The Woman Who Fell from the Sky by Joy Harjo
**Overview of "The Woman Who Fell from the Sky" by Joy Harjo**
"The Woman Who Fell from the Sky" is a profound seventh collection of poetry by Joy Harjo, primarily composed of prose poems that weave together the rich tapestry of her Native American heritage with contemporary themes. The collection is divided into two notable sections: "Tribal Memory" and "The World Ends Here." These sections explore the resilience of Native American identity amidst the historical and cultural challenges posed by European colonization, highlighting themes of ancestry, connection, and the interplay between the living and the dead.
Harjo's approach is stripped of conventional poetic structures, favoring stark and vivid imagery that prioritizes content over form. Each poem is accompanied by an explanation that provides context and insight into the themes presented. The narratives often depict the struggles and triumphs of Native characters, revealing a world filled with contrasting elements such as darkness and light, violence and peace.
While addressing the historical wounds inflicted upon Native peoples, Harjo also encapsulates the enduring beauty of nature, the significance of relationships, and the healing power of love and music. Overall, the collection serves as a poignant reflection on identity, memory, and the interconnectedness of all beings, inviting readers to engage with its depth and complexity.
On this Page
The Woman Who Fell from the Sky by Joy Harjo
First published: 1995
The Work
The Woman Who Fell from the Sky, Joy Harjo’s seventh collection of poetry, consists primarily of prose poems. The collection is divided into two sections, “Tribal Memory” and “The World Ends Here,” which express the lore of Harjo’s Native American ancestry and her observations of contemporary life. These poems show a concern for content over style. The poetry is presented without conventions of patterned rhyme or meter; the imagery is stark and unadorned.
Each poem is followed by an explanation that contextualizes the piece by offering a brief history of the genesis of the poem or commenting on themes elucidated by the writing. The majority of the book’s poems are narrative, developing stories that explain the destinies of Native American characters who retain identity despite the onslaught of European culture, which strips away their language, lore, and religion. The poems create a universe of oppositions: darkness and light, violence and peace.
Other poems relate stories of ancestry on a more personal level, illuminating a view of many worlds existing at once, interconnected and affecting one another. In “The Naming,” a grandmother “who never had any peace in this life” is “blessed with animals and songs”; after the birth of a “daughter-born-of-my-son . . . the earth is wet with happiness.” As Harjo notes in the explanation of this piece, “When my granddaughter Haleigh was born I felt the spirit of this grandmother in the hospital room. Her presence was a blessing.” In the world that Harjo creates, the living and the dead are united and the physical universe is animate, pulsing with feeling of its own.
“The World Ends Here” offers shorter and more concrete poems than those in “Tribal Memory.” In addition, the poems are concerned with wounds suffered through a history of genocide inflicted upon Native Americans. “When a people institute a bureaucratic department to serve justice then be suspicious,” Harjo warns in “Wolf Warrior.” “The Indian wars never ended in this country,” she writes in the postscript to “Witness.” The poems do not, however, fall into despair. The beauty of nature, the rich rewards of friendship, the joys of music, and the hope of love are continually evident, emerging with their healing power. As Harjo writes in “Perhaps the World Ends Here,” “The gifts of earth are brought and prepared, set on the table. So it has been since creation, and so it will go on.”
Bibliography
Allen, Frank. Review of The Woman Who Fell from the Sky, by Joy Harjo. Library Journal, November 15, 1994, 70-71.
Booklist. XCI, November 15, 1994, p. 573.
McQuade, Molly. Review of The Woman Who Fell from the Sky, by Joy Harjo. Publishers Weekly, November 28, 1994, 54-55.
Ms. VI, September, 1995, p. 70.
The Progressive. LIX, March, 1995, p. 44.
Smith, Stephanie. “Joy Harjo.” Poets and Writers 21, no. 4 (July/August, 1993): 23-27.
Whole Earth Review. Summer, 1995, p. 43.