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PLEASE NOTE:  Past Guest Commentary/Opinion articles can be viewed [[Past Guest Commentary/Opinion Articles | here]].
 
PLEASE NOTE:  Past Guest Commentary/Opinion articles can be viewed [[Past Guest Commentary/Opinion Articles | here]].
  
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=='''DEAD ENDS AND DISCOVERIES - THE SEARCH FOR OUR LGBT ANCESTORS''' © ==  
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=='''Plains Cree Two Spirit People'''==  
  
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By: '''Victor Salvo''', Founder and Executive Director of the Legacy Project - Chicago ([http://www.legacyprojectchicago.org www.legacyprojectchicago.org])
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By: [[Edward Lavallee]], Elder, Edmonton 2 Spirit Society
  
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The notion of a collective tribute to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people who have been overlooked by history (or obscured by historians) is not new. Numerous works of scholarship, with meticulously researched detail, have been written; they are the cornerstone of LGBT Studies coursework in college, serve as source material for additional research by other historians and, as is often the case, inspire people who like to explore history on their own – which is how the Legacy Project got its start.
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[[File:coreybulpittart.jpg|200px|thumb|left|'Rainbow' by Canadian First Nation artist Corey Bulpitt]]
  
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With many of the people who are encompassed under “LGBT History” there is ready agreement as to who was who, who did what, and when they did it.  And, in many cases, why they did what they did is readily discernable, as well.  But, in some others, when motives and intentions are less clear, speculation (or complete avoidance) often takes over where the facts leave off.  When it comes to non-heteronormative sexuality, history itself can become quite subjective, no matter how many potentially influential factors are otherwise uncovered.  As a result our concept of historical “accuracy” necessarily becomes fluid; as greatly influenced by the methods, personality, disposition and beliefs of the person doing the research – and the era in which it was done – as it is by the aims and interests of the people who judge whatever conclusions are drawn. (Including our own.)  The only thing one can be certain of is that new revelations inspire new scholarship and, as a result, one must never rely on any single source.  Nowhere is this more important than when discussing LGBT historic figures.
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I had just returned after attending the 2002 World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education that August at the Stoney Indian Park, at Morley, Alberta when I received a call from Richard Jenkins asking if I would attend the 14th Annual International Two Spirit People Gathering as their Elder. The Alberta group were members of the Aboriginal Two Spirit Working Group of Edmonton. Chief George Poitras of the Mikisew Cree Nation in Treaty 8 territory who was one of its members had been successful in bidding to host that year’s International Gathering for Canada.
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At the risk of being deemed facetious, it seems that without direct video confirmation of sexual activity there is a curious propensity on the part of many historians to characterize individuals rumored to be homosexual as essentially non-sexual.  This is usually justified because the individual in question left no written declaration that they were actually homosexual, no personal, unambiguous manifesto.  Without such a document, numerous corroborating aspects of the individual’s personal relationships, social habits and anecdotal information are dismissed as circumstantial.  Even inarguably romantic missives between persons of the same gender, when uncovered, are deemed “inconclusive” if they lack graphic sexual content – not a common feature of 18th- and 19th-century correspondence.
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Leaving aside the observation that no one is expected to declare their heterosexuality to be regarded as such, any hope of gleaning some truth about these complex lives is lost if an historian fails to at least acknowledge in their accounting that same-sex relationships – which existed quietly (and, in many cases, openly) within the matrix of older societies – could not be “documented” without the benefit of institutionalized marriage available to them.  This makes it impossible to arrive at any realistic assessments, even when faced with the evidence. Hewing to the academic rigors of their profession, many historians sum-up their forays into such undocumentable terrain by drawing an obfuscating conclusion that the individual had no known romantic attachments of any significance – and, thus, “history” is written.  
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These International Two Spirit Gathering have been in existence since 1988 and have been hosted by various Aboriginal Two Spirit groups throughout North America and primarily those from Canada and the United States. Two Spirit Individuals and groups in the USA are also credited with getting the movement started influenced by the Gay movement in that country. Generally, the goal of the Gathering is to provide a safe, supportive and alcohol/drug free forum and environment for indigenous Two Spirit peoples from throughout North America to explore and experience their place in Indigenous cultures and communities. A sacred fire is lit at the beginning of each Gathering maintained throughout the week and extinguished at the end to assist in activities related to keeping a spiritual connection to the Creator. Other Activities during the week include pipe ceremonies, sage/sweetgrass ceremonies, sweats, plenary sessions, concurrent workshops, talking circles, support groups, recreation events, mini-pow wow/feast and a traditional give away.
  
