WASHINGTON D.C. – Former three-time U.S. Poet Laureate and Mvskoke citizen Joy Harjo continues to receive national recognition for her poetry and work in the humanities. Most recently Harjo received the National Humanities Medal at a private ceremony at the White House. Harjo is the first Mvskoke citizen and Native American to serve as the U.S. Poet Laureate. This year the National Endowment for Arts (NEA) and President Joe Biden recognized 39 total recipients in the arts and humanities, four of which are Native American. The month of October is National Arts and Humanities month.
According to Harjo, being the recipient of an award is always a pleasant surprise. For the National Humanities award in particular, recipients only had a few weeks to prepare for the ceremony. Harjo does not view the award as a singular achievement, but one that honors the many who have influenced her work.
“I think of these things as honors for my teachers and mentors,” Harjo said. “Maybe some things they taught me stuck, or found a place. It’s also an honor for my family and my people.”
Harjo was not the only Native American that was honored for their work in the humanities. Dr. Rosita Worl (Tlingit), Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer (Citizen Potawatomi Nation) and Robert Martin (Cherokee Nation) were also recipients of the 2022 National Humanity Medal. Worl is known for her work in anthropology preserving Alaska Native languages and cultures. Kimmerer is a MacArthur Fellow and currently teaches at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Martin has served as the president of the Institute of American Arts and Haskell Indian Nations University.
Over the years Harjo met Martin and Worl several times. When Harjo lived in Alaska she was very familiar with Worl’s work with local tribes. However, this was the first time Harjo met fellow recipient Kimmerer, known for infusing Bodéwadmi teachings in plant biology.
Other recipients of the National Medal of Arts included renowned artists across different mediums. These include musicians Melissa “Missy” Elliott and Queen Latifah, as well as filmmakers Steven Spielberg and Spike Lee. Joining Harjo among the National Humanities Medal recipients were actor LeVar Burton, cartoonist Roz Chast and philanthropist Wallis Annenberg.
Harjo’s “Eagle Poem”
National Endowment of the Arts Chair Shelly Lowe (Diné) referenced Harjo’s work in her opening address to the recipients. Lowe remarked that this year’s recipients provide new perspectives on life, just like the symbols found in Harjo’s work.
“One of our new medalists in the humanities is Joy Harjo of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation” Lowe said. “In her poem, ‘Eagle Poem’ Joy pictures a bird soaring through the sky. A symbol of the circle of motion our lives encompass. The poem is a reminder to each and everyone of us about the vastness of our individual experiences, how within this circle of motion that encompass us, there is still so much more to hear. There is still so much more to see. That’s where poets, historians, philanthropists, filmmakers, songwriters and artists come in. You each give us in Joy’s word’s ‘moments’, steadily growing and in languages that aren’t always sound, but other circles of motion.”
In President Biden’s speech, he outlined the important role artists play in society. He remarked that due to the contributions of these artists, American culture has been changed for the better.
“You’ve broken barriers, you’ve blazed new trails. You’ve redefined culture. You are the truth tellers, the bridge builders, the change seekers,” President Biden said. “Above all you are the masters of your craft who have made us a better America for all that you have done.”
Harjo is also the recipient of the MCN Living Legend award, the Guggenheim Fellowship and the Ruth Lilly Prize from the Poetry Foundation for Lifetime Achievement. She has been inducted in the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame, and has received numerous honorary doctorates. When asked how Harjo carries herself as a role model for others, she responded that all of us are role models, all of the time.
“Whether we think we are or not, we are always being watched,” Harjo said. “In the community whatever we do has an impact on others. Whether you do what I do, or if you’re someone else in the community, we all make a difference.”
This year’s National Medals of Arts ceremony was live streamed and recorded by Public Broadcast Station (PBS) News and can be viewed on Youtube.
