''Fight Back: For the Sake of the People, for the Sake of the Land'' is a 1980 collection of poetry by

Simon J. Ortiz Simon J. Ortiz (born May 27, 1941) is a Native American writer, poet, and enrolled member of the Pueblo of Acoma. Ortiz is one of the key figures in the second wave of what has been called the Native American Renaissance. Ortiz's commitment t ...

, an enrolled member of the

Acoma Pueblo Acoma Pueblo (, kjq, Áakʼu) is a Native American pueblo approximately west of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. Four communities make up the village of Acoma Pueblo: Sky City (Old Acoma), Acomita, Anzac, and McCartys. These com ...

. The original edition dedicated the book to the 300 year anniversary of the

Pueblo Revolt The Pueblo Revolt of 1680, also known as Popé's Rebellion or Popay's Rebellion, was an uprising of most of the indigenous Pueblo people against the Spanish empire, Spanish colonizers in the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México, larger than prese ...

of 1680. While the book is political, this is often overlooked by critics.

In the original 1980 edition, ''Fight Back'' is dedicated to the tercentennial of the

of 1680 and contains a preface by historian

Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz (born September 10, 1938) is an American historian, writer, and activist, known for her 2014 book ''An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States''. Early life and education Born in San Antonio, Texas, in 1938 to ...

. In the preface, Dunbar-Ortiz draws connections between the revolt and the circumstances facing the indigenous peoples of the American southwest in 1980, which includes the colonial desire for land by the US and "workers fighting for freedom, for liberation and for decent, healthy lives". The book is contained in a red cover, which evokes to Reginald Dyck, a professor of English at

Capital University Capital University (Capital, Cap, or CU) is a private university in Bexley, Ohio. Capital was founded as the Theological Seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Ohio in 1830, and later was associated with that synod's successor, the Ame ...

, both the

Red Power movement The Red Power movement was a social movement led by Native American youth to demand self-determination for Native Americans in the United States. Organizations that were part of Red Power Movement included American Indian Movement (AIM) and N ...

and the symbology of historical revolutions. These elements are missing in the 1992 edition, though the later edition includes a critical introduction by Ortiz. The collection is not only a body of traditional poetry, but also combines elements of prose.

Reception

While ''Fight Back'' is a political collection of poems, critics have largely ignored its political stance. Similar to the 1992 edition, critics have written about ''Fight Back'' in a conciliatory sense; some critics view the book as separating the personal and political dimensions of activism, and treat the collection as largely a traditional account of culture. Beth Langan, a professor at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, wrote in 1984 that Ortiz provides the kind of "thorough knowledge" needed to energize and enlighten indigenous people to struggle against their circumstances. Eric Cheyfitz, a professor of American studies at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

, said that Ortiz's writing about land is one of "kinship" and familial bonds, and that it transforms the property-based perspective of Western law into a communal one. The poet

Laura Tohe Laura Tohe (born 1952) is a Native American author and poet. She is poet laureate of the Navajo Nation for 2015–2019, and is a professor emerita of English at Arizona State University. Tohe was born in Fort Defiance, Arizona, the daughter of ...

says that Ortiz's writing was exceptional, in that it was one of the few pieces of writing that spoke of the border towns that surrounded

Indian reservation An Indian reservation is an area of land held and governed by a federally recognized Native American tribal nation whose government is accountable to the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs and not to the state government in which it ...

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{refend 1980 poetry books Native American literature

Contents

Reception

References

Citations

Bibliography