INTELLIGENCES ALTERNATIVES. FORMES ET PRATIQUES DES RÉSURGENCES INDIGÈNES MONDIALES. RÉSURGENCE AUTOCHTONE À LA LUMIÈRE DE L’ART DE JOSÉPHINE BACON

Abstract

The word Innu means “human” in the Innu language, asserting both the universality of human beings and the cultural and visionary differences that unite us all (Dezutter, Fontaine, Létourneau 2021, p. 77). In Innu philosophy, this implies that before we are nationals of any state, we are first and foremost human beings. Consequently, relationality – or connectedness to other human cultures and to the natural environment – lies at the heart of contemporary Innu (and broader Canadian Indigenous) literature (Wilson 2008; King 1990). While deeply rooted in ancient oral traditions, this literature re-invents those traditions in resistance to hegemonic discourses, cultural biases, and the generic binaries long perpetuated by the West. It also serves as a means of rediscovering the self and claiming a rightful – though historically denied – place in history. This article draws on the work of contemporary Canadian Innu poet Joséphine Bacon to explore the significance of her poetry in the decolonization of Indigenous cultures and the rediscovery of identity. It examines traditional storytelling, visual art forms, metaphors, and worldviews to analyze how Bacon’s poetry: (a) challenges and redefines the literary canon by reinventing tradition; (b) contributes to the Indigenous literary and cultural resurgence; and (c) engages in dialogue with contemporary decolonial thinkers, particularly Édouard Glissant (1990, 2009) and his philosophical and poetic concept of the archipel. The article adopts an Indigenous critical methodology rooted in Bacon’s poetic practice, in conjunction with comparative decolonial perspectives.

*Support for this research was received from the SNSF