pre-colonial, complex roles of two-spirit people. There is no one way to prescribe usage of the term. To try and encapsulate all that is included in the translation from an Indigenous language to English is limiting. For example, some Indigenous Peoples may use the term to identify sexual orienta- tion while others may use it to indicate an embodiment of two spirits (masculine and feminine), and still others may identify with all of the above, or another more culturally specific understanding. In this way, it is clear that any discussion of the multiple, complex meanings of the concept two-spirit must be Indigenous-centred, nation specific, while grounded in Indigenous worldviews, ways of knowing and being. Additionally, an understanding of any meaning of two-spirit is both deeply personal and individual, and grounded in cultural context. It needs to be explicitly stated, the term two-spirit is specific to Indigenous Peoples only.
As stated above, there is no one way to de- fine the term two-spirit. Two-Spirit people and their roles predate colonial imposi- tions, expectations, and assumptions of sex, gender, and sexual orientation. Where colonial worldviews often frame concepts as linear, compartmentalized, categorical, and hierarchical, Indigenous worldviews tend to be understood as non-linear, reciprocal, (w)holistic, relational, and independent of Eurocentric perspectives and framings. As such, identifying as two-spirit is a decolo- nizing act of resistance in and of itself.
Historically, and traditionally, two-spirit people assumed a variety of important roles within their communities. For example, two-spirit people may be mediators, medicine people, healers, social workers, or land protectors. The role of a two-spirit person varied amongst different nations and communities; however, across nations, these roles were consistently highly valued and considered as gifts to the people who embodied them.
According to Indigenous scholar Harlan Pruden (Ne
-hiyo/Cree), two-spirit is an
organizing strategy which can be used to “
...organize the Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island who embody diverse sexualities, gender identities, roles and/or
expressions…”1 and who may or may not exclusively identify with western conceptu- alizations of gender and/or sexual orienta- tion. They assert that two-spirit is a gender analysis, as opposed to a sexual orientation analysis, although two-spirit can refer to gender, sexual orientation, or both. It is also described as a concept and not an identity for some, signaling the necessity to understand its meaning on an individual level and within a specific cultural context. As is the legacy of Eurocentricity, this colonial perception/framing of traditional two-spirit people permeated colonial poli- cies and practices, including the residential school system, which served to assimilate or eradicate Indigenous ways of being. As is the case with many traditional, his- torical, Indigenous ways of knowing that have been intentionally interrupted and
forcefully silenced, the advent of the term two-spirit offered an opportunity for sov- ereignty, to reclaim and reconnect with tra- ditional understandings of these valuable, gifted roles within society as determined by the community and the person.
“It is sacred and is more than just words – it is a spirit/heart language (if you know what I mean). When Two-Spirit is used it invokes our sacredness and reminds us that we have always been here, and we will be always be here. As a result, with Two-Spirit comes a great responsibility, to those who use it, as we walk and work in a sacred way with and for our people.”
– Dr. Myra Laramee E ELEMENTARY TE ACHERS’ FEDERATION OF ONTARIO 39 ELEMENTARY TEACHERS’ FEDERATION OF ONTARIO
ILLUSTRATIONS BY ASHLEY MOREAU
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