Indigenous Poetry as Medicine: Healing the Historical Trauma of the Mvskoke Nation in Joy Harjo’s An American Sunrise

This research paper explores the profound, intergenerational impact of settler colonialism on Indigenous communities in North America and examines the therapeutic role of the contemporary Indigenous poetry. Focusing on the Mvskoke Nation's forced relocation under the Indian Removal Act of 1830, the study utilizes the clinical frameworks of "historical trauma" defined by Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart and the "soul wound" articulated by Eduardo and Bonnie Duran. These frameworks demonstrate how centuries of systemic violence, land dispossession, and forced assimilation have resulted in chronic psychological and physiological distress within Native communities. The primary text used for this research is Joy Harjo’s acclaimed poetry collection An American Sunrise. As the first Native American U.S. poet laureate, she explores the geographical and historical exile her ancestor faced along the trail of tears. Through a close reading of her poems, this paper demonstrates how she subverts the colonizer’s language to address the historical trauma her community faces today. Ultimately the paper argues that the features of her poetry are not merely elegiac, they function as medicine to heal the trauma of the indigenous community and transform their grief of historical dispossession into resilient declaration of indigenous presence.