fruit fly
by angelica osborne
Two Spirits are Better Than One
I went with my daughter’s youth group to The Round Valley Reservation this but even as a child his feminine nature was apparent. They said he liked to fix his
past week on a work trip for The Sierra Service Project up in Northern California shirt to imitate the girls’ petticoats and I imagine his moccasins probably had a
near Covelo. It’s a wonderful organization that allows our youth to help the elders little extra fringe and beads on them. We’wha ran faster, was stronger and was
of the community fix up their dilapidated homes and learn about the seven dif- smarter than the other kids. An elaborate coming of age ceremony took place
ferent tribes that were forced there in a type of death march back in the 1850s. As wherein she was, for the first time, dressed entirely as a woman and brought into
we drove around the neighborhood, I noticed a few large rainbow flags posted the inner circle of the women of the clan.
outside some of the homes. I wondered if their rainbow flags meant the same as In 1885 We’wha first went to Washington D.C. as an ambassador of the Zuni
our rainbow flags? We had a speaker from the Yucci tribe visit us and so I asked people. There she mingled with the aristocratic, American high society. President
her about them. She told me yes they were to show gay pride, which is just now Grover Cleveland and other dignitaries welcomed the six foot tall Zuni Princess as
starting to make itself seen in their society. She told me a little bit of the history of an honored guest at the White House for several days.
the “Two-Spirits” as was the traditional Native term. Before the European invasion When later, it was discovered that We’wha had actually been a cross dressing
of the West, Two Spirits were a socially recognized third gender and considered to man, people were in absolute shock. The Crying Game to the third power, ya’ll.
have important roles in the tribes, such as holy men or shamans, also to counsel Excerpt from popular D.C. paper of the day:
domestic situations since they could obviously understand both men and “The joke of the story is that the beautiful Princess “We’wha” was a bold, bad
women. Their identity was tied to the genders they associated with as opposed to man. He is a father of a family in Zuni. The fun he had after he got back home you
who they had sex with. Imagine that! Then, the Spaniards along with the Catholic can imagine. The possibilities of the tale are beyond description. I should of course
Church showed them why everything that was right about them before was leave out all objectionable features; for instance, “We’wha” being employed as a
now wrong. Oh… the guilt ridden legacy of the white man. We not only brought lady’s maid for a time and being around the dressing rooms where pompadours
them smallpox, alcohol and STDs—we also introduced them to the concept of were being “done,” which happened. “
being ashamed of who you are. Sometimes being white is such a drag! Anytime We’wha was turned into a prank. They couldn’t conceive that she could possibly
you study just about anybody’s history, there we were—being the big assholes. be the true ambassador of the Zuni people. How could such a freak be the most
Sigh. Alas, our speaker didn’t seem to hold my ancestry against me and she just respected and loved member of their tribe? It set the movement of Two-Spirits
laughed when the young girl beside me proudly announced her family were back into the closets of their pueblos for over 150 years. Then, thanks to modern
descendants of The “Bigfoots.” (She meant “Blackfoots” tribe, of course...I hope). technology, they began finding each other online, and in major cities.
Afterward, I told the speaker about my column and she encouraged me to look up There are Two-Spirit groups in New York City, San Francisco, Denver, Phoenix
We’wha, (WAY- Wah) a famous Two-Spirit of the Zuni tribe and a great example of and Tulsa, Okla. By the time I write this, there are probably new ones, maybe even
the respect Two Spirits were once given. in your town. Maybe you are one. Maybe I am, too. Maybe we all are.
We’wha was born in 1849, after the Catholics finally left the mission. The Zunis
were able to openly practice their traditions once again. We’wha was born a boy, feedback?
fruitfly@ragemonthly.com
20 RAGE monthly | August 2009
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