Text in English by Uvavnuk, translated by Jane Hirshfield.
Indigenous Themes
I found this powerful poem by Uvavnuk in one of my favourite books, "Women in praise of the sacred - 43 centuries of spiritual poetry by women", an inspiring collection compiled, edited and translated by American writer, poet and translator, Jane Hirshfield. Uvavnuk was a 19th century Iglulik Eskimo woman. According to Hirshfield, "Among the Iglulik, women shamans were believed to be especially powerful." I composed "The great sea" in December 2005 for Vancouver mezzo-soprano Barbara Towell, who sand it with all the beauty, passion and sweep I had imagined.