1. The Haiku and First Nations/Aboriginal Poetry
Poetry and Nature
The Haiku and First Nations/Aboriginal Poetry

2. forest, winds howl in rage
Haiku: History
From Japanese origin (17th century)
Very short poem: one sentence broken into 3 lines with a 5, 7, 5 syllable pattern
This pattern is followed in Japanese writing, but not always in English
Over the wintry
forest, winds howl in  rage
with no leaves to blow
Natsume Soseki

3. Haiku: Techniques Brevity: Focus on one or two images in nature
Suggestiveness: The reader should be able to image a scene. An autumn evening, a sunrise, a windy tundra
Objectivity: Haikus do not express emotion. Rather, they focus on reporting an image or scene
Connection to Nature: Words that showcase nature and a deeper meaning for it.

4. Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival

5. Theme:
CONNECTIONS:
How do you connect to people, places and moments of experience in the context of seeing cherry trees bloom?
Write a haiku and submit it to the VCBF

6. First Nations Poetry
IMPORTANT: There are many different styles of poetry and literature based on different groups in Canada
Ie, Mohawk literature, Okanagan literature
Literature can be split into theme that applies to multiple groups, or split by region, by language, by history

7. Tea and Bannock Stories: First Nations Community of Poetic Voices
Collection of poetry put together by researchers at SFU and members from the First Nations Community put together at the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Center
Examines the First Nations relationship with environmentalism through poetic and artistic form
“humankind’s active relationship to Homeland and her Beings”