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Some regard this reluctance to apply labels as acting with restraint, foregoing the temptation to impose contemporary behavioral suppositions out of context. Though, on its face, such restraint may seem reasonable, drawing a conclusion of non-sexuality – instead of the more likely one – has led to a bias (be it intentional or benign) that has colored historical interpretation for centuries.  This trend is most noticeable (and disturbing) when the historic significance of the individual in question makes any intimation of them not being heterosexual problematic for those who would prefer certain individuals’ accomplishments not be used to validate homosexuality by association. The safest away around this is to minimize – or, in some cases, delete altogether – any reference to behavior that is not certifiably heterosexual; or to consider only the individual’s few known opposite-sex coupling(s) to support the conclusion of an exclusively heterosexual life, rather than suggest they may have been bisexual.
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I was at the time, telling everyone, that I was an Elder in training however that week I soon was carrying out full Elder duties and thus ever since then I have been taken as the full Elder with this same Edmonton Two Spirit group. At that time the host committee had 12 members from throughout Alberta representing First Nations, Metis and Urban Aboriginal Two Spirit men, women and youth. Its chair was Chief George Poitras of the Mikisew Cree Nation. The sponsoring organization for the Gathering was the Nechi Training, Research and Health Promotions Institute of Alberta which had been in existence as not-for- profit entity since 1974. Richard Jenkins, its Director of Marketing and Health promotions applied and received funding in the amount of 45,000 dollars from the Canadian and Provincial governments. The venue for the event was at the Nakoda Lodge at Morley, Alberta.
  
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To compound matters, those whose homosexuality cannot be denied (Bayard Rustin, Alan Turing and Dr. Margaret Chung come to mind) are routinely relegated to obscurity instead of being given proper recognition in the pages of America’s textbooks where their good works might be known.  This practice has gone largely unchallenged until recent times.  And, since virtually all historical research builds upon previous research, an endless loop of oversight and dismissal has been set-up that argues for a more logical and enlightened treatment, without which substantial misinformation about LGBT people will continue to be recycled.  When one considers that, for the average person, their only awareness of history comes from what they can recall of their high school education, it is small wonder LGBT people have remained so easy to marginalize as a modern social aberration – willful “deviants” who consciously eschew heterosexuality – instead of being accepted as fully integrated, whole people who, though somewhat different, have been around for a very, very long time.
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The event was a huge success. Issues in their plenary sessions discussed pre-contact issues, colonization, residential school impacts and health leadership topics on individual health matters, HIV/AIDs, HIV and community involvement, healing, recovery, sobriety, culture and language retention or loss thereof, alcohol as an escape to dealing with sexuality, homosexuality and the Bible and its interpretations, not feeling safe in home communities, drugs, addictions, STD’s, teen pregnancy, incarcerations, family violence, smoking, racism, experiences at residential schools, intergenerational impacts of Indian residential schools, loss of dignity and self respect and their susceptibility to HIV/AIDS and finally, noting that the Gathering changed their lives. The event ended with a feast, a pow wow (where members from the local community took part) and a traditional give away.
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Being LGBT cannot be understood without considering the era and cultural context of the lives we celebrate – the term “homosexual” wasn’t even coined until 1869.  Though we can never fully know the particular sexual proclivities of many of the people whose lives we honor, we must be reasonable enough to allow that they were, indeed, sexual beings, as all people are entitled to be, whether or not we ever know the graphic details.  For there is much more to human sexuality and gender identity than the sex act itself: the totality of one’s interests, their personal writings, their life’s work, the company they kept – and deep personal relationships that endured for decades – all help define a person, even if they chose not to have sex at all.  We must extend this logic to those who, once all aspects of their life story have been considered, were most likely not exclusively heterosexual, even if the appellation “LGBT” (so infused with contemporary political meaning) would not correlate given the era in which they lived.
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This more egalitarian worldview is critically important if the discernable circumstances of some historic figures’ lives kept them understandably closeted or if the social conventions of the time dictated marriage was the only way to produce a legitimate heir or establish property-rights – a path chosen by LGBT figures as diverse as Alexander the Great, Oscar Wilde and Vita Sackville-West – the latter of whom lost her family’s ancestral home because England’s laws of Primogeniture denied inheritance to unmarried women.  To ignore these subtle – but significant – factors is to disavow the realities of these lives, rendering all people generically heterosexual in the process.
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These Gatherings are attended by members of many different Nations throughout North America since their beginning including the diverse Nations of the Cree. It is believed by the Plains Cree Two Spirit (Gay, Lesbian, Bi-Sexual, Trans-sexual, Transgender and Inter-sex) people, similar to many other Two Spirit people in other Indigenous Nations, were regarded as people placed among them for specific purpose by the Creator (God) and therefore were thought to be divine.
  
