two-spirit journey

8 min readMay 12, 2022

Two-Spirit” is a term used within some Indigenous communities, encompassing cultural, spiritual, sexual, and gender identity.

The term reflects complex Indigenous understandings of gender roles, spirituality, and the long history of sexual and gender diversity in Indigenous cultures. Individual terms and roles for Two-Spirit people are specific to each nation. The word “Two-Spirit” was created in the early 1990s, by a group of Two-Spirit community members and leaders. Due to its cultural, spiritual, and historical context, the concept of “Two-Spirit” is to be used only by Indigenous people. However, not all Indigenous people who hold diverse sexual and gender identities consider themselves Two-Spirit, many identify themselves as LGBTQ+.

Two-Spirit people have both a male and female spirit within them and are blessed by their Creator to see life through the eyes of both genders.

When attempting to explain the concept of Two-Spirit people in Indian country, many people may visualize images of Unicorns and Rainbows, Donna Summers, and Seventies disco balls. Try to explain the concept of Two-Spirit outside Indian country, and you may as well throw in war bonnets and glitter.

The term Two-Spirit has been present in Native communities for countless generations that predate LGBTQ terminology. For generations, Two-Spirit Native culture went underground to avoid detection and persecution.

Before colonization, Two-Spirit people were included and respected as valued community members, often holding revered roles such as healers, matchmakers, and counselors, among many others. As part of the colonization process, there has been an attempted erasure of Two-Spirit people. The western religious values and belief systems that were imposed on Indigenous people condemned any sort of sexual or gender diversity, and Two-Spirit people were killed or forced into assimilation and hiding. One of many lasting impacts of colonization on Two-Spirit people is an increased level of homophobia and transphobia within many Indigenous communities, which can often cause Two-Spirit people to leave their home communities (and subsequently, their families, land, and culture).

The role of Two-Spirit people in Indigenous communities is now being reclaimed, and it is becoming increasingly recognized that homophobia and transphobia are in direct contradiction with most traditional Indigenous values. Reclaiming the traditional roles and values placed on Two-Spirit people’s gifts is part of a larger healing process taking place within Indigenous communities.

Here are a few misconceptions and/or things you should know about Two-Spirit people that may help foster a better understanding of the Two-Spirit community.

Two-Spirit is not a contemporary “new-age” movement, but rather a reclamation of Two Spirit’s rightful place in Native culture.

Gay is not an interchangeable term with Two-Spirit Being a gay native is oftentimes confused with being Two-Spirit. While the two may have parallels and intersections, they are not the same. Gay specifically is about attraction to a person of the same sex. Two-Spirit is more about the embodiment of two genders residing within one person.

The Two-Spirit Road is a road of long-held traditions, prayer, and responsibility Claiming the role of Two-Spirit is to take up the spiritual responsibility that the role traditionally had. Walking the red road, being for the people and our children/youth, and being a guiding force in a good way with a good mind are just some of those responsibilities.

two Spirit people held significant roles and were an integral part of tribal social structures Two-Spirit people held a meaningful place in the sacred hoop. In many tribes, Two Spirits were balance keepers. Thought to be the “dusk” between the male morning and the female evening. As the role has evolved over time as necessary, the tradition is still alive. At Two Spirit gatherings and communal events, we can be found saying prayers that have needed to be said for decades and fostering healing for all present. Restoring much-needed balance to the spirit.

two Spirit is a term only appropriate for Native people two Spirit is a role that existed in a Native American/First Nations/Indigenous tribe for gender queer, gender fluid, and gender non-conforming tribal members. If you don’t have a tribe, you can’t claim that role.

Two-Spirit People face compounded traumas on top of inter-generational trauma Imagine going from your nation where you’re a celebrated Two-Spirit individual, to a boarding school where you’re assigned your gender, with any push back about it beating out of you. For a lot of our boarding school survivors (and those who didn’t survive), this was their reality. As a result, there is still healing from much internalized socio-political stigma, phobia, and lateral oppression to be done in the Two-Spirit community.

The resilience, strength, and sheer indomitable will of the Two-Spirit people is something to be shared with all nations. When you watch the sunrise every day, the sunset every evening, and the moon come out each night, remember the miracle of the Two-Spirit people. Not unnatural, not evil, or perverse, just all things in balance, and everything in divine order.

Living as a Two-Spirit is not all pride parades and hot pants. To be of service to our elders and youth with our very particular medicine is paramount. If we lose our traditions, our songs, our medicines, and our languages, and make no effort to restore what was lost, we doom ourselves. In 2016 Two-Spirit nation at Oceti Sakowin built the Cannonball River prayer pier, to be used for water ceremonies. Knee deep in mud on a cold 2016 November morning, the Two-Spirit camp worked till sundown so that our women and elders could have a place to pray the following morning. Actual events such as this are now part of our modern history as Two-Spirit people and should never be minimized. As with all the Native cultures, Two-Spirit is also a living culture.

As part of this reclamation, there has been a resurgence of Two-Spirit leadership, resources, community organizations, and events, as well as recognition and representation within LGBTQ+ communities and Indigenous communities. Please have a look at our resources section below to find out more about some of the work being done.

Q&A on being a two-spirit in 2016 with Two-Spirit Native Musician Tony Enos.

