Calling Down the Sky, Rosanna Deerchild, 80 pgs, BookLand Press, booklandpress.com, $16.95
Rosanna Deerchild’s second book of poetry gives an account of survivors’ experiences at residential schools and the marks left on their families by this systemic violence. Calling Down the Sky‘s bare, powerful poems are a major addition to discourses around the oppression of Indigenous peoples in Canada.
Many of these poems are crafted from conversations with Deerchild’s mother, or written in her voice. They describe the brutality inflicted by priests and nuns at residential schools , as well as the children’s strategies for resistance and survival. In “On the First Day,” boys are “…buzzed bald/ like dandelions/ blown of all their wishes” and “girls bowl cut/ into cookie cutter girls.” Another poem, “The Last Supper,” sees the narrator meet violence for violence against a scissor-wielding nun, “one for every hail mary/ one for every bruise.”
As an adult survivor, Deerchild’s mother fights to pass on her culture to the next generation. Unable to talk about her childhood, she finds consolation in the unspeakable sadness of classic country songs. The perspective shifts near the end of the book, as Deerchild and her mother visit the sites of former residential schools with other survivors. Her closing poem, “Mama’s Name” stands out as a triumph of speech and truth over silencing oppression, as she “…would call out/ my mama’s name/ four times in each direction/ so they never forget again.”
Deerchild’s unadorned, straightforward style and incisive vision fit with the surprisingly complex structure of this book. Names of schools, students, and events echo throughout, and this resonates with the tenacity of survivors and the resilience of their communities. Unflinching and ultimately exultant, Calling Down the Sky is an essential book. Go read it. (Joel Ferguson)