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This is a serious presumptive oversight that perhaps one has to be LGBT themselves to fully understand and appreciate. Invisibility is a life-crippling, legacy-stealing thing – particularly when there are so many who deliberately capitalize on it for their own benefit.  This is of gravest concern when addressing the environment our children are forced to endure in our nation’s school systems. The lack of historically significant LGBT role models – and the complete absence of LGBT contributions to world history and culture in today’s textbooks – forces LGBT youth to grow up in a void, without historic relevance, subject to the political and cultural biases of our society, vulnerable to the violence such ignorance can incite.
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Two Spirit is a term some Indigenous people use to identify themselves rather than GLBTTIGG. It was adopted by delegates attending the 3rd annual International Gathering at Manitoba in 1990. Indigenous people believe that both the female and male spirits resides in the body of a Two Spirit individual and the degree of dominance of each spirit ultimately impacts the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual identity of each Two Spirit person. Many Nation people have their own beliefs and have specific names for their Two Spirit people. The Navaho call theirs Nadle, the Dakota-Winkte, The Ojibwa-Agokwa, and The Cree-Esqwaycan and so on.
  
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It is precisely because sexual minorities have so often been rendered invisible by historians that a new paradigm must adopted by any researcher who expects to effectively study a people whose only hope for living in peace through much of the last few centuries required them to conceal evidence of their own existence. Hence, the challenges facing those who must cull through vast resources of varyingly accurate and often incomplete data to find LGBT role models are huge:
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They were a very important part of Cree society. They had many roles in the daily lives of their people and were respected and revered for being two spirited. They were often healers, shamans, mediators in marriage and tribal disputes, keepers of their history and their lore, and taking part and often leading in their social and Spiritual ceremonies
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Just like many other Indigenous Nations, Plains Cree people took and lived with same sex partners and this practice was accepted as a norm. Chiefs and their leaders had wives and often had male companions as well if they could support them. This was also the practice of females in some of their nations.
  
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1) Selective editing done by many historians – whereby certain individual’s non-hetero-normative sexuality has been minimized, altered or deleted – has resulted in gaping inconsistencies in the historic record;
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There is still today a ceremonial society called Wihtikancimoowak whose members include Two Spirit people who perform at Sundances (a four day annual Spiritual Gathering). They are known as Spirit Dancers or Contraries doing and saying things backwards as they perform in front of camp dwellings throughout the entire encampment and sometimes even are invited to dance in the main Sundance Lodge. At these times everyone must not look upon them as they are considered sacred spirits.
  
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2) The bulk of LGBT history, having been written from a Western-European/U.S. perspective, has made information about Asians, Hispanics/Latinos/as, Eastern-European/Russian, Middle-Eastern and Native/Indigenous peoples more difficult to come by, skewing the tenor of the available scholarship toward the dominant culture;
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The belief that Cree Two Spirit people are special is epitomized in the existence of a powerful Two Spirit, Spirit, known as Qweskicanskew in their spirituality, who they believe, turns things around for the good and well-being of humanity and for all things on Earth. This important Deity is called upon in prayers for help, protection and blessings.
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All members of the Cree Nation who practiced Aboriginal Spirituality used to pray to this Spirit: however due to the negative influence of Christianity, this Spirit has almost been forgotten. This fact may be reversed in the future as Indigenous people are reminded about this important Deity in their Spirituality. Two Spirit songs are still known and sung today.
  
