Ecocentric Reverence in Rita Joe’s “I salute the Sun”

Abstract

Rita Joe is recognized as an influential ecocentric poet and her works foreground the bond between land, indigenous identity and cultural continuity. Her poetry affirms the vitality of Mi’kmaq culture by placing the landscape both physical and lived at the heart of the Mi’kmaq experience. She employs nature not merely as imagery but also as an active force in sustaining and honouring indigenous traditions. This paper titled Ecocentric Reverence in Rita Joe’s “I Salute the Sun” the poem challenges anthropocentric control and elevates humility and reciprocity towards the natural world. Her poems, songs and autobiography have been instrumental in shaping contemporary understandings of indigenous relationships with land, language and community and advocates for both ecological consciousness and the resurgence of indigenous cultural expression drawing together in a unified vision of continuity and care for the land.