Two-Spirit: (also known as two spirit, two spirited, Two-Spirited, or 2Spirit) is a pan-Indigenous term, which is only used for the unique experiences of Indigenous people. It is not an umbrella term for all Indigenous LGBTQ people, instead it has cultural and traditional roles, understandings, and definitions associated with it.
The term Two-Spirit was created in in the early 1990s and presented at the 1994 Annual Native American Gay and Lesbian Gathering in Winnipeg, Manitoba as "an Indigenously-defined pan-Native North American term that refers to the diversity of Aboriginal LGBTQ identities as well as culturally-specific non-binary gender identities" (Hunt, S.). Previously, each Indigenous Nation had their own words, definitions, and roles for LGBTQ2S+ people. Most often, Two-Spirit people are historically described (by and within their own communities) as neither man nor woman or containing both masculine and feminine spirits. This allowed them to combine masculine and feminine roles like hunter and weaver or take on sacred roles within the community like teachers, healers, mediators, and shamans. Colonization attempted to erase Two-Spirit people from Indigenous societies, due to the homophobic, transphobic, and misogynistic values brought over and enforced by European settlers which still effect many nations today (Qmunity).
Two-Spirit can be written with and without the hyphen (Two Spirit). We will use both in our guide according to the source the information came from as both spellings appear to be widely used.
Definitions taken and adapted from:
A Two-Spirit Journey" is Ma-Nee Chacaby's extraordinary account of her life as an Ojibwa-Cree lesbian. From her early, often harrowing memories of life and abuse in a remote Ojibwa community riven by poverty and alcoholism, Chacaby's story is one of enduring and ultimately overcoming the social, economic, and health legacies of colonialism.
Becoming Two-Spirit, the first book to take an in-depth look at contemporary American Indian gender diversity. Drawing on a wealth of observations from interviews, oral histories, and meetings and ceremonies, Brian Joseph Gilley provides an intimate view of how Two-Spirit men in Colorado and Oklahoma struggle to redefine themselves and their communities.
The first book to examine the correlation between mixed-race identity and HIV/AIDS among Native American gay men and transgendered people, Indian Blood provides an analysis of the emerging and often contested LGBTQ 'two-spirit' identification as it relates to public health and mixed-race identity. Prior to contact with European settlers, most Native American tribes held their two-spirit members in high esteem, even considering them spiritually advanced. However, after contact--and religious conversion--attitudes changed and social and cultural support networks were ruptured. This discrimination led to a breakdown in traditional values, beliefs, and practices, which in turn pushed many two-spirit members to participate in high-risk behaviors.
A Generous Spirit: Selected Work by Beth Brant collects the writing of Beth Brant, Mohawk lesbian poet, essayist, and activist. During her life, Brant's work gave voice to an often unacknowledged Two-Spirit identity, and today, her words represent continued strength, growth, and connection in the face of deep suffering. A Generous Spirit is Brant's portrait of survival and empathy at the intersection of Native American and lesbian experience
One Bead at a Time is the oral memoir of Beverly Little Thunder, a two-spirit Lakota Elder from Standing Rock, who has lived most of her life in service to Indigenous and non-Indigenous women in vast areas of both the United States and Canada. Transcribed and edited by two-spirit Métis writer Sharron Proulx-Turner, Little Thunder's narrative is told verbatim, her melodious voice and keen sense of humour almost audible overtop of the text on the page.
he book focuses on the concept of asegi stories--stories that revise and revive Cherokee cultural memories of same-sex relationships and non-binary gender systems. It is the first full-length work of scholarship to develop a tribally specific Indigenous queer/two-spirit critique, providing a Cherokee 2GLBTQ lens from which to interpret the past, understand our present, and imagine decolonial futures
With a focus on historic sites, this volume explores the recent history of non- heteronormative Americans from the early twentieth century onward and the places associated with these communities. Authors explore how queer identities are connected with specific places: places where people gather, socialize, protest, mourn, and celebrate. The focus is deeper look at how sexually variant and gender non-conforming Americans constructed identity, created communities, and fought to have rights recognized by the government. Each chapter is accompanied by prompts and activities that invite readers to think critically and immerse themselves in the subject matter while working collaboratively with others
This poetry collections focuses on a hybridized Indigiqueer Trickster character named Zoa who brings together the organic (the protozoan) and the technologic (the binaric) in order to re-beautify and re-member queer Indigeneity. This Trickster is a Two-Spirit / Indigiqueer invention that resurges in the apocalypse to haunt, atrophy, and to reclaim.
Section 1: Performing queer indigenous critiques -- Decolonizing the queer Native body (and recovering the Native bull-dyke) : bringing "sexy" back and out of Native studies' closet / Chris Finley -- Queer theory and Native studies : the heteronormativity of settler colonialism / Andrea Smith -- A Queer caste : mixing race and sexuality in colonial New Zealand / Michelle Erai.....
Examples of subjects in the library catalogue:
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Content warning: Our collection contains items that were written many years ago. These can often include offensive and derogatory language which are recognized as unacceptable today.
