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Two-spirited: New name for age-old, honoured identity MINA KERR-LAZENBY
MKerrLazenby@nsnews.com Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
It was in Winnipeg in 1990, at an Indigenous lesbian and gay international gathering, that the term two-spirit was first coined. The term, translating to “niizh manidoowag” or “two spirits” in the Anishinaabe language, is now working its way into Canadian vernacular: it either leads or finishes the LGBTQ2S+ acronym and, as of March this year, has its own dedicated day of celebration and awareness.
But what does two-spirit mean? The specific definition may vary from person to person, but generally it refers to an Indigenous person who identifies as having both female and male spirits. Those who consider themselves neither men nor women, but their
own, distinct gender status. “There is no dead-set definition,” says Jake Kimble, preferring to clarify what two-spirit isn’t rather than define what it is. One of the most common misconceptions, they say, is that the term can be a linguistic catch-all for all queer identities. “A lot of people group twospirit in with being gay, or being transgender, and while there can be similarities, they are not the same.” Kimble, a two-spirited, multidisciplinary artist based in Vancouver, says the term is used to describe an Indigenous person who exists outside of Westernized labels of sexuality and gender identity. Because while two-spirit as a term may be relatively new, the identity behind the moniker has been prevalent in Indigenous communities for centuries. Prior to colonization, First Peoples and
Multidisciplinary artist Jake Kimble says humour is key for education when navigating conversations about what it means to be two-spirited. PAUL MCGRATH / NSN Native Americans who walked within both the feminine and masculine worlds were highly regarded, explains Kimble. They held revered social, spiritual and community-driven roles, and were
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often healers, knowledge keepers, counsellors and matchmakers. “Our great ancestors honoured people like us,” adds 21-year-old Joseph Natrall, a Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) student at North
Vancouver’s Eslha7an Learning Centre. “Being two-spirited is definitely regarded as something special in my community. In our beliefs Continued on page 22
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