By late Saturday afternoon, WORD Christchurch had been in full swing for several days, not to mention the jam-packed first weekend day of WORD event-goodness. There was a casual and relaxed vibe heading into TSB Space at Tūranga. Enter: Tayi Tibble and Sasha taqwseblu LaPointe for their event, Kinships, and it’s a whole ‘nother level.
Tayi (Te Whānau ā Apanui and Ngāti Porou) is an award-winning poet with two published two collections of poetry (Rangikura and Poūkahangatus). Sasha is a Pacific Northwest native writer from the Upper Skagit and Nooksack Indian Tribes in the United States, and her collection of essays, Thunder Song, was published earlier this year.
Tayi opened the chat warning the crowd that the following hour would probably be them just talking about how cool they think each other are. This elicited a rumble of laughter from the crowd, and I knew we’d be in for a good show. Essentially, though, they wanted to share how their indigenous solidarity while publishing in mainstream industries not only helped them navigate the environments, but grow their relationship as two wāhine natives, now e hoa.
Tayi and Sasha met in 2022 when Tayi was promoting her poetry collection in a bookstore in the U.S. At this time, she felt “random” and out of place in this predominantly white, mainstream industry. Sasha helped her to feel a sense of purpose, and showed her that there was a community for her over there. Sasha also explained that once she had graduated and moved into these new literary spaces, she realised how safe she had been in her native spaces bubble while she was at university. It felt isolating moving through these white spaces. When she met Tayi, she felt seen, her story validated.
“It almost feels performative when you’re the only native in the room.”
Tayi pleaded with Sasha for a chance to stay on the reservation with her, and before double checking that she really understood that meant giving up a paid-for L.A. hotel room, Sasha agreed. Naturally they grew closer, sharing stories, histories, and experiences, they realised how similar their cultures were; how much they overlapped. They began to believe their ancestors had meant for them to meet.
After they parted, without each other realising, they both wrote about their experience. Sasha warned her editor about the content in her essay (re. something they may both have consumed), and had been laughed away explaining that she had read about it already in Tayi’s essay. The audience enjoyed this anecdote, too. They both shared readings from their essays, which did indeed contain some overlapping themes and content.
“In a sea of white spaces, we matter.”
Tayi and Sasha parted ways and then earlier this year went on tour in the U.S. again together, developing further that connection. They both mentioned how important it felt that it was not a one-off occurrence, but that they were able to reunite as indigenous writers in this publishing world again.
Tayi and Sasha explained that at one of their talks, where they had initially felt heard and understood, they were stunned at the questions being asked of them. They weren’t understood at all. Such questions included but were not limited to: ‘But can you talk about feminism?’ and ‘How do we solve colonisation?’
One museum on this tour even refused to reimburse them for their time – a reminder that, even now, some institutions refuse to de-colonise. Sasha mentioned attendees crying at them at book signings, and sighed – “but this is what wāhine have to do; make others feel better even when we’re forced into an uncomfortable situation”. Rather than feeling elated and inspired, they left feeling utterly traumatised by this tour. Both were incredibly thankful and relieved they had each other to lean on through that distressing and disturbing time. Tayi quipped to the crowd that there is good news though, they are actually being paid for this talk.
On this lighter note, more readings were shared with the crowd, including a poem by Tayi called I was on the phone with my man last night, but I was thinking of sinking the Endeavour (to raucous laughter from the crowd). The two reiterated the importance of their kinship, the support and manaakitanga both have been able to show to each other. Catching up again, they learnt they are both writing new books, possibly the same one in fact - “because of course we are.”
There was time for pātai at the end, where even then connection was found from a member in the crowd who grew up in a neighbouring town to Sasha. Although a lot of what Tayi and Sasha discussed felt pretty heavy at times, it was balanced perfectly with humour and humility, connection and laughter, and a real sense of kinship and hope.
More by Tayi and Sasha
- Books by Tayi Tibble
- Books by Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe
More WORD Christchurch
- WORD Christchurch website
- Follow WORD Christchurch on Instagram, Facebook and X FKA Twitter
- Our WORD Christchurch 2024 page - event reports and books by Festival writers
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