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3) The general obscurity of many LGBT individuals – because they either kept a low-profile during their lives or were overlooked (consciously or unconsciously) by historians – has meant that there is, over all, less scholarship to consult. This is especially true for those who were transgender, about whom little has been written;
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Today Plains Cree Two Spirit people who are often marginalized in modern day society can be found in all walks of life. They are educators, professional government civil servants, Chiefs and other politicians, writers and actors, and generally are a part of their communities on reserves and in most cases in urban centres across Canada. They are emerging from their long decades of oppression and most of all becoming decolonized working towards re-establishing their rightful roles in their communities as they go through their period of rediscovery. They are working to be recognized, respected and engaged within indigenous communities and in society in general.
  
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4) A lack of explicit personal writings or the willful editing (or outright destruction) of what documentation did exist at one time – either by the individuals themselves (such as Lorena Hickok’s frantic – and unsuccessful – attempts to edit letters exchanged with Eleanor Roosevelt) or on the part of family members who tried to control what information was allowed into the public realm (as was the case with Michelangelo’s love sonnets, whose male pronouns were deliberately changed to imply the objects of his desire were female) – has contributed to false information being taken as fact – in some cases for centuries;
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In some places, mostly in urban centres, they have created their own organizations to assist in this modern day movement towards self- development and recognition with the assistance of the technological age. They are sponsoring forums and gatherings to promote healing and to create healthy environments. As a result they are being heard in small instances at present but as their movement becomes stronger they hope they will gain and retain their lost and rightful roles.
  
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5) Long-held cultural biases, which continue to dictate that deep religious convictions and homosexuality are mutually exclusive, have led many historians to conclude that individuals who were renowned for their religious devotion (such as George Washington Carver or Mexico’s Sor Juana) could not also be gay – summarily resulting in evidence to the contrary being ignored; and…
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About our group in Edmonton, in 2003, when we were still known as the Aboriginal Two Spirit Working Group, we were affiliated and worked with the Gay and Lesbian Community Centre of Edmonton. Working again with the Nechi Institute we co-hosted the first Canadian Forum on Two Spirit Peoples and Health. That forum brought together eighty-two participants from various regions of Canada to discuss HIV-AIDS and other health issues facing Two Spirit people. Two key areas examined were those involving Corrections and Addictions. Other concerns, such as human rights, mental health, youth concerns and societal views on homosexuality were discussed. Again the Nechi Institute played a pivotal role in administering the secured dollars resulting in a successful event. A full report of the forum is available but not on line. Also a video of the event was made and produced and is available on U-tube.
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In 2003 the group incorporated as the Two Spirit Circle of Edmonton Society. It co-hosted, with the Nechi Institute again, a Two Spirit Gathering with Alberta Elders to learn teachings on the Protocols of the different uses of Tobacco in the various Aboriginal ceremonies as practiced by Cree people on the Plains. It had
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been decided that their Two Spirit members should know these teachings as part of their education on Two Spirit Practices.
  
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6) The unavailability of marriage across all cultures – preventing same-sex relationships from being socially codified alongside opposite-sex couplings – has made it impossible to draw a clear-cut conclusion about whether an intense, decades-long relationship between two persons of the same biological gender was sexual – even when all the evidence points in that direction.  This is a burden which is borne by gay and lesbian people alone.
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Members of the Society had long realized that they must learn as much about their culture that they did not know if they were to begin and attempt to carry out their roles as Two Spirit people. Many did not know the ceremonies now practiced by their people, even those members that came from their reserve communities. Much of that part of their culture had long been lost as a result of the destructive influence of the State and Church in their lives since contact and more especially of the roles of Two Spirit people which were practically obliterated throughout the Americas.
  
