Reclaiming the Navajo language — through English: A conversation with poet Esther Belin

By Dionne Phillips, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, IndigiNews Diné poet Esther Belin has noticed the unique way writers from her community often engage with the English language. “Originally forced on us, English is now being reconstructed with Diné sound and thought,” she writes in the March issue of Poetry magazine. “Indigenous poetics is growing in numerous directions as writers continue to re-embody Indigenous thought and sound — in new and repatriated forms.” This idea is at the core of this month’s issue, which she guest-edited, of the 113-year-old “Chicago” magazine published by the Poetry Foundation. Belin worked with more than 20 Indigenous authors — most of them also Diné — to create a collection of poetry and prose that capture the essence of Diné bazaad (the Navajo language). Diné bazaad…

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