Two Spiritedness

"The Hummingbird Society, Winkte, Berdache, Ogokwe, two-spirited, the basket and the bow: These are all symbols and words used to describe the sacred people known as lesbians and gay men.  First Nations scholars such as Paula Gunn Allen and historians such as Walter Williams have taken on the task of documenting the existence of homosexuals in First Nations societies and cultures before the Europeans reached Turtle Island.  It is well known that before the Europeans, most indigenous societies had names for homosexuals and far more than just identifying us, these names reflected recognition to the sacredness of two-spirited people.  We were respected and vital parts of our societies.  We were medicine people, warriors, healers and visionaries.  It is said that two-spirited people will walk where everyone else is afraid to and we will go where no one else will."(Deschamps, 1998)

The author of this quote is two-spirited and from Opwaaganisining (Red Rock) Ojibwe First Nation.  I found it in the library at Phoenix Rising Women's Centre in a binder in the culture section.  When I inquired of where it came from, I learned that it was part of a workshop regarding AIDS awareness in First Nations communities.  I was inspired by the amount of information that it contained about native culture before European settlers arrived in Canada, something I had struggled to find a lot of, online.

  I found this to be a particularly intriguing quote, considering that it explains how lesbian and gay people have played important roles in shaping the understanding of strength, and tenacity within traditional tribal cultures.  Historically, Anishnaabek people considered gay and lesbians to be sacred in nature, because of their ability to maintain extraordinary balance through embodying both the male and the female spirit. Elders teach of two-spirited people having special duties and responsibilities within our communities.  Traditionally, gay transvestites were the medicine people or shamans of the tribe.  Homosexuals were known to have powerful presence in spiritual ceremonies and had a special role in funerals and respected vital positions, within traditional cultures.  They were admired and not mocked, respected and not ridiculed.   

  The more I research this topic, the more I gain insight into just how seemingly polar opposite  these ideas were to those of the Europeans, who wanted nothing more than to eradicate homosexuality, and how obviously destructive, and narrow minded this was.  We are now seeing momentum building within the gay community,  where power is slowly being reclaimed, and views are beginning to shift toward considering homosexuality as it once was in Anishnaabek culture, a sacred position in society.    The Europeans saw sexuality in general, as a psychological disorder that needed to be harnessed and cured.  They used these beliefs to control society and to manipulate existing values concerning moral choices.  Homosexuality was seen as deviant and threatening in nature, much like the First Nations people were viewed as barbaric animals who had to be tamed.  

  There is much needed healing in both European world views and traditional Anishnaabek beliefs.  On one hand some of our communities must do some moral inventory around changing existing beliefs that are oppressive, on the other hand some of us desperately need to take our power back and be proud of who we are and who we love, whether we are two-spirited or not.

~ Tara

References:

Deschamps, G. (1998). Two-Spiritedness pg.12-13. In We Are Part of a Tradition A Guide on Two-Spririted People for First Nations CommunitiesToronto, Ontario: Mino-B'maadiziwin Project.