Two-Spirits in American Indian Culture
Chapa-De Indian Health Auburn Grass Valley | Medical Clinic
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For many generations, Native American communities have recognized that some individuals do not fit precisely into a category of strictly male or female genders. Many tribes understood and accepted that some individuals embody the characteristics and identity of both male and female sexes and believed there are actually three or even four genders. Different tribes had different names and roles for these individuals within the tribe but, in 1990, the term Two-Spirit was coined as the generic name for such individuals across all tribes. It is a contemporary English term to reflect the gender diversity that Indigenous people have always had.
To learn more about two-spirit individuals, we interviewed JJ Jones, who is from the Chumash/Yaqui/Opata tribes and openly identifies as two-spirit. JJ also shared some common misconceptions about people who identify as two-spirit. JJ shared, “I think a lot of times often people think that two-spirit means you’re trans (transgender), and that’s not always the case. Sometimes you’re not trans, and you’re still two-spirit. Sometimes you identify with the gender assigned to you at birth and you can still be two-spirit. Another misconception is that two-spirit and gay are one and the same, but that’s not the case either. Two-spirit is more about the embodiment of all genders within one person”.
Prior to colonization in America, many indigenous nations recognized the unique characteristics of two-spirit individuals. They assumed special roles in their communities, such as mediators, name-givers, ceremonial leaders, medicine people and match makers. They were often given very specific roles in their tribes, more specifically, as the healers in their tribes. In some tribes, they were also allowed to transcend traditional male and female roles within the community, such as a two-spirit woman riding with a war party or a two-spirit man being allowed into a female-only camp.
Unfortunately, when non-Native people arrived in America, they brought different ideas, religions, and cultures that generally did not accept or acknowledge gender as anything other than assigned at birth. This led to more targeted violence and murder of two-spirit individuals, in addition to the already prevalent hostility towards American Indians from non-Native groups. Many Native communities were forced to suppress and hide two-spirit individuals to avoid additional ridicule and violence.
Only recently have Native communities felt safe enough to begin acknowledging this traditional idea that one’s gender is more diverse than just male or female. “It’s like a medicine that has unfortunately gotten lost over time,” JJ said. And she asserts that there are some roles and responsibilities that come with being two-spirit. “It’s up to two-spirit people to be able to rebirth some of that medicine.” JJ always knew she was different and recalls the isolation and confusion early in life. Learning that there were others that were like her that she could connect with helped overcome her confusion and shame. She also acknowledges that shame and stigma still exist in many communities.
At Chapa-De, all medical providers and staff have had training and provide gender-affirming care. This training taught staff how to recognize, acknowledge and support each person’s perception of their identity, regardless of their sex at birth. We asked one of Chapa-De’s family medicine doctors, Dr. Marlowe Dieckmann, how she would encourage someone struggling to speak about being two-spirit to their care provider. Dr. Dieckmann said she advises to be honest. “Your doctor’s goal is to be helpful and give you the best care possible. They have your best interest at heart but they do not know how to assist you if they do not have all the information.”
JJ and Dr. Dieckmann acknowledged that providing more education and awareness is key to eliminating the stigma. “We can only start to heal by talking about it and acknowledging it,” JJ said. “If you can allow yourself to be vulnerable in that sense, without judgment of yourself, there will be so many doors that will open up for you, so many opportunities, so many understandings about your quality of life that will open up. And you’re not alone.”
Sources:
Trans and Native: Meet The Indigenous Doctor Giving Them Hope
LGBTQ2 Well-Being Education, “Two Spirit People: Now and Then”
Harlan Pruden, Community Organizer and Beverly Gorman, UNM CRCBH
February 2014.
www.ihs.gov/sites/lgbt/themes/responsive2017/display_objects/documents/lgbttwospirithistory.pdf
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