An Indigenous Poem about Colonization and the Earth
By Carol Aguilar
When they arrived on their boats
Looking for God, glory and gold
It sparked the flame that ignited
The westward expansion
And all throughout the Americas
The capillary waves of colonization
Swept over our people of Turtle Island
When they robbed our identity, land and languages
The White man saw our disadvantages
The land that we had cared for and reaped with
Would fall into the hands of money, greed, and green
Would no longer be seen
In years to come
Our people had different ways of tending to the land that had given us life
But in smoke, fumes, and flames our people's blood was shed
This problem became prevalent early on in history
The land that we claimed as home became a large up for sale hole
Up for grabs for whoever could afford
Our ways were pushed aside
Leading up to climate change
An ache in our land
Our water no longer clean
The air contaminated
The soil no longer fertile
But hard and not suitable to sustain the life that once bloomed
Even though this land is not ours but borrowed
When it was violently ripped away from its inhabitants
Caring for this land was disregarded
The animals in the ocean
Like the fish in the sea
Deserve our respect
As they are also beings
The animals who roam on the ground
Also call Earth their sovereign land
Not to be messed with but protected
To ensure that life on land is abundant
Those in the sky are no exception
They fly so smooth, beautifully, as if in an animation
They also deserve to live their lives
Up in the air, carefree with delight
We are not alone
The animals and plants also call Earth their home
And the future generations to come do not deserve to live in a dome
White, Brown and Black hands need to carefully restore Earth back
And teach about the colonization
That colonized and attempted to erase our nation
Not only did it happen on these 2 continents
But it also led up to the destruction of our environment
The effects of 1492
Are still present no matter what path you choose
But, we have to realize
Even though we were not wiped out
Killing a sacred part of us will keep us down
We are part of the land
Our roots go deep
They cannot kill us
Unless they burn her completely
In quenching the thirst they never sought to keep
My name is Carol Aguilar and I currently attend Esperanza College Prep in East Los Angeles. I performed this spoken word during Dartmouth’s Indigenous Fly-In Program to honor my people and the land on Indigenous Peoples Day (2022).