Jeannette Armstrong

B A

I walk slowly and think back.
I stagger under ‘

~ the raw
hide pack
that I carry,
and the clever mask that I have fashioned
for myself,
from the bones and skin
of my dead tribe
and dipped in the fresh blood
of my brothers and sisters
scooped from old battle streets
near hotels.

BREATH TRACKS
b
JEANNETTE ARMSTRONG

"Speaking to newcomers in their language is dangerous
for when I speak

history is a dreamer

empowering thought

from which I awaken the imaginings of the past
bringing the sweep and surge of meaning

coming from a place

rooted in the memory loss.

THREADS OF MEMORY

The writings of Jeannette Armstrong who is an Okanagan Indian is eloquent,
forceful and innovative. Her tone is clear, her stance honest, her words
shimmer in beauty.

This book of poems tracks with words the lives, pain and resilience of Native
peoples and their long memoried past.

Jeannette Armstrong, novelist, poet, children's story writer, and educator lives
in Penticton, B.C.

TO ORDER:
TITLE: Breath Tracks

AUTHOR: Jeannette Armstrong
ISBN: 0-88795-096-5