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The term Two-Spirit was coined in 1990. It's a modern umbrella term, an English translation of the Ojibwe "niizh manidoowag," which refers to a person who embodies both masculine and feminine spirits. Today, Two-Spirit people use the term to describe fluid gender identities and sexual orientation, but their ancestors also took on important social and spiritual roles in their respective Indigenous communities prior to European colonization of North America starting in 1492.

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What Does "Two-Spirit" Mean? | InQueery | them.

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What Does "Two-Spirit" Mean? | InQueery | them.

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Two-Spirit individuals held important ceremonial, political, and spiritual roles in their communities

Gathered medicines, made art, went to war, and served as advisors

Held in very high esteem

Gender and sexual variance were both common and usually well-respected within many Indigenous communities

Around of 2/3 of 200 well recorded Indigenous languages spoken in North America have term for people who are neither men nor women

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As colonization continued, the suppression and subjugation of Two-Spirit people began

Starting with the Spanish in the early 16th century

Targeted Two-Spirit people with labels like "sodomite," "hermaphrodite," "berdache," and more

Labels were very harmful and were a form of violence

Shaped how archival records were written

Distorted how non-Native people interpreted Indigenous sexual expression and gender fluidity

Observation made by Pedro Fages, Spanish soldier and explorer, stating that men "in the dress, clothing, and character of women - there being two or three such in each village - [who] pass as sodomites by profession."

Physical violence was also a feature of European encounters with Two-Spirit people

Sometimes would rise to the level of genocide

Because of the fact Two-Spirit individuals were, and still are, knowledge keepers, Europeans were actively destroying a vital a link in the cultural, social, and linguistic knowledge of nearly 200 Native American communites

Western ideals of the gender binary, homophobia, and transphobia were pushed onto Indigenous people

Especially at boarding schools, residential schools, and other Christian institution

Indigenous children were forced to assimilate to Christian beliefs and values

Gender variance outside of the Western binary was punished severly

So heteronormative and cisnormative gender roles and views were forced upon Indigenous communities

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Two-Spirit Individual - Geo Soctomah Neptune (Passamaquoddy) 1988-Today

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Two-Spirit Individual - Geo Soctomah Neptune (Passamaquoddy) 1988-Today

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Passamaquoddy Two-Spirit

Master basket maker

They work with youth to preserve cultural arts by teaching basket weaving across Maine

Activist

Participated in Idle No More protests in Maine

Invited as the first Indigenous youth delegate to the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, 2016

Storyteller

Model

Drag queen

First drag queen to be on the cover of Native Peoples magazine, 2016

Educator

Became the first openly Two-Spirit person to be elected into public office in Maine, 2020

Spread awareness about political and social issue impacting Indigenous people

They hope to inspire other Two-Spirit to accept their truth

Travels across the state and country educating people about Wabanaki history and culture, and what it means to them to be a Two-Spirit

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Modern Day Resistance and Reclamation in the Two-Spirit Community

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Modern Day Resistance and Reclamation in the Two-Spirit Community

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Decolonization and re-Indigenization of gender and sexual identity in recent years

More and more spaces are being opened for people looking to be in community with other Indigenous people who share and respect their gender and sexual identity

Two-Spirit organizations, powwows, and events are becoming more common

Many spaces that have continued to remain traditional are beginning to recognize genders outside the binary as being traditional

Are beginning to reintegrate spaces for Two-Spirit, Indigiqueer, and gender non-conforming people

University of Winnipeg, 2019

Hosted a conference, Calls to Conversation

Goal of having Two-Spirit and queer and/ or trans people of color to come together to build relationships and have conversations about their lived experiences

Expressing Indigenous gender variance and sexuality is recognizing Indigenous life ways and roles that were taken away during colonization

Act of decolonization

Reclaiming Indigenous identities is both personally and communally fulfilling

Indigenous communities are missing spaces and roles traditionally held by Two-Spirit individuals

Reintegration of gender and sexual variance, and the roles held by those expressing them, is important to the progress of Indigenous people and their communities

Through writings, songs, stories, art, and ceremony created by Native American elders throughout history, Two-Spirit people continue to reclaim and renew their place in Native communities

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Two Spirits, One Dance For Native American Artist

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Two-Spirit Individuals - Osh-Tisch (Crow) Late 19th Century

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Two-Spirit Individuals - Osh-Tisch (Crow) Late 19th Century

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Name means "Finds Them and Kills Them"

A baté

Crow word for someone assigned male at birth who is a woman

There were multiple batés in this community

Held an esteemed position in her society

Took on both traditionally male and female roles

Excelled at both

Also known for her ferocity in battle

In the late 1890s, a federal agent, Agent Briskow, came onto Crown territory to try to enforce European values

He gathered as many baté as he could find, and forced them to conform to European values

Cut their hair into the style of masculine European haircuts

Dress as European men would

Forced them into manual labor

This was stripping away gender and culture

Osh-Tisch's community stood behind her

The Chief managed to force the agent into resignation and made him leave their land

Unfortunately, European societal norms all but took over

Osh-Tisch was known as one of the last baté for a long time

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Two-Spirit Individuals - We'wha (Zuni) 1849-1896

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Two-Spirit Individuals - We'wha (Zuni) 1849-1896

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A Lhamana individual

Zuni Two-Spirit

Assigned male at birth

Community members recognized them as  Lhamana at an early age

Took on both male and female tasks

Zuni cultural ambassador

Pottery and textile artist

Spiritual leader

Participated in a delegation in Washington, D.C.

Met President Grover Cleveland

Assisted with ethnographic research for the Smithsonian National Museum

Raised awareness about the Zuni in an effort to secure government assistance

Left behind a profound legacy

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https://the-pigeon.ca/2020/11/23/resistance-and-reclamation/

https://www.natifs.org/blog/two-spirit/

https://news.vcu.edu/article/2022/04/for-centuries-two-spirit-people-had-to-carry-out-traditions-in-secret

https://xtramagazine.com/power/meet-the-two-spirit-people-fighting-to-be-included-in-canadas-reconciliation-process-77916

https://www.kqed.org/arts/13845330/5-two-spirit-heroes-who-paved-the-way-for-todays-native-lgbtq-community

https://www.hrc.org/news/two-spirit-and-lgbtq-idenitites-today-and-centuries-ago

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/wewha

https://www.abbemuseum.org/attending-artists-profiles/geo-soctomah-neptune