New anthology highlights erotica

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It was two years ago when Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm brought up the subject of Native erotica among a group of Native writers who had met to talk about the stories they liked to tell.

"I kept asking why we don't write about it, because sexuality is part of being alive," said Akiwenzie-Damm, when the Honouring Words Indigenous Authors' tour stopped in Owen Sound on Sept. 30.

Akiwenzie-Damm is Anishnaabe of mixed ancestry from the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation at Cape Croker. Her writing has been published in a collection, My Heart is a Stray Bullet, in a book called Blood Driver, and in various journals in Canada, the United Sates, New Zealand, Germany and Australia.

Although the lack of erotica in Native writing may lead some people to think the subject is taboo, Akiwenzie-Damm found that a core group of people kept going back to the subject.

"Everybody kept talking about it, but no one had written about it," she said.

Akiwenzie-Damm began the task of gathering a collection of short stories and poems based on Native erotica.

She then took on the task of editing the book and getting it published.

"We are reclaiming that voice," she said.

The result is an anthology titled Without Reservation: Indigenous Erotica. Contributing authors are Sherman Alexie, Maria Campbell, Hone Tower, Joseph Bruchac, Patricia Grace, Daniel David Moses, Linda Hogan, Beth Brent, Basil Johnston, Gloria Bird, Gregory Scofield, Richard Van Camp and Armanda G. Rufflo, to name only a few.

Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm invited the small gathering at the Ginger Press bookstore in Owen Sound to "Go ahead, sneak a peak" at the new anthology.

"It's an honour to be able to bring this here and share it," said Akiwenzie-Damm before sitting down to read from the book.

She chose an erotic poem that described a woman's body using references to the beauty of nature. It was the same poem that Akiwenzie-Damm said was censored when she read it on CBC radio.

"They said the program was going to air when children were around so we couldn't use that word,'' she said.

Akiwenzie-Damm took Honouring Words to Vancouver and Winnipeg as well as the Grey Bruce area near her home at Cape Croker. She said that she started the tour because she came to realize the huge wealth of talent that remains unknown to mainstream audiences and even within the larger Indigenous community.

"The Honouring Words concept is one that grew naturally out of the numerous other projects I've done to promote the work of Indigenous writers, artists, and publishers," she said.

The concept was fairly simple: to create an event that would demonstrate the beauty, breadth, and power of Indigenous arts and the strength of continuing to develop and fortify alliances that promote Native arts to international audiences.

"Honouring Words was never intended to be a culmination, rather it was meant to be a first big step in a new phase for Indigenous arts,'' she said.

Without Reservation, which was released in this month, is published by the Kegedonce Press, a Native-owned-and-operated publishing company.