Mancelos, João de2016-07-192016-07-192007Mancelos, João de. “When the Beasts Spoke: The Ecopoetics of Joy Harjo”. JAST: Journal of American Studies in Turkey (American Studies Association of Turkey) 26 (Fall 2007): 69-73. ISSN: 1300-6606.1300-6606http://hdl.handle.net/10400.6/4298Joy Harjo is one of the most prominent Native American poets and musicians of her generation. In this paper I examine how Harjo creates a fictional world of anthropomorphism, fable, and personification, where rocks and rivers, animals and plants, voice a strong connection to the Creek history and landscape. I discuss how these natural elements can be seen as live symbols of a counter-culture. In fact, Harjo creates, reconstructs and reinterprets myths connected with the land, in order to denounce the Anglo-American abuse and exploitation of the natural resources, and to reinforce her belief in a worldwide indigenous community. Consequently, her poetry is part of an ethnic ecopoetics, with a strong universal appeal.engJoy HarjoEcopoeticsPersonificationAnthropomorphismWhen the beasts spoke: the ecopoetics of Joy Harjojournal article