Manhattan Is A Lenape Word By Natalie Diaz

Indigenous people have been colonized for centuries, and the effects of colonialism continue to impact their lives today. However, despite the ongoing oppression and violence, Indigenous people have found ways to resist and survive. In this class, we have discussed numerous expressions of art from native artists and how these writers and artists approach decolonization and resistance, such as Linda Tuhiwai Smith's decolonizing methodologies. We looked at music videos and songs by Native artists that tell their stories of resistance, and other methodologies that Smith expressed. We analyzed Wolfe, Tuck, and Yang’s approaches to the Incommensurability of settler colonialism. By analyzing the creative form of writing in poems, we can look deeper

The poem touches on themes of displacement, longing, love, and violence, all of which are inextricably tied to the ongoing impacts of colonialism. One line that stands out in the poem is "Manhattan is a Lenape word." This line draws attention to the fact that the land on which the city of Manhattan was built was originally inhabited by Indigenous peoples, who were forcibly displaced and erased by colonial powers. The line also underscores the importance of acknowledging and honoring the Indigenous histories and cultures that existed long before colonialism. Her experience of being the only Native American in a turn-of-the-century building in Manhattan further highlights the ongoing impacts of colonialism on Indigenous peoples. The line "How can a century or a heart turn if nobody asks, Where have all the natives gone?" speaks to the erasure and invisibility of Native American communities in a colonial city like New York. However, despite the ongoing violence and displacement, the poem also explores the possibility of love as a form of resistance and reclamation. The line "All my loves are reparations loves" suggests that Diaz’s love for other people, particularly those who have also been marginalized and oppressed, is a way of reclaiming and honoring their own Indigenous identity. I think she also is emphasizing that the act of loving must be accompanied by a commitment to justice and reparations for the harm done by colonialism. Without this commitment, the act of loving can be seen as empty or even complicit in ongoing oppression. Another line exclaims: "She says, You make me feel like lightning. I say, I don't ever want to make you feel that white." This line highlights Diaz's desire to love in a way that is authentic and true to her Indigenous identity, rather than conforming to Eurocentric ideals of love and beauty.