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a brief definition about two spirit and what it means: a thread
two spirit is a closed native lgbt+ identity that almost all tribes had some form or concept of. the premise of the identity is that two spirit people held both a masculine and feminine spirit, as opposed to one or the other like most.
within that, the essential idea is that a two spirit person held both masculine and feminine traits, although these traits can vary widely and be presented in an infinite amount of ways.
because of this, many people think two spirit is only applicable to nonbinary people, but this isnt inherently true! two spirit would often times be applied to binary trans people, gay men, lesbians and etc.
even though the concept of two spirit is very old, the term two spirit was coined at an lgbt+ native gathering in winnepeg, manitoba, canada in 1990 as an alternative to other derogatory westernized terms used to describe us.
thd gendered traits that two spirit people displayed could go as far as completely identifying as the opposite of your birth gender, being attracted to the same gender, falling in between what's considered male and female, and even more.
two spirit occupied special places in tribes and were often considered wiser than other members for their multiple spirits. common jobs they would take on are basket weaving, pottery, and decorative items from amab two spirit people and hunting and warfare for afab ones.
due to their revered nature, two spirit people were often shamans, healers, ceremonial leaders, leaders in war, and even chiefs! due to their higher positions, they tended to be wealthier members of the tribe.
when colonization came, two spirit people were especially targeted not only for their identity but also their status within the tribe which led to a mass erasure of the knowledge. despite this attempt to wipe us out, there are many of us left and plenty of resources to read :)
some two spirit people you might want to do some research on are osh-tisch, we'wha, hastiin klah, and lozen and dahteste!
end of thread ! hope this help clear up any questions you may have had and happy indigenous peoples day ! <3 :)
