Caroline Giles Banks
feather turning in space
(Mural by George Morrison, 1974-75. Minneapolis American Indian Center)
Millennia ago birds and beasts led humans across the Bering Land Bridge to people a new world. Those who stopped and stayed are the Americas’ First Peoples, First Nations.
polyglots
bald eagles
name the mountains
About 50,000 American Indians live in Minneapolis/St.Paul, one of the nation’s largest urban native hubs. Movement back and forth between the Twin cities and tribal lands is frequent. Wild rice and Casinos, Pow Wows and grandma’s ribbon shirts call them home.
buffalo roam
off the Rez
reparation scouts
4 SIOUX MEN DETAINED BY ICE, TRIBAL LEADERS SAY
(Minnesota Star Tribune, January 13, 2026). Under federal law
Indigenous people declaring tribal affiliation are U.S. citizens,
thereby not subject to immigration enforcement.
eagle feathers
plaited in braids
real REAL IDs
Note: “eagle feathers” previously appeared in The Last Oak Leaf: Haiku, Senryu, and Haibun Poems (Wellington-Giles Press, 2025).
About the Author
Caroline Giles Banks, born in Boston, Massachusetts, is a cultural anthropologist whose poetry is often informed by her anthropological training and research. She has authored six poetry books, including The Weight of Whiteness: A Memoir in Poetry; Picture a Poem: Ekphrastic and Other Poems; and The Last Oak Leaf: Haiku, Senryu and Haibun Poems, She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.