Really Good Brown Girl

Poetry. Native American Studies. These are Indian poems; Canadian poems; human poems. Marilyn Dumont's Metis heritage offers her challenges that few of us welcome. Here she turns them into opportunities: in a voice that is fierce, direct, and true, she explores and transcends the multiple boundaries imposed by society on the self. She mocks, with exasperation and sly humour, the banal exploitation of Indianness; more-Indian-than-thou one-upmanship; and white condescension and ignorance. She celebrates the person, clearly observing, who defines her own life. "In a world where cultural fascism is becoming the politically correct norm, we desperately need courageous voices who shout Stop! Think! Marilyn Dumont is one such voice. She is a Metis poet with attitude and I applaud her courage and clarity"--Beth Cuthand.

Winner of 1997 Gerald Lampert Award for first book of poetry (League of Canadian Poets), Globe 100 book 1997 and Honourable Mention in the 1997 VanCity Book PrizeMarilyn Dumont's Metis heritage offers her challenges that few of us welcome. Here she turns them to opportunities: in a voice that is fierce, direct, and true, she explores and transcends the multiple boundaries imposed by society of the self. She mocks, with exasperation and sly humour, the banal exploitation of Indianness ("e;there it is again, the circle, that goddamned circle, as if we thought in circles, judged things on the merit of their circularity, as if all we ate was bologna and bannock and lived in teepees"e;); more-Indian-than-thou oneupmanship ("e;So, I'm having coffee with this treaty guy from up north I say I'm Metis like it's an apology and he says, 'mmh,' like he forgives me, like he's got a big heart and mine's pumping diluted blood"e;); and white condescension and ignorance ("e;The White Judges"e;). She celebrates the person, clearly observing, who defines her own life. These are Indian poems; Canadian poems; human poems.

Winner of 1997 Gerald Lampert Award for first book of poetry (League of Canadian Poets), Globe 100 book 1997 and Honourable Mention in the 1997 VanCity Book PrizeMarilyn Dumont's Metis heritage offers her challenges that few of us welcome. Here she turns them to opportunities: in a voice that is fierce, direct, and true, she explores and transcends the multiple boundaries imposed by society of the self. She mocks, with exasperation and sly humour, the banal exploitation of Indianness ("e;there it is again, the circle, that goddamned circle, as if we thought in circles, judged things on the merit of their circularity, as if all we ate was bologna and bannock and lived in teepees"e;); more-Indian-than-thou oneupmanship ("e;So, I'm having coffee with this treaty guy from up north I say I'm Metis like it's an apology and he says, 'mmh,' like he forgives me, like he's got a big heart and mine's pumping diluted blood"e;); and white condescension and ignorance ("e;The White Judges"e;). She celebrates the person, clearly observing, who defines her own life. These are Indian poems; Canadian poems; human poems.