For Laura Tohe, place is more than just a location.

Tohe, a Navajo poet and author, spoke on the importance of place among indigenous people Monday night in the Student Center Auditorium.

“This relationship we have with the land is very important for us,” Tohe said. “We are a very wealthy tribe because of what the land has provided for us, so we want to take care of the land and protect it.”

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Her visit coincided with the celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which started in 1992 as a response to the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ voyage.

“Not only is the importance of place a spiritual issue among many native people, but it’s become a political issue,” said Nichole Boyd, president of the Native American Student Organization.

Tohe has written several stories and works of poetry, including “No Parole Today” and “Making Friends With the Water.”

In 1999, the Woodcraft Circle of Native Writers named her “Writer of the Year.”

Tohe grew up on a Navajo reservation in northeastern Arizona. She said, though she no longer lives on the reservation, it would always be home to her soul.

Boyd said her group was excited to have such a well-known Native American author speak.

“She really focuses on educating people about, specifically, her culture but, through that, educating people on Native American culture in general,” Boyd said.

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Tohe writes her poetry in English as well as Navajo. She said this helps her convey the poetic imagery with which the Navajo people view the world.

“This is not just my voice but the voices of my ancestors,” Tohe said.

Anthony Webster, an assistant professor of anthropology, said Tohe uses humor to address serious topics.

By doing this, Webster said she can be politically engaged in a manner that is more comfortable for the reader.

Webster said the main thing he takes away from Tohe’s work is an understanding of the Navajo people as a whole.

“I hope to have my poetry and stories alongside other American poets, or any poets in the world who’ve told stories of who they are and what they believe in,” Tohe said.

Sean McGahan can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 259 or [email protected].