Resources

Indian Residential School Survivors Society — A provincial organization that provides essential services to Residential School Survivors, their families, and those dealing with Intergenerational traumas. Indigenous trans, two-spirit, and other LGBTQ+ Indigenous people are able to connect with their Resolution Health Support Worker and LGBTQ+ Liaison for support, interim counseling, and cultural connection and ceremony. To access this program ask to be connected with the LGBTQ+ Liaison by:

Drop-in at 44 E Cordova in Vancouver
Call: 1–800–721–0066
Email: reception@irsss.ca
Urban Native Youth Association: Vancouver organization with a wide range of Two-Spirit inclusive services for Indigenous youth, including some programming specifically designed for Two-Spirit youth.
2-Spirit Collective is an UNYA program that provides support, resources, and programming for Indigenous youth, ages 15 to 30, who identify as 2-spirit or LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, gender non-conforming, along with many other identities), and for those who are questioning their sexual or gender identities. The 2-Spirit Collective ensures that you have non-judgmental, supportive spaces to get together and explore your identities and what they mean to you. We do this through events, ceremonies, workshops, and collaborations with other programs, both at UNYA and with other organizations in the community.
Contact the 2-Spirit Collective at 604–254–7732 or 2spirit@unya.bc.ca

Trans Care BC resources

Indigenous gender diversity: Creating culturally relevant and gender-affirming services — This three-hour online course is for people working in health and social service settings to increase their awareness, knowledge, and skills when improving service access for gender diverse Indigenous people across British Columbia. The course has been developed in collaboration with gender-diverse Indigenous and Two-Spirit community members.
Creating culturally relevant and gender-affirming services — actionable strategies to provide more welcoming services and spaces. 10 strategies focus on what staff teams can do; 10 strategies focus on what you as an individual can do.
Gender-affirming health benefits for Indigenous clients seeking care — The 3-page support tool below may provide helpful information for people on eligible gender-affirming healthcare benefits through FNHA, NIHB, or their band.
Making culturally relevant and gender-affirming referrals — The 2-page support tool below provides helpful questions to consider before referring gender diverse Indigenous and Two-Spirit clients on to other services in order to do our best to make sure that these services are both culturally inclusive and gender-affirming.
Indigenous gender diversity course: Resources for further learning — Trans Care BC encourages everyone to continue learning about Indigenous gender diversity and the broader scope of Two-Spirit cultures, identities, and roles in various Indigenous Nations.

Online resources

Dancing to Eagle Spirit Society is a Vancouver based organization dedicated to healing and empowerment of Two-Spirit individuals
Native OUT — a non-profit education and media organization, actively involved in the Two-Spirit movement. They utilize the internet, through their website, multimedia and social networks to educate about the Indigenous LGBTQ+ and Two-Spirit people of North America
The Native Youth Sexual Health Network has a national campaign for First Nations youth across Canada to fight homophobia and normalize healthy sexuality. Includes free Two-Spirit posters to download
The North American Aboriginal Two Spirit Information Pages — a great site for researching articles and information on Two-Spirit and Aboriginal issues, hosted by the University of Calgary
Two-Spirited People of the First Nations provides prevention education and support for Two-Spirit people, including First Nations, metis, and Inuit people living with or at risk for HIV and related co-infections in Greater Toronto Area. Work is based on Indigenous philosophies of holistic health and wellness.

Films

Face to Face with Jack Saddleback (2014)
Meeting Ground — Journey of Indigenous Gender Identity (2014)
Regalia — Pride in Two-Spirits (2015)
Two Hard Things, Two Soft Things (2016, iTunes release summer 2018)
Two-Spirits (2009) — a documentary exploring the cultural context behind a tragic and senseless murder of a young Two-Spirit Navajo person
Two Spirits, One Voice — EGALE (2016)

Academic Articles

Driskill, Qwo-Li. (2011) “Doubleweaving Two-Spirit Critiques: Building Alliances between Native and Queer Studies.” GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies, vol. 16 no. 1, 2010, pp. 69–92. Project MUSE, muse.jhu.edu/article/372445.
Frazer, M. Somjen and Pruden, Harlan. (2010). Reclaiming Our Voice :Two Spirit Health & Human Service Needs in New York State. NYS DOH AIDS Institute: Albany, NY.
Sarah Hunt & Cindy Holmes (2015) Everyday Decolonization: Living a Decolonizing Queer Politics, Journal of Lesbian Studies, 19:2, 154–172
Hunt, S. (2016). An Introduction to the Health of Two-Spirit People: Historical, contemporary and emergent issues. Prince George, BC: National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health.
Ristock, Janice & Zoccole, Art & Passante, Lisa & Potskin, Jonathon. (2017). Impacts of colonization on Indigenous Two-Spirit/LGBTQ Canadians’ experiences of migration, mobility and relationship violence. Sexualities.
Ayden I. Scheim, Randy Jackson, Liz James, T. Sharp Dopler, Jake Pyne, Greta R. Bauer, (2013) Barriers to well-being for Aboriginal gender-diverse people: results from the Trans PULSE Project in Ontario, Canada, Ethnicity and Inequalities in Health and Social Care, Vol. 6 Issue: 4, pp.108–12.
Wesley, D., & Morgensen, Scott. (2015). Reimagining Two-spirit Community: Critically Centering Narratives of Urban Two-spirit Youth, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.
Wesley, Saylesh. (2014) Twin-Spirited Woman: Sts’iyo´ye smestı´yexw slha´:li. TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly 1.3: 338–351.
Wilson, A. (2008). N’tacimowin inna nah’: Our Coming In Stories. Canadian Woman Studies, 26(3/4), 193–199.