Luther Metke
Encyclopedia
Luther Metke was an American folk poet. He served in the Spanish American War and was a representative of the American Veterans Committee
. He was the subject of Jorge Preloran
's Academy Award nominated documentary Luther Metke at 94
.
. He started building log cabins as a young boy, helping other homesteaders, and immigrant families build homes. He enrolled in the US Navy
in 1898, at the age of 15, saw battle in the Spanish American War, and served in the Philippines
, Japan
, and China
. During an expedition up the Yangtze river
, Metke saw the impact that deforestation and uncontrolled logging could have on the environment; this experience would strongly influence his poetry.
in 1907, at the age of 24. He purchased a homestead in Central Oregon
, on the current site of the Sun River Resort. He was a lumberjack
, used the two-man saw to fall giant pines, some measuring six feet across, and floated them down the river for sale to mills in Bend, Oregon
. Metke also built log cabins and bridges, a craft he remembered from his youth in Minnesota: he wrote that "a man never forgets how to use the old broad axe", the log-cabin building tool of choice for Metke. It is estimated that he built over 40 log homes in Central Oregon (including the grand lodge at Sun River Resort) and built practically every bridge across the Deschutes River. In the 1920s, Metke became a labor organizer, an advocate of labor unions and better working conditions for workers in the logging industry. Metke's years spent homesteading, as a lumberjack and woodsman, shaped another of his personal facets and would strongly influence his poetry.
, on the Metolius River
. By then he was known in Central Oregon as a rugged individualist, an environmentalist and a master builder of fine log cabins. No one suspected however, that Metke was also a poet, and for a good reason: he seldom shared his poetry, never attempted to publish it and shied away from his public image. In fact, he had little regard for poets—"Poems I write have a meaning; they're not about babbling brooks and such"—or for newspaper and television reporters, claiming "they want to make a hero out of somebody that has no business being one". Though it is unknown when Metke started writing poetry, he claimed he started in the 1970s as a means to communicate with his grandchildren. His poems touched on issues such as man's relationship with God, nature and aging. His poems are not regarded as exceptional by literary standards, but express with crushing clarity a way of life that was his and that has vanished: living in harmony with God and nature. Only 12 of his poems have ever been published—these were presented in a documentary—his other poems were destroyed late in his life.
was produced by Jorge Preloran
and was nominated for an Academy Award. It won six film festival awards including first place at the Atlanta Film Festival
and the Silver Certificate at the Birmingham International Educational Film Festival. It was funded by the National Endowment for the Arts
. Luther Metke at 94 documents Metke building his last log cabin, in Camp Sherman (on Metke Lane) at the age of 94 and includes several of his poems.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081091/
American Veterans Committee
The American Veterans Committee was founded in 1943 as a liberal veterans organization and an alternative to groups such as the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, which supported a conservative political and social agenda. The organization's roots were planted in 1942 when Sgt...
. He was the subject of Jorge Preloran
Jorge Preloran
Jorge Ricardo Preloran was a prolific Argentine filmmaker and a pioneer in ethnobiographic film making.- Life and career :...
's Academy Award nominated documentary Luther Metke at 94
Luther Metke at 94
Luther Metke at 94 is a 1980 Argentine short documentary film directed by Jorge Preloran. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short....
.
Early life
Metke was brought up on a homestead in MinnesotaMinnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. He started building log cabins as a young boy, helping other homesteaders, and immigrant families build homes. He enrolled in the US Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
in 1898, at the age of 15, saw battle in the Spanish American War, and served in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. During an expedition up the Yangtze river
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
, Metke saw the impact that deforestation and uncontrolled logging could have on the environment; this experience would strongly influence his poetry.
Midlife
Metke returned from service on the battleship OregonUSS Oregon (BB-3)
USS Oregon was a pre-Dreadnought of the United States Navy. Her construction was authorized on 30 June 1890, and the contract to build her was awarded to Union Iron Works of San Francisco, California on 19 November 1890. Her keel was laid exactly one year later...
in 1907, at the age of 24. He purchased a homestead in Central Oregon
Central Oregon
Central Oregon is a geographic region in the U.S. state of Oregon and is traditionally considered to be made up of Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties. Other definitions include larger areas, often encompassing areas to the north towards the Columbia River, eastward towards Burns, or south...
, on the current site of the Sun River Resort. He was a lumberjack
Lumberjack
A lumberjack is a worker in the logging industry who performs the initial harvesting and transport of trees for ultimate processing into forest products. The term usually refers to a bygone era when hand tools were used in harvesting trees principally from virgin forest...
, used the two-man saw to fall giant pines, some measuring six feet across, and floated them down the river for sale to mills in Bend, Oregon
Bend, Oregon
Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States, and the principal city of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, and, despite its modest size, is the de facto metropolis of the region, owing to the low population...
. Metke also built log cabins and bridges, a craft he remembered from his youth in Minnesota: he wrote that "a man never forgets how to use the old broad axe", the log-cabin building tool of choice for Metke. It is estimated that he built over 40 log homes in Central Oregon (including the grand lodge at Sun River Resort) and built practically every bridge across the Deschutes River. In the 1920s, Metke became a labor organizer, an advocate of labor unions and better working conditions for workers in the logging industry. Metke's years spent homesteading, as a lumberjack and woodsman, shaped another of his personal facets and would strongly influence his poetry.
Later life and poetry
In 1967, Metke settled in Camp Sherman, OregonCamp Sherman, Oregon
Camp Sherman is an unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Oregon, United States. It is located on the Metolius River. The population consists of a few hundred year-round residents, swelling to several thousand during the summer. The community includes an elementary school, Black Butte...
, on the Metolius River
Metolius River
The Metolius River is a tributary of the Deschutes River in Central Oregon, United States, near the city of Sisters. The river flows north from springs near Black Butte, then turns sharply east, descending through a series of gorges before ending in the western end of the lake...
. By then he was known in Central Oregon as a rugged individualist, an environmentalist and a master builder of fine log cabins. No one suspected however, that Metke was also a poet, and for a good reason: he seldom shared his poetry, never attempted to publish it and shied away from his public image. In fact, he had little regard for poets—"Poems I write have a meaning; they're not about babbling brooks and such"—or for newspaper and television reporters, claiming "they want to make a hero out of somebody that has no business being one". Though it is unknown when Metke started writing poetry, he claimed he started in the 1970s as a means to communicate with his grandchildren. His poems touched on issues such as man's relationship with God, nature and aging. His poems are not regarded as exceptional by literary standards, but express with crushing clarity a way of life that was his and that has vanished: living in harmony with God and nature. Only 12 of his poems have ever been published—these were presented in a documentary—his other poems were destroyed late in his life.
Luther Metke at 94
Luther Metke at 94Luther Metke at 94
Luther Metke at 94 is a 1980 Argentine short documentary film directed by Jorge Preloran. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short....
was produced by Jorge Preloran
Jorge Preloran
Jorge Ricardo Preloran was a prolific Argentine filmmaker and a pioneer in ethnobiographic film making.- Life and career :...
and was nominated for an Academy Award. It won six film festival awards including first place at the Atlanta Film Festival
Atlanta Film Festival
The Atlanta Film Festival is an Academy Award qualifying, international film festival held in Atlanta, Georgia. Started in 1976 and occurring every April, the festival shows a diverse range of independent films, including genre films such as horror and sci-fi...
and the Silver Certificate at the Birmingham International Educational Film Festival. It was funded by the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
. Luther Metke at 94 documents Metke building his last log cabin, in Camp Sherman (on Metke Lane) at the age of 94 and includes several of his poems.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081091/