About this entry

You’re currently reading “phil george | ambition,” an entry on Bashō's Road

Published:
03.06.10 / 6pm
Category:
Phil George

phil george | ambition

Ambition

This summer I shall
Return to our Longhouse
Hide beneath a feathered hat,
And become an Old Man.

Phil George (of the Nez Percé Nation at Lapwai, Washington)

[from the WHISPERING WIND, Poetry by Young American Indians, edited by Terry Allen, Doubleday, 1972.]

The works of Phil George (b. 1946), a Wallowa Nez Percé poet, have been published in several anthologies, including The Remembered Earth (1979) and Dancing on the Rim of the World (1990). His poetry has even been read on popular television shows, such as the Tonight Show and the Dick Cavett Show. Born in Seattle, Washington, George attended Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, and the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is also a champion Traditional Plateau dancer. George wrote, produced, and narrated the program A Season for Grandmothers for the Public Broadcasting Service. His work is showcased at the Nez Percé National Historical Park in Spaulding, Idaho.