Old Woman with Berries in Her Lap (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781602234536)

Through a single descendant's voice that speaks to the S疥i diaspora, this collection of poems is a journey through colonialism, transgenerational trauma, and identity. Many have heard of the S疥i reindeer herders brought to Alaska by Sheldon Jackson in the 1800s, but not much is known about the S疥i diaspora experiences in the state and beyond. The poems in Old Woman with Berries in Her Lap use the North S疥i language as well as graphics and various types of poetry to tell these stories of migration and diaspora.

Vivian Faith Prescott's use of language is both a celebration of the richness of the S疥i languages and a mourning of the loss of language that occurs when a population is displaced and forced to exist in a totally foreign language space. According to S疥ilinguist, professor, and politician Ole Henrik Magga, the S疥i languages have "very easily . . . one thousand lexemes with connections to snow, ice, freezing, and melting." These lexemes frame many of Prescott's poems, introducing ideas and feelings around the loss of language and culture.

A compelling insight into the S疥i culture from a contemporary poet's eye, Old Woman with Berries in Her Lap juxtaposes past and present in an act of reclamation.


Author: Vivian Faith Prescott
ISBN-10: 1602234531
ISBN-13: 9781602234536
Publisher: University of Alaska Press
Language: English
Published: 03/15/2022
Pages: 136
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.50lbs
Size: 8.98h x 5.91w x 0.55d