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Taken together, the bar to “prove” variant sexuality has been set vastly higher than that required to support the conventional assumption of heterosexuality made of everyone.  And, because over much of the last two centuries, any suggestion an individual may have been anything other than heterosexual would have been considered libelous, few researchers have been willing to risk their funding to make the claim or include the inference in their work – especially if the historic figure still had living decedents who were prone to denial, as is the case with Federico Garcia Lorca, Langston Hughes, and Eleanor Roosevelt.  Thus, it has become exceedingly difficult to see through biographical data that, quite often, serves to obscure the truth rather than to illuminate it… leaving the general public to believe that everything good and decent and important that has ever happened in this world was accomplished by heterosexuals alone.
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In 2004 the Leaders of Two Spirit Circle of Edmonton Society decided they must begin teaching its members about their Culture with the help of Aboriginal Elders and with education resources known to exit about their culture. For four years they held week long Two Spirit Tipi Gatherings at the Nechi cultural grounds in St. Albert, Alberta. Both Female and Male Elders were hired to conduct known teachings on the ceremonial practices that take place during the different seasons, known Aboriginal health medicines and their uses and some ceremonial songs. They were taught how to conduct naming and transfer ceremonies. Elder Leonard Saddleback of Maskwacis was one of their main supporters since its beginning and gave them credit as a cultural emerging group on the international scene when he travelled with them to a Two Spirit Gathering to Tulsa Oklahoma, to assist in conducting spiritual ceremonies at that Gathering. He also gave the Society Three ceremonial Pipes so the Society could start conducting their own pipe ceremonies.
  
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That there may be difficulty (or potential controversy) in any effort to identify our LGBT ancestors is no reason not to do it, however. The explosion of a collective “Queer Consciousness” that has come about since the days of the Mattachine Society in the 1950s has produced an understandable yearning to learn the unwritten history left by our exclusion from humanity’s story:
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Since then the Society has presented at Aboriginal Education conferences and to Schools in Alberta about Two Spirit people and their issues. They have written and helped produce a resource booklet with the Alberta Teachers Association to assist in the care and understanding of Two Spirit Youth in the schools in Alberta.
  
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• From Alexander the Great, who established the Ottoman Empire; to Baron Friedrich von Steuben, whose military strategy during the American Revolution led to the birth of a nation…
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So the work of the Cree and other Indigenous Two Spirit people is being carried out as a testament of their desired goal of attaining their roles of the past as much as they can.
  
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• From John Maynard Keynes, whose economic policies became the road map out of the Great Depression; to Alan Turing, who cracked the Nazi’s “Enigma Code” to bring down Adolph Hitler…
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• From U.S. Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins, architect of FDR’s “New Deal”; to renowned First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who co-wrote the U.N. Declaration on Human Rights…
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'''Edward Lavallee''' ''is a traditional Plains Nehiyaw (Cree) of the Sturgeon Lake First Nation in Saskatchewan. He attended the University of Saskatchewan and has worked as co-editor of the Native People newspaper, published by the former Alberta Native Communication Society, now the Aboriginal Multi-Media Society of Alberta. He has studied Aboriginal history, spirituality and philosophy with elders during a five- year stint at the Indian Cultural College, now affiliated with the First Nations University of Saskatchewan. He has worked with Aboriginal organizations across Canada and for federal and provincial governments in various management positions. Presently he volunteers as an Indigenous Advisor and Elder in Edmonton and sits on the Board of Directors of several Edmonton organizations.''
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• From Benjamin Sumner Welles, the founder of N.A.T.O.; to Dag Hammarskjöld, the Secretary General of the United Nations who pioneered the pre-emptive deployment of “U.N. Peace-Keepers” to diffuse world conflicts…
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• From acclaimed author James Baldwin, who gave a literary voice to the Civil Rights Movement; to Bayard Rustin, who organized the 1963 March on Washington…
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==See Also==
  
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• From the tragic life of Sister Luc-Gabrielle, “The Singing Nun”; to the heroic death of Father Mychal Judge, the first recorded casualty of 9/11…
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* [[The Two-Spirit, Aboriginal, and Native LGBTQ Community]]
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* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MM7hM-Q_QM
  
