CURRICULUM
NIIZH MANIDOOWAG TWO-SPIRIT
Niizh Manidoowag: Two-Spirit
Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario
This publication centres on Indigenous per- spectives, specifically the voices of two-spirit people. The purpose is to engage in learning both from and with Indigenous Peoples about the historical and contemporary realities for twospirit or Indigiqueer folx, that may also identify as 2SLGBTQ+. This resource seeks to create space for students to see themselves reflected in their classrooms, affirm their experiences, and celebrate two-spirit voices.
See the full resource along with author credits at
ETFOfnmi.ca.
INTRODUCTION In April of 2021, the MMIWG2SLGBTQQ- IA+ National Action Plan: Final Report was released. The report notes that the impact of colonization, specifically on the erasure of two-spirit people, directly coincides with the attempted erasure of language, culture, and traditions such as the potlatch, the Sundance, and other ceremonies. Eurocentric beliefs did not include gender identities outside of the binary. The impact of this narrowed perspective on spirituality is immeasurable. Since this time, two-spirit individuals have been further marginal- ized and continue to work to reclaim their identities, their hearts, and their spirits. There is an incredible amount of work to do in unlearning, and relearning about the diversity of Indigenous Peoples on Turtle Island, this resource is just one tool to support the two-spirit community in classrooms and community.
In the Spring of 2021, the ETFO Anti-Op- pressive Framework: A Primer was released, in addition to the revised ETFO Equity Statement. The primer establishes “com- mon terminology, proactive strategies, and accessible tools to further develop under- standing. ETFO is committed to removing individual and systemic barriers in order to allow members to feel safer and fully par- ticipate in their workspaces.” This resource models the process for taking an anti- oppressive approach and applying it to the work being done everyday. In this resource, two-spirit voices will be centred and space created to explore ways in which people can better unpack their own biases, power, and privilege to create a more inclusive learning/ working environment moving forward.
WHY DO WE LIST 2S FIRST IN THE ACRONYM?
Harlan Pruden, addresses this question in the article, Visibility Matters: Listing of Two spirit and/or Indigenous First (2017). Indigenous Peoples are the First Peoples on Turtle Island. Contextualized in this way, two-spirit, Indigenous Peoples have a histo- ry that predates non-Indigenous identities. Two-Spirit individuals, Elders and knowl- edge keepers are working to reclaim, restore, and revitalize pre-contact, nation-specific teachings, roles and responsibilities.
“The Two Spirit movement is about the reclaiming and restoring of traditional Indigenous ways, while challenging the western (foreign) frameworks, concepts, or identities of LGBTQQIA*.”
– Pruden, 2017
Resisting a definition of the term Two-Spirit ‘Two-Spirit’ (i.e., two spirit, 2-Spirit, 2S) is an English term originating from a vision experienced by Dr. Myra Laramee in 1990. The term, two-spirit was introduced, and adopted at an LGBTQ+ gathering in Win- nipeg, Manitoba.
Some resources state that activist Albert McLeod coined the term in 1990, but it was Myra who the vision first came to, “having the ability to be neutral through the lens of having both feminine and masculine spirit.” The term two-spirit has a diverse range of expressions, depending on the individual, community, cultural, or linguistic context. The English term is a translation of the An- ishinaabemowin term, niizh manidoowag (niizh-two, manidoo-spirit) which refers to a person who embodies both masculine and feminine spirits. However, different nations and cultures offer definitions and understandings, in a variety of languages, to capture meanings of the variety of
38 E ETFO VOICE | F WINTER 2022TFO VOICE | WINTER 2022 ALL 2022
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52
