Kitotam

By John McDonald

The Neyhiyawak (Plains Cree) word “Kitotam” translates into English as, "He Speaks to It." This is a collection of free-verse poetry by Indigenous poet and artist John McDonald. Written in two parts, these poems chronicle John’s life and experiences as an urban Indigenous youth during the 1980s. The second half of the book is a look into the inspirations and events, that shaped John’s career as an internationally known spoken word artist, beat poet, monologist and performance artist.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Radiant Press
• Release date: Apr 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781989274514

John McDonald

John McDonald is a multidisciplinary writer and artist originally from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. A sixth-generation direct descendant of Chief Mistawasis of the Plains Cree, John’s writings and artwork have been displayed in various publications, private and permanent collections and galleries around the world. John is one of the founding members of the P.A. Lowbrow art movement, and is the Vice President of the Indigenous Peoples Artists Collective. John has studied at England’s prestigious University of Cambridge, where in July 2000 he made international headlines by symbolically ‘discovering’ and ‘claiming’ England for the First Peoples of the Americas. John is also an acclaimed public speaker, who has presented in venues across the globe, such as the Anskohk Aboriginal Literature Festival, the Black Hills Seminars on Reclaiming Youth, The Appalachian Mountain Seminars, the Edmonton and Fort McMurray Literary Festival, the Eden Mills Writers Festival and at the Ottawa International Writers Festival. John was honoured with the opportunity to speak in Australia in April of 2001. John was also included in the Aboriginal Artists and Performers Inventory for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, BC. John lives in Northern Saskatchewan.

Book preview

A black raven sits in the middle of a blue circle, above the raven is a small circle with a black tree inside, and below the raven is a black circle with a skull inside. Behind the images is a red, black and green background. The title reads at the bottom of the cover is Kitotam, the author's name is John McDonald.

Copyright © 2021 John McDonald

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher or by licensed agreement with Access: The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (contact accesscopyright.ca).

Editors: Erica Violet Lee

Lynda Monahan

Cover art: John McDonald

Book and cover design: Tania Wolk, Third Wolf Studio

Printed and bound in Canada at Friesens, Altona, MB

The publisher gratefully acknowledges the support of Creative Saskatchewan,

the Canada Council for the Arts and SK Arts.

Funders

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Title: Kitotam = (he speaks to it) / John McDonald.

Other titles: He speaks to it

Names: McDonald, John, 1981- author.

Description: Poems.

Identifiers: Canadiana 20210147261 | ISBN 9781989274507 (softcover)

Classification: LCC PS8625.D646 K58 2021 | DDC C811/.6—dc23

Box 33128 Cathedral PO

Regina, SK S4T 7X2

[e-mail]

www.radiantpress.ca

(He speks to it) Kitotam by John McDonald)

The poems in this collection were created across the traditional ancestral homelands of countless Indigenous peoples over many years. The author wishes to thank and honour these nations and communities for sharing their ancestral spaces with him, even if but for a moment.

Contents

Part One

Kistapinanihk

(The Wintering Place)

Saskatchewan River Blues

The Drive

Borealis

The Farmhouse

During the Hurting Times

Fire

Growing up in PA

The Garbage Pit

My Dead Friends

My Grandfather’s Hands

The Guitar

The Plymouth

Graveyards

Eights and Aces

The View

The Cross Out Front

Bad Kid

While They Were in Kandahar

The Arcades

A Cup of Tea

Adrian

Mix Tape 1993

Promises

For Bernice

The Dance

The Scream

Immature

Smoke

Lightskinned

Observations of an Empty School

Northern People

Ode to Those Killed February 11, 2015

Why I do What I do

So Sick of Beads

Why are we upset?

Record Store Day

On the Death of Jack Cennon, January 29, 2016

Meditation on the Rez

Part 2

Masinahikatew

(He Writes it All Down)

The Busker

The Call

The Inspiration

Bytown

The Hunt for Philo Vance

The Canvas

On the Death of Maya Angelou, May 24, 2014

On the Death of Mr. Dressup, September 2001

Canadian Skin

Ode to Tom Thomson

Messiah

Untitled No. 8 or 9

At the feet of the Statue of Athena

Time

For Allison

On Language

Déjà vu

Ode to Ziggy Stardust

Fidget

Insomnia

Ragnarok 2015

With Miguel

On the Death of Leonard Cohen, November 7, 2016

Easter Sunday

In an Old Motel

Unplugged

Winter Garbage Fire

A Touch of Inspiration

An Ode to the Fiddler

Traveller

Walkabout in Treaty Four Territory

Rounds

Saskatchewan

The Dog Soldiers

The Tag

This book is dedicated to Rosanna Deerchild,

For giving a moment’s encouragement,

At a time when it was needed the most.

Kininaskohmitin

"I just finished my performance, and, as I walked off the stage, this guy came up to me and said that he was from Melfort, which is