Native American literary works have often been ignored by serious critics or examined by social scientists in ways that rob them of their effectiveness as works of art. The emphasis of postmodern theory on the creative power of language, on narrative discourse, and on signs and semiotics allows an original and perceptive approach to Native…

This article examines Surrealism, its definition, and history through example. Special emphasis is on James Welch, a Blackfeet poet from Montana with a comic way of viewing the world in a surrealistic fashion. (RTS)

Four Native American poets in easy narrative style tell about some of the aesthetic judgments they make in their work and, in the process, shed some light upon the traditions from which their poetry emerges. Joy Harjo discusses how she wrote "The Woman Hanging from the Thirteenth Floor Window," her use of repetition influenced by music…

The article uses an interdisciplinary approach to reexamine the literary form and merit of a Zuni ritual narrative poem from the midwinter Shalako ceremonies. After describing the poem's cultural context, the article addresses its shape, structure, language, and style. The article includes the English language text of the poem. (SB)

Explores major themes in contemporary American Indian poetry that comprise the Native ethos of cultural resistance and survival. Correlates certain themes of Indian poetry with those of Black spiritual and blues. Discusses Western and Indian world views, political and social conflict, and art as the agent of criticism and change. Contains 28…

In this collection of essays, a Native American feminist intellectual, poet, and literary scholar grapples with issues she encountered as a Native American in academia. The essays examine and criticize the enormous impact of America's media culture and ask questions about who is telling Native peoples' stories, where cultural authority lies, and…