Two-Spirit People: Sex, Gender & Sexuality in Historic and ...

1 Two-Spirit People: Sex, Gender & Sexuality in Historic and Contemporary Native America Harlan Pruden (Nehiyawe/First Nations Cree). Managing Editor, Se-ah-dom Edmo (Shoshone-Bannock, Nez Perce, Yakama). Program Coordinator, Lewis & Clark Graduate School Concept of Two-Spirit The term/identity of Two-Spirit does not make sense unless it is contextualized within a Native American frame Two-Spirit within a traditional setting was a Gender analysis and not a sexual orientation Today, most people associate the term with LGBT. Natives; however, the work of the Two-Spirit organizations is more akin with the traditional understanding Two-Spirit Upto Contact - Our Own Words 1492 to 1990 - berdache 1990 to Present - Two-Spirit Roles of the Two-Spirit Mediators Social Workers Name Giving Love Potions / Match Maker Sun Dance Holy people, told the future and brought good luck Boy's & Girl's Puberty Ceremony Peace-Makers for the Tribe Joined war parties Doctors/medicine people Some Two-Spirit Names Nation Term Loose translation Acoma Male-assigned: Kokwi'ma Male-assigned: Ayagigux' "man transformed into a woman".

2 Aleut Female-assigned: Tayagigux' "woman transformed into a man". Male-assigned: Haxu'xan (singular), Arapaho "rotten bone". Hoxuxuno (plural). Arikara Male-assigned: Kuxa't Assiniboine Male-assigned: Winktan Blackfoot Male-assigned: Aak 'skassi "acts like a woman". (Southern Peigan) Female-assigned: Saahk maapi'aak koan "boy-girl". Male-assigned: nudale asgaya different man Cherokee Female-assigned: nudale agehya different woman All term: asegi Both male and female assigned Male-assigned: He'eman (singular), He'emane'o (plural) (hee = "woman"). Cheyenne Female-assigned: Hetaneman (singular), Hatane'mane'o (plural) (hetan = "man").

3 Male-assigned: Hatukiklanna Chickasaw, Choctaw Female-assigned: hatukholba Nation Term Loose translation Chumash Male-assigned: Agi Male-assigned: Elha ("coward"). Cocopa Female-assigned: Warrhameh Male-assigned: nap w iskw wis hot a man who dresses as a woman Female-assigned: iskw w ka nap wayat a woman dressed as a man Male-assigned: ayahkw w a man dressed/living/accepted as a woman Cree Female-assigned: nahp kasoht a woman dressed/living/accepted as a man Male-assigned: Iskw hk n literally fake woman' not negative Female-assigned: nap hk n literally fake man' not negative Crow Male-assigned: Bote/Bate/Bade "not man, not woman".

4 Dakota Male-assigned: Winkta (Santee Sioux). Flathead Male-assigned: Ma'kali (Interior Salish). Gros Ventre Male-assigned: Athuth "to be impelled against one's will to act the Hidatsa Male-assigned: Miati woman," "woman compelled". Hopi Male-assigned: Ho'va Male-assigned: Ikoueta Illinois Female-assigned: Ickoue ne kioussa "hunting women". Male-assigned: Nok'olhanxodeleane "woman pretenders". Ingalik Female-assigned: Chelxodeleane "man pretenders". Nation Term Loose translation Inuit Female-assigned: Sipiniq "infant whose sex changes at birth". Juaneno Male-assigned: Kwit Karankawa Male-assigned: Monaguia Klamath Male-/Female-assigned: Tw!

5 Inna'ek Male-assigned: Kupatke'tek "to imitate a woman". Kutenai Female-assigned: Titqattek "pretending to be a man". Laguna Male-assigned: Kok'we'ma "['wants' or 'wishes'] to be [like] [a]. Lakota Male-assigned: Winkte woman." A contraction of winyanktehca (Teton Sioux) Female-assigned: Bloka egla wa ke "thinks she can act like a man". Luiseno San Juan Capistrano Male-assigned: Cuit Mountain Male-assigned: Uluqui Mandan Male-assigned: Mihdacka mih-ha = "woman". Male-assigned: Ilyaxai'. Maricopa "girlish". Female-assigned: Kwiraxame Nation Term Loose translation Mescalero Apache Male-assigned: Nde'isdzan "man-woman".

