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Quote by Joy Harjo

“Imagine if we natives went to the cemeteries in your cities and dug up your beloved relatives, pulled off rings, watches, and clothes, and called them "artifacts," then carried the bones over to the university for study so we could understand you. Consider that there are more bones of native people in universities and museums for study, than there are those of us living.”

Quote by Joy Harjo

Work

Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings: Poems

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Author

Joy Harjo
Joy Harjo

Joy Harjo is an American Indian poet born on May 9, 1951. Her work blends poetry, music, and visual art, exploring Native American culture, identity, and the female experience. Harjo is known for her unique voice and profound emotional expression, and her poetry has won numerous literary awards. more

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“One day in the future someone will look at this period in history and wonder why there were so many people completely insane and self-destructing themselves. Why were so many filled with hatred, jealousy and resentment. Why were so many fighting for ideals that have no value, like flag colors, skin color, teams and objects. They will probably create museums to contemplate the insanity of humanity and those museums will be filled with horror and ruins, in the same way we now look at roman coliseums. And they will then treasure the truth more than anything, and every book created until then will be seen as nothing more than a memory that persisted in time.”

“In the future, churches, mosques, synagogues and temples, all of them will be museums! The intellectual progression of humanity will necessitate such a drastic and dramatic change in the human history!”