![]() ![]() ![]() At the same time, many tribal members prefer to use words for gender variance from their own people’s language. Adopted as part of the modern pan-Indian vocabulary in 1990 during the third annual inter-tribal Native American/First Nations Gay and Lesbian American Conference, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, it refers to individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, transgender, transsexual, or gender-fluid. The term Two Spirit derives from niizh manidoowag (two spirits) in the Anishinaabe language. Under federal authority, traditions of all sorts were forbidden, condemned, or punished, including through violence, and much traditional knowledge was lost. And in still other tribes, they were accepted and lived as equals in day-to-day life.Įuropean contact, conquest, and expansion disrupted the community and ceremonial roles of LGBTQ Natives, along with other cultural traditions, and imposed new values through Christian religion and non-Native institutions, policies, and laws, such as boarding schools and relocation. In other tribes, LGBTQ people had no special status and were ridiculed. Their status among their people came from their dreams, visions, and accomplishments that revealed them as healers and societal or ceremonial leaders. In some tribes and First Nations, stories are passed down of individuals who had special standing because they were LGBTQ. Similarly, there are many differences in how Indigenous communities and tribes saw or responded to gender variance. Many tribal languages include specific vocabulary to refer to gender identities beyond male and female others do not, or those terms have been lost. Native nations are similar to other world populations in the demographic representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals. As part of our observance this year, the National Museum of the American Indian invited Native friends to share what they understand about how LGBTQ people were regarded in their traditional culture. June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Pride Month in the United States. (Courtesy of Adrian Stevens, used with permission) ![]() Adrian Stevens (Ute/Shoshone–Bannock/San Carlos Apache) and Sean Snyder (Dine/Ute), a couple who regularly participate in powwows. ![]()
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