Billy-Ray Belcourt (he/him) is a writer and academic from the Driftpile Cree Nation. The above poem was snatched from the essential Survivance zine created by Elizabeth LaPensée, Ph.D., and R.I.S.E. (Radical Indigenous Survivance and Empowerment).
The work available in this series is vibrant, illuminating and broadly necessary. Please support their projects.
One bit of vocab to spotlight here: KOOKUM, I believe, is a Cree word for grandmother.