A Minnesota PBS Initiative
OGICHIDAG
My son is now a warrior. Will I listen to his stories or cry into his open grave?
The late writer Jim Northrup grew up on the Fond du Lac reservation and was a soldier in the Vietnam War. He writes about the theme of war and culture in his poem “Ogichidag.” In the Ojibwe language “ogichidag” means warriors.
Northrup was a noted storyteller who often performed his works on stage. This poem was featured on the Twin Cities PBS program “Arts on 2” in 1991.
Biographical Details
Submitted From: Sawyer, MN
Story Subject: Military Service
Military Branch: U.S. Marine Corps
Dates of Service: 1962 - 1966
Unit: India Company, 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines in the 3rd Marine Division
Heard the crack of rifle fire
in the rice paddies south of Da Nang,
Watched my friends die there
then tasted the bitterness
of the only war America ever lost.
My son is now a warrior.
Will I listen to his stories
or cry into his open grave?
Story Themes: Jim Northrup, Native American, Ojibwe, Poetry
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