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Everywhere you look in history – every era, every milestone – there is an LGBT person whose full story deserves to be told. For those who might question “What difference does it make?” we agree that restoring one sentence to a person’s biography does little to alter the impact of their contributions. But for those who truly want to understand the motivations and values which drive social change, having a corrective lens through which to view a person’s life can reveal a wealth of possible perspectives about those who learned to think outside the box because that was where they lived – innate problem-solvers whose ability to master small details was honed through the need to monitor every aspect of their existence in order to survive.
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We may never be able to fully certify the non-heteronormative sexuality of some historically sensitive people to everyone’s satisfaction – for many no amount of evidence will suffice.  But to stand by and quietly give credence to conclusions that routinely ignore the latest scholarship is an intellectual dishonesty that can no longer be indulged simply to avoid controversy – the price of our invisibility has grown too high.  And the truth of the matter is, were it any other subject matter, it would at least be talked about in today’s classrooms.  Instead, there are dozens of books gathering dust on library shelves that contain within them all the information needed to illuminate the duskier corners of our history.  So long as they are kept out of our schools, historically significant LGBT role models will continue to be denied to the people who need them the most: our children.
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The Legacy Project takes this information – casts it in bronze – and puts it right out on the street to leapfrog over the education system which has failed us.  THE LEGACY WALK – the only outdoor museum in the world to celebrate the many roles LGBT people have played in the advancement of history and culture – gives to us what our high school education did not: the knowledge that people like us matter – and have always mattered – even if no one ever bothered to tell us.  LGBT people have started charitable foundations; served in the military with distinction; discovered technological breakthroughs; created magnificent art and sculpture; penned renowned literature and music; won Olympic Gold Medals; and helped shape world diplomacy.  We have made an immeasurable difference in the world we share.  It’s about time everybody knew it.
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'''Victor Salvo''' is the Founder and Executive Director of the Legacy Project – a Chicago-based non-profit which manages “The Legacy Walk” – a half-mile museum walk along North Halsted Street celebrating LGBT contributions to history.  The Legacy Project Education Initiative (LPEI) combines lesson plans, study guides, resources, and multimedia with guided tours of the streetscape in order to confront the ignorance which fuels anti-Gay bullying, and to boost the self-esteem of LGBTQ youth who are its victims.  To learn more, to volunteer, or to donate, please call 312-608-1198 or visit [http://www.legacyprojectchicago.org www.legacyprojectchicago.org].
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All material Copywright.
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Past Guest Commentary/Opinion articles can be viewed [[Past Guest Commentary/Opinion Articles | here]].
 
Past Guest Commentary/Opinion articles can be viewed [[Past Guest Commentary/Opinion Articles | here]].
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Latest revision as of 12:28, 14 July 2020

PLEASE NOTE: Past Guest Commentary/Opinion articles can be viewed here.

Plains Cree Two Spirit People

By: Edward Lavallee, Elder, Edmonton 2 Spirit Society

'Rainbow' by Canadian First Nation artist Corey Bulpitt

I had just returned after attending the 2002 World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education that August at the Stoney Indian Park, at Morley, Alberta when I received a call from Richard Jenkins asking if I would attend the 14th Annual International Two Spirit People Gathering as their Elder. The Alberta group were members of the Aboriginal Two Spirit Working Group of Edmonton. Chief George Poitras of the Mikisew Cree Nation in Treaty 8 territory who was one of its members had been successful in bidding to host that year’s International Gathering for Canada.

These International Two Spirit Gathering have been in existence since 1988 and have been hosted by various Aboriginal Two Spirit groups throughout North America and primarily those from Canada and the United States. Two Spirit Individuals and groups in the USA are also credited with getting the movement started influenced by the Gay movement in that country. Generally, the goal of the Gathering is to provide a safe, supportive and alcohol/drug free forum and environment for indigenous Two Spirit peoples from throughout North America to explore and experience their place in Indigenous cultures and communities. A sacred fire is lit at the beginning of each Gathering maintained throughout the week and extinguished at the end to assist in activities related to keeping a spiritual connection to the Creator. Other Activities during the week include pipe ceremonies, sage/sweetgrass ceremonies, sweats, plenary sessions, concurrent workshops, talking circles, support groups, recreation events, mini-pow wow/feast and a traditional give away.

