DoomsdaysCW<p>'We are medicine': Saturday's <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/TwoSpiritPowwow" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>TwoSpiritPowwow</span></a> celebrates <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/LGBTQ" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>LGBTQ</span></a>+ community amid adversity</p><p>by Madeline Nguyen<br>Arizona Republic</p><p>Feburary 16, 2024</p><p>"The fourth annual <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Arizona" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Arizona</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/TwoSpirit" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>TwoSpirit</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Powwow" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Powwow</span></a> will celebrate the state’s two-spirit and LGBTQ+ communities on Saturday at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix.</p><p>[...]</p><p>"Historically, two-spirit individuals were esteemed as talented and respected members of their communities, often assuming roles as healers and visionaries. However, with the spread of colonization and conservative Christian values, they began to face discrimination.</p><p>"'Powwows were meant for a social gathering of different tribal communities, and they came together, danced, sang, had fun, and it was a way for each of us to socialize with each other,' said Navi Ho, a cochair of the powwow who identifies as two spirit. 'So in that sense, being part of the two-spirit, LGBT community, we never felt welcome at a powwow because of the colonial thought that gay people are not welcome or queer people are not welcome.'</p><p>"Saturday’s powwow seeks to assist two-spirit individuals within the local community in reclaiming their identities. This will be achieved by removing the binary gender divisions typically found at standard contest powwows and instead focusing on nonbinary categories, Ho explained.</p><p>"The event will showcase drum groups and dancing contests catering to attendees of all ages, from 'tiny tots' to adults. Additionally, there will be a market featuring local LGBTQ+ or allied businesses selling art and other goods, along with various food trucks offering frybread, kettle corn, and shaved ice. Moreover, booths representing local organizations and providing free testing for sexually transmitted infections will be available to connect attendees with community resources, Long explained.</p><p>"The event aims to not only give two-spirit and LGBTQ+ people an opportunity to celebrate their identities but to also educate people of all ages within the local community about what it means to be two-spirit, according to Ho.</p><p>"'We are medicine within our community,' they said. 'We are that sacred piece that once we come back into the circle, the sacred circle, we will complete it. So that’s all there — there’s unity; there’s love; there’s connection. And so this is very important for our community.'"</p><p><a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2024/02/16/phoenix-indian-centers-two-spirit-powwow-to-honor-lgbtq-community/72635727007/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">azcentral.com/story/news/local</span><span class="invisible">/phoenix/2024/02/16/phoenix-indian-centers-two-spirit-powwow-to-honor-lgbtq-community/72635727007/</span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Decolonize" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Decolonize</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NonBinary" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NonBinary</span></a><br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/GBLTQI" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>GBLTQI</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Activism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Activism</span></a><br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Reclamation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Reclamation</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Indigiqueer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Indigiqueer</span></a><br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/IndigenousYouth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>IndigenousYouth</span></a></p>