DoomsdaysCW<p>5 <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/TwoSpirit" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>TwoSpirit</span></a> Heroes Who Paved the Way for Today's <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NativeAmerican" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>NativeAmerican</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LGBTQ" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LGBTQ</span></a>+ Community</p><p>by Samuel White Swan-Perkins<br>Nov 20, 2018</p><p>"In the 1990s, Indian Country (as we called it) was a very different place for <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NativeAmericans" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>NativeAmericans</span></a>. Our rural communities were isolated, with communication limited to landlines and the mail. </p><p>"Cigarette and beer companies frequently sponsored our powwows, recycling was unheard of, and the entire Native scene portrayed itself as very straight. Not straight-laced, per se, but really <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/hetero" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>hetero</span></a>.</p><p>"The term 'Two Spirit' for LGBTQ+ Native Americans didn’t exist yet, at least not outside <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Ojibwe" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Ojibwe</span></a> Territory. As for the concept—let’s just say that there were plenty of MCs making <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/winkte" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>winkte</span></a> (gay) jokes at the powwows I attended in the early ’90s. Still, in spite of prejudice, it was common knowledge that in 'the old days,' most of our Nations accepted and honored <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/GenderFluidity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>GenderFluidity</span></a>.</p><p>"I recall one of my elders sharing about a man from home who was that way. 'I don’t like it,' I remember her telling me as she braided me up for one of our dances, 'but we love N. and so—not my way, mind you.' I don’t recall the rest of the conversation, but I understood her comments to mean that winkte was not OK.</p><p>"Fast forward a couple of decades, and wow.</p><p>"Not only did the Native-American population skyrocket in North America, but we’ve gone through a major shift in how Two Spirits are recognized and treated. Today, dozens of Two Spirit organizations exist across the United States and Canada (North Valley Two Spirits, represent!). We have several of our own powwows, 501c3s and models that help sustain and preserve the Two Spirit way of life.</p><p>"To get a sense of where we are today, let’s take a look back at some of the original Two-Spirit heroes who helped light the way."</p><p>Read more:<br><a href="https://www.kqed.org/arts/13845330/5-two-spirit-heroes-who-paved-the-way-for-todays-native-lgbtq-community" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">kqed.org/arts/13845330/5-two-s</span><span class="invisible">pirit-heroes-who-paved-the-way-for-todays-native-lgbtq-community</span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NativeAmericanHistory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>NativeAmericanHistory</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LGBTQHistory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>LGBTQHistory</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/OshTisch" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>OshTisch</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Wewha" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Wewha</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/HastiinKlah" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>HastiinKlah</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Lozen" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Lozen</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Dahteste" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Dahteste</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Colonialism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Colonialism</span></a></p>