I was at the time, telling everyone, that I was an Elder in training however that week I soon was carrying out full Elder duties and thus ever since then I have been taken as the full Elder with this same Edmonton Two Spirit group. At that time the host committee had 12 members from throughout Alberta representing First Nations, Metis and Urban Aboriginal Two Spirit men, women and youth. Its chair was Chief George Poitras of the Mikisew Cree Nation. The sponsoring organization for the Gathering was the Nechi Training, Research and Health Promotions Institute of Alberta which had been in existence as not-for- profit entity since 1974. Richard Jenkins, its Director of Marketing and Health promotions applied and received funding in the amount of 45,000 dollars from the Canadian and Provincial governments. The venue for the event was at the Nakoda Lodge at Morley, Alberta.

The event was a huge success. Issues in their plenary sessions discussed pre-contact issues, colonization, residential school impacts and health leadership topics on individual health matters, HIV/AIDs, HIV and community involvement, healing, recovery, sobriety, culture and language retention or loss thereof, alcohol as an escape to dealing with sexuality, homosexuality and the Bible and its interpretations, not feeling safe in home communities, drugs, addictions, STD’s, teen pregnancy, incarcerations, family violence, smoking, racism, experiences at residential schools, intergenerational impacts of Indian residential schools, loss of dignity and self respect and their susceptibility to HIV/AIDS and finally, noting that the Gathering changed their lives. The event ended with a feast, a pow wow (where members from the local community took part) and a traditional give away.

These Gatherings are attended by members of many different Nations throughout North America since their beginning including the diverse Nations of the Cree. It is believed by the Plains Cree Two Spirit (Gay, Lesbian, Bi-Sexual, Trans-sexual, Transgender and Inter-sex) people, similar to many other Two Spirit people in other Indigenous Nations, were regarded as people placed among them for specific purpose by the Creator (God) and therefore were thought to be divine.

Two Spirit is a term some Indigenous people use to identify themselves rather than GLBTTIGG. It was adopted by delegates attending the 3rd annual International Gathering at Manitoba in 1990. Indigenous people believe that both the female and male spirits resides in the body of a Two Spirit individual and the degree of dominance of each spirit ultimately impacts the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual identity of each Two Spirit person. Many Nation people have their own beliefs and have specific names for their Two Spirit people. The Navaho call theirs Nadle, the Dakota-Winkte, The Ojibwa-Agokwa, and The Cree-Esqwaycan and so on.

They were a very important part of Cree society. They had many roles in the daily lives of their people and were respected and revered for being two spirited. They were often healers, shamans, mediators in marriage and tribal disputes, keepers of their history and their lore, and taking part and often leading in their social and Spiritual ceremonies Just like many other Indigenous Nations, Plains Cree people took and lived with same sex partners and this practice was accepted as a norm. Chiefs and their leaders had wives and often had male companions as well if they could support them. This was also the practice of females in some of their nations.

There is still today a ceremonial society called Wihtikancimoowak whose members include Two Spirit people who perform at Sundances (a four day annual Spiritual Gathering). They are known as Spirit Dancers or Contraries doing and saying things backwards as they perform in front of camp dwellings throughout the entire encampment and sometimes even are invited to dance in the main Sundance Lodge. At these times everyone must not look upon them as they are considered sacred spirits.

The belief that Cree Two Spirit people are special is epitomized in the existence of a powerful Two Spirit, Spirit, known as Qweskicanskew in their spirituality, who they believe, turns things around for the good and well-being of humanity and for all things on Earth. This important Deity is called upon in prayers for help, protection and blessings. All members of the Cree Nation who practiced Aboriginal Spirituality used to pray to this Spirit: however due to the negative influence of Christianity, this Spirit has almost been forgotten. This fact may be reversed in the future as Indigenous people are reminded about this important Deity in their Spirituality. Two Spirit songs are still known and sung today.