6 "he loves men," perhaps correctly spelt Micmac Male-assigned: Geenumu gesallagee ji'nmue'sm gesalatl Miwok Male-assigned: Osabu osa = "woman". Male-assigned: Alyha Mohave "coward". Female-assigned: Hwame Western Mono Male-assigned: Tai'up Male-/female-/intersexed-assigned: Nadleeh or nadle ( Gender "one in a constant state of change," "one Navajo class/category), nadleehi (singular), who changes," "being transformed". nadleehe (plural). Nisenan Male-assigned: Osa'pu (Southern Maidu). Ojibwa Male-assigned: Agokwa "man-woman". (Chippewa) Female-assigned: Okitcitakwe "warrior woman". "instructed by the moon," "moon Omaha, Osage, Ponca Male-assigned: Mixu'ga instructed".

7 Otoe, Kansa "instructed by the moon," "moon Male-assigned: Mixo'ge (Kaw) instructed". Papago (Tohono O'odham), Male-assigned: Wik'ovat "like a girl". Pima (Akimel O'odham). Nation Term Loose translation "instructed by the moon," "moon Omaha, Osage, Ponca Male-assigned: Mixu'ga instructed". Otoe, Kansa "instructed by the moon," "moon Male-assigned: Mixo'ge (Kaw) instructed". Papago (Tohono O'odham), Male-assigned: Wik'ovat "like a girl". Pima (Akimel O'odham). Paiute Northern Male-assigned: Tudayapi "dress like other sex". Southern Male-assigned: Tuwasawuts Pawnee Male-assigned: Ku'saat "supernatural, extraordinary," Manito Potawatomi Male-assigned: M'netokwe plus female suffix Salinan Male-assigned: Coya Nation Term Loose translation Sauk (Sac), Fox Male-assigned: I-coo-coo-a "man-woman".

8 Shoshone Male-assigned: Tuva'sa ("sterile"). Bannock Male/Female-assigned: Tubasa "woman-half". Lemhi Female-assigned: Waipu sungwe Gosiute Male-assigned: Tuvasa Male-assigned: Tubasa waip "sterile woman". Promontory Point Female-assigned: Waipu sungwe "woman-half". Male-assigned: Tainna wa'ippe "man-woman". Nevada Female-assigned: Nuwuducka "female hunter". Takelma Male-assigned: Xa'wisa Tewa Male-/Female-assigned: Kwido Isleta Tiwa Male-assigned: Lhunide Nation Term Loose translation Kumeyaay Tipai, Kamia Female-assigned: Warharmi Tlingit Male-assigned: Gatxan "coward". Southern Ute Male-assigned: Tuwasawits Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) Male-assigned: Shiange "unmanly man".

9 Wishram Male-assigned: Ik!e'laskait Male-assigned: Elxa'. Yuma (Quechan) "coward". Female-assigned: Kwe'rhame Yup'ik Chugach/Pacific (Alutiiq, Male-assigned: Aranu'tiq Southern Alaskan). Male-assigned: Anasik "man-woman". St. Lawrence Island (Siberian Female-assigned: Uktasik Yup'ik, Western Alaskan). Nation Term Loose translation Kuskokwim River (Central Male-assigned: Aranaruaq "woman-like". Alaskan) Female-assigned: Angutnguaq "man-like". Zapotec Male-assigned: Muxe Male-assigned: Lha'mana "behave like a woman". Zuni Female-assigned: Katotse "boy-girl". Dance to the "Berdache" (Saukie).

10 Who Were Some of the Two Spirit People from Years Ago? Osh-Tisch (Crow) in funeral dress, 1928. Two men from Moose Mountain We-Wha (Zuni Nation). Hastiin Klah, Navajo Ozaawindib ("Yellow Head"), Ojibwe Quechan kew'rhame (Quechan), 1890. Chief Barcheeampe (1850) or Pine Leaf Lozen and Dahtetse (Chiricahua Apache), 1886. Two Lakota Females (in their 90s) who lived together until death, 1890. Balboa's dogs killing our Two-Spirit People Indian life for the Two-Spirit during the reservation system European and Native beliefs clashed. Missionaries fed the Two-Spirit people to the dogs. Christian beliefs forced upon Native people.