What is "Two-Spirit"
The term “Two-Spirit” is referred to as “a male-bodied or female-bodied person with a masculine or feminine essence [who] can cross social gender roles, gender expression, and sexual orientation.” "Two-Spirit" was adopted contemporarily by queer Native peoples as a term to identify and unite LGBTQ Native peoples and to educate and remind their Nations of the historical roles and value "Two-Spirit" peoples held in their communities.
Historically in Native societies, gender was typically understood as circular. Unlike European societies, gender was not necessarily determined by the sex assigned at birth, but it was rather something that could be acquired and at times could change according to the needs of the society
Historically in Native societies, gender was typically understood as circular. Unlike European societies, gender was not necessarily determined by the sex assigned at birth, but it was rather something that could be acquired and at times could change according to the needs of the society
"Two-Spirit" peoples were considered to be of a unique gender and often wore “gender-appropriate” clothing. These “third-gendered” peoples were considered to be highly valuable to the tribe and in some societies the community’s very existence was believed to depend upon their roles. These “third-gendered” peoples engaged in many important and valuable tasks that included;
- crafted objects which were generally highly valued or esteemed
- officiated on the occasion of a child’s birth (name giving)
- accompanied warriors into battle and cared for the wounded
- safe-guarded captured scalps and supervised the scalp dance and other dance ceremonies
- participated in tribal council
In addition, these “third-gendered” peoples were believed to have the power to mediate with the supernatural- a power that was considered neither feminine nor masculine but “of the middle.” As mediate, “third-gendered” peoples had the power to cross sexual boundaries and roles and because they were considered a creation of a vision, they were able to mediate between the divine and human worlds. Unlike European societies, tribal societies valued these “third-gendered” peoples because to tribal culture, sexual orientation was secondary to one’s role in the community. In fact, in tribal societies, bodily sex was read in “non-dimorphic ways outside of reproductive paradigms,” allowing “multiple gender possibilities for individuals in the community.”