Today Plains Cree Two Spirit people who are often marginalized in modern day society can be found in all walks of life. They are educators, professional government civil servants, Chiefs and other politicians, writers and actors, and generally are a part of their communities on reserves and in most cases in urban centres across Canada. They are emerging from their long decades of oppression and most of all becoming decolonized working towards re-establishing their rightful roles in their communities as they go through their period of rediscovery. They are working to be recognized, respected and engaged within indigenous communities and in society in general.

In some places, mostly in urban centres, they have created their own organizations to assist in this modern day movement towards self- development and recognition with the assistance of the technological age. They are sponsoring forums and gatherings to promote healing and to create healthy environments. As a result they are being heard in small instances at present but as their movement becomes stronger they hope they will gain and retain their lost and rightful roles.

About our group in Edmonton, in 2003, when we were still known as the Aboriginal Two Spirit Working Group, we were affiliated and worked with the Gay and Lesbian Community Centre of Edmonton. Working again with the Nechi Institute we co-hosted the first Canadian Forum on Two Spirit Peoples and Health. That forum brought together eighty-two participants from various regions of Canada to discuss HIV-AIDS and other health issues facing Two Spirit people. Two key areas examined were those involving Corrections and Addictions. Other concerns, such as human rights, mental health, youth concerns and societal views on homosexuality were discussed. Again the Nechi Institute played a pivotal role in administering the secured dollars resulting in a successful event. A full report of the forum is available but not on line. Also a video of the event was made and produced and is available on U-tube. In 2003 the group incorporated as the Two Spirit Circle of Edmonton Society. It co-hosted, with the Nechi Institute again, a Two Spirit Gathering with Alberta Elders to learn teachings on the Protocols of the different uses of Tobacco in the various Aboriginal ceremonies as practiced by Cree people on the Plains. It had been decided that their Two Spirit members should know these teachings as part of their education on Two Spirit Practices.

Members of the Society had long realized that they must learn as much about their culture that they did not know if they were to begin and attempt to carry out their roles as Two Spirit people. Many did not know the ceremonies now practiced by their people, even those members that came from their reserve communities. Much of that part of their culture had long been lost as a result of the destructive influence of the State and Church in their lives since contact and more especially of the roles of Two Spirit people which were practically obliterated throughout the Americas.

In 2004 the Leaders of Two Spirit Circle of Edmonton Society decided they must begin teaching its members about their Culture with the help of Aboriginal Elders and with education resources known to exit about their culture. For four years they held week long Two Spirit Tipi Gatherings at the Nechi cultural grounds in St. Albert, Alberta. Both Female and Male Elders were hired to conduct known teachings on the ceremonial practices that take place during the different seasons, known Aboriginal health medicines and their uses and some ceremonial songs. They were taught how to conduct naming and transfer ceremonies. Elder Leonard Saddleback of Maskwacis was one of their main supporters since its beginning and gave them credit as a cultural emerging group on the international scene when he travelled with them to a Two Spirit Gathering to Tulsa Oklahoma, to assist in conducting spiritual ceremonies at that Gathering. He also gave the Society Three ceremonial Pipes so the Society could start conducting their own pipe ceremonies.

Since then the Society has presented at Aboriginal Education conferences and to Schools in Alberta about Two Spirit people and their issues. They have written and helped produce a resource booklet with the Alberta Teachers Association to assist in the care and understanding of Two Spirit Youth in the schools in Alberta.

So the work of the Cree and other Indigenous Two Spirit people is being carried out as a testament of their desired goal of attaining their roles of the past as much as they can.

Edward Lavallee is a traditional Plains Nehiyaw (Cree) of the Sturgeon Lake First Nation in Saskatchewan. He attended the University of Saskatchewan and has worked as co-editor of the Native People newspaper, published by the former Alberta Native Communication Society, now the Aboriginal Multi-Media Society of Alberta. He has studied Aboriginal history, spirituality and philosophy with elders during a five- year stint at the Indian Cultural College, now affiliated with the First Nations University of Saskatchewan. He has worked with Aboriginal organizations across Canada and for federal and provincial governments in various management positions. Presently he volunteers as an Indigenous Advisor and Elder in Edmonton and sits on the Board of Directors of several Edmonton organizations.

See Also

Past Guest Commentary/Opinion articles can be viewed here.

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