All I Want- Luci Tapahonso

Luci Tapahonso was born on November 8^th, 1953 in Shiprock New Mexico on the Navajo Reservation. According to a biography piece, Tapahonso is one who still considers Shiprock to be home though she spends time away from the reservation. In much of her writing, Tapahonso finds difficulty, “Separating [herself] from the place, [her] home, [her] land, and [her] people…[because] the place of [her] birth is the source of the writing.” (Native American Poet)

“All I Want,” a poem by Luci Tapahonso, is based upon Tapahonso’s experience with cooking bread with an unidentified woman. In the text, Tapahonso describes how she wants nothing more than for her bread, “to turn out like hers just once” (Tapahonso, 16). Throughout the piece, the method that the woman uses is based on memory and the knowledge of making the bread for many years. The woman is older than Tapahonso in the phrase, “you young people always ask those kinds of questions” (Tapahonso, 16). In the woman’s ability to make the bread with such knowledge represents an element of oral tradition. This because she is demonstrating her wisdom that comes with the task and how it cannot be replicated to those unfamiliar with how the process is correctly done.

The piece uses imagery to describe that the setting is during winter where a man chops wood outside. Tapahonso allows the imagery to demonstrate to the audience that her surroundings are comforting and familiar. In doing so, the audience can visualize the scene and be apart of the environment Tapahonso knows so well.

The tone of the poem be admirable because of Tapahonso’s interest in having her bread be similar to that of the unidentified woman. Throughout the piece, Tapahonso also reestablishes her appreciation of her home. In doing so, she draws more connection to why she is a writer and how it stems from her birthplace. Overall, this piece incorporated imagery, an admirable tone, and oral tradition to tell the story of her experience making this bread.

The Video that I included in this post is one that I am familiar with—being that it’s my cousins restaurant. Growing up, I experienced a similar environment of familiar foods and the desire to know more. Ben Jacobs opened Tocabe in 2009 and eventually began to expand and teach those about Tocabe—an American Indian Eatery. In doing so, he allowed people to experience the taste the many of our culture share.

Works Cited:

"Luci Tapahonso: Native American Poet." Luci Tapahonso: Native American Poet. http://nativeamerican-authors.com/tapahonso.html. 20 Feb. 2017.

Tapahonso, Luci. A breeze swept through. Albuquerque: West End Press, 1994. Print.

“Tocabe: An American Indian Eatery.” First Nations Development Institute 31 Aug. 2011. 19 Feb. 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68s-1KLE2hY.