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Abstract
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Joy Harjo, the first Native American U.S. Poet Laureate and a member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation,
has long been celebrated for her ability to weave indigenous spirituality, particularly shamanism, into
her poetry as a means of articulating resilience, healing, and hope. Her work, deeply rooted in the
interconnectedness of humans and nature, reimagines ecological spaces as sites of ancestral memory,
resistance, and renewal. While scholars have extensively analyzed Harjo’s engagement with shamanic
traditions and natural imagery, critical gaps remain in understanding how these elements intersect with
contemporary issues such as gender equity, digital storytelling, and indigenous futurisms. These gaps
limit a holistic appreciation of Harjo’s contributions to decolonial and environmental discourses,
particularly in an era marked by climate crisis and ongoing cultural erasure.
Existing scholarship has established foundational insights into Harjo’s shamanic poetics. Critics
like Laura Coltelli argue that Harjo’s poetry transforms shamanic rituals into “acts of ecological
communion,” positioning nature as a “living archive of ancestral wisdom” (Coltelli 45). Similarly, Janet
McAdams highlights how Harjo’s shamanic figures, such as the “firekeeper” in She Had Some Horses,
act as “stewards of natural cycles,” emphasizing reciprocity between humans and the environment
(McAdams 112). Rebecca Tillett further explores how Harjo’s shamanic journeys reclaim cultural
memory, as seen in poems like “An American Sunrise,” where rivers and forests “remember” indigenous
presence (Tillett 92). However, these studies predominantly focus on written texts and ancestral
connections, neglecting three critical dimensions: 1) the gendered dynamics of Harjo’s shamanism and
its implications for feminist ecocriticism; 2) the role of digital and interdisciplinary media in amplifying
shamanic storytelling; and 3) the futurist potential of Harjo’s ecological vision within indigenous
survivance fram
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