Tuesday, March 3, 2009
TC: The Apparitional Canoe
Captain James Cook and Chief Maquina, Nootka Sound, 1778
The Apparitional Canoe
Before contact
peace in every upstream inlet
in early summer
the sea is glassy calm
fog banks form the margin of
the japan current
and roll in morning
after morning
sea otters swim
in pods among kelp
back-floating
the sea is glassy calm
until one morning
the evil star dawns
with the white
sail on the horizon
With
The first incoming
apparitional canoe
a singing
wind rushed
through cedars—a
silver moonlit
beached whale gleamed
out on the Sound
wave washed
otters slept
on kelp beds
back-floating
Mild
They're easy together
inside the pod
when there's no hunting
the yelp of the little
ones is not heard
on good days
when the weather is mild they move
like the vowels in the word
repose
off shore to browse
among sea
urchin and mussel
encrusted submerged reefs
or in drifting patches of
floating kelp
____________________________________________
Capt. James Cook—His Report: on the Sea Otter
The fur of these animals, as mentioned in the Russian accounts, is certainly softer and finer than any others we know of and, therefore, the discovery of this part of the continent of North America where so valuable an article of commerce may be met with, cannot be a matter of indifference. There is not the least doubt, that a very beneficial fur trade may be carried on with the inhabitants of this vast coast. But unless a northern passage be found practicable, it seems rather too remote from Great Britain to receive any emolument from it.
Infestation of the Merchandise
"one could say that in taking on a cargo of furs
one takes on also a cargo of lice"—
Marchand, 1790
Particularly in the early years when
to get their hands on a few novel articles
of trade the chiefs were willing
to strip the sea otter cloaks
from their own backs and as Cook
says thereby reduce themselves
to a state of nudity
many if not most of the skins exchanged
were—Cook again—"very lousy"
Brass (Cook at Nootka)
metal was especially demanded
particularly brass with such eagerness
before we left hardly a bit
of brass was to be found in the ships
even officers' jackets without buttons
________________________________
THE TWO CHIEFS:
Cook and Maquina at Nootka
Maquina Greeting Cook at Friendly Cove
(Nootka Sound, 1778)
A canoe remarkable for a
singular head which
had a bird's eye and a bill
of an enormous size
painted on it
a person who was in the bow
seemed to be a chief
many feathers hanging from his head
his face painted in extraordinary manner
The Bird Ceremonial Greeting for Cook
From the biggest and last in line
of the Nootkan dugouts
the chief
stood up strewing handfuls of
feathers over the water
towards us on the ship
as some of his fellow
Indians threw red dust
or powder likewise—
and made a long harangue
holding in his hand a carved bird
of wood
as large as a pigeon
which he rattled and was
no less vociferous in his harangue
two or three natives likewise
had their hair quite skewed over
with small feathers
others with large ones stuck
into different parts of their heads
The Canoe Song
While this ceremony continued
the others sat in their canoes
a little distance from the ship
and one sang
a very agreeable air
with a degree of softness and melody
which we could not have expected
the word haela friend
being often repeated
as the burden of the song
The Ship Boston
The Indians rifled
the ship Boston
dressed up in women's clothing
and sacks
pulled high stocking caps
over their heads
with powder horns
and bags of shot
came from all around
to party four days
till two Boston ships
the Juno and the Mary
came into the Sound to trade
the Indians
scared them off with great
whooping and shooting
of guns
signalling no trade
The Apparitional Canoe
Before contact
peace in every upstream inlet
in early summer
the sea is glassy calm
fog banks form the margin of
the japan current
and roll in morning
after morning
sea otters swim
in pods among kelp
back-floating
the sea is glassy calm
until one morning
the evil star dawns
with the white
sail on the horizon
With
The first incoming
apparitional canoe
a singing
wind rushed
through cedars—a
silver moonlit
beached whale gleamed
out on the Sound
wave washed
otters slept
on kelp beds
back-floating
Mild
They're easy together
inside the pod
when there's no hunting
the yelp of the little
ones is not heard
on good days
when the weather is mild they move
like the vowels in the word
repose
off shore to browse
among sea
urchin and mussel
encrusted submerged reefs
or in drifting patches of
floating kelp
____________________________________________
Capt. James Cook—His Report: on the Sea Otter
The fur of these animals, as mentioned in the Russian accounts, is certainly softer and finer than any others we know of and, therefore, the discovery of this part of the continent of North America where so valuable an article of commerce may be met with, cannot be a matter of indifference. There is not the least doubt, that a very beneficial fur trade may be carried on with the inhabitants of this vast coast. But unless a northern passage be found practicable, it seems rather too remote from Great Britain to receive any emolument from it.
Infestation of the Merchandise
"one could say that in taking on a cargo of furs
one takes on also a cargo of lice"—
Marchand, 1790
Particularly in the early years when
to get their hands on a few novel articles
of trade the chiefs were willing
to strip the sea otter cloaks
from their own backs and as Cook
says thereby reduce themselves
to a state of nudity
many if not most of the skins exchanged
were—Cook again—"very lousy"
Brass (Cook at Nootka)
metal was especially demanded
particularly brass with such eagerness
before we left hardly a bit
of brass was to be found in the ships
even officers' jackets without buttons
________________________________
THE TWO CHIEFS:
Cook and Maquina at Nootka
Maquina Greeting Cook at Friendly Cove
(Nootka Sound, 1778)
A canoe remarkable for a
singular head which
had a bird's eye and a bill
of an enormous size
painted on it
a person who was in the bow
seemed to be a chief
many feathers hanging from his head
his face painted in extraordinary manner
The Bird Ceremonial Greeting for Cook
From the biggest and last in line
of the Nootkan dugouts
the chief
stood up strewing handfuls of
feathers over the water
towards us on the ship
as some of his fellow
Indians threw red dust
or powder likewise—
and made a long harangue
holding in his hand a carved bird
of wood
as large as a pigeon
which he rattled and was
no less vociferous in his harangue
two or three natives likewise
had their hair quite skewed over
with small feathers
others with large ones stuck
into different parts of their heads
The Canoe Song
While this ceremony continued
the others sat in their canoes
a little distance from the ship
and one sang
a very agreeable air
with a degree of softness and melody
which we could not have expected
the word haela friend
being often repeated
as the burden of the song
The Ship Boston
The Indians rifled
the ship Boston
dressed up in women's clothing
and sacks
pulled high stocking caps
over their heads
with powder horns
and bags of shot
came from all around
to party four days
till two Boston ships
the Juno and the Mary
came into the Sound to trade
the Indians
scared them off with great
whooping and shooting
of guns
signalling no trade
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1 comment:
Tom, just now able to canoe through your words here. Thank you for posting this. I like the couplets, how the lines float. A sense of the water, the back-n-forth of the boats, all there. I particularly like how the images interact with the poem to advance the narrative: this is terrific.
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