). For the Love of Words, Aboriginal Writers of Canada. SCL/ELC Studies in Canadian Literature, 31, 1: 20-30, http://www.erudit.org/revue/scl/2006/v31/n1/ (consulted on 01/08/2013).