In 1990, Elder Myra Laramee introduced the term Two-Spirit at the Third Annual Intertribal Native American/First Nations Gay and Lesbian American Conference in Winnipeg.
It comes from the Anishinaabemowin term niizh manidoowag, describing a person with both masculine and feminine characteristics.
It helped Elder Charlotte Nolin understand who she was.
“When the term was coined here in Manitoba, I was sitting in the sweat lodge at the University of B.C.,” Nolan told a crowd on Tuesday. “That’s when I was told who I was.”
Today, the word Two-Spirit represents a diversity of gender identities, sexualities and spiritualities held by Indigenous Peoples across Turtle Island.
On Tuesday, ahead of the term’s 35th anniversary, the International Day of Pink non-profit hosted an event to honour Two-Spirit history and resilience.
The celebration, hosted at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg, kicked off with the unveiling of a Two-Spirit pride flag.
Designed by Anishinaabe artist Patrick Hunter, the flag features two eagle feathers, representing the balance of masculine and feminine spirits. They’re framed by a sun and a rainbow of dots.
“The sun, he kind of provides us with everything else that we need in this life,” Hunter said of the flag design. “The earliest artwork that we see out on pictographs, out in the world are dots and circles, and I just thought what a throwback to seven generations ago.”
The event also premiered the short documentary, Re-Emergence, featuring Two-Spirit activists, community members and Elders.
Brielle Beardy-Linklater, a Two-Spirit activist from the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation in northern Manitoba, was among those who shared their stories.
“We have a changing population and we have so many young people today who know more about who they are but they want the resources that go along with it,” Beardy-Linklater said. “I think this video will lead to necessary changes.”
Tuesday’s Two-Spirit celebration was organized ahead of the International Day of Pink, an anti-bullying and anti-homophobia awareness event held annually on April 9th.
The Day of Pink organization also launched a Two-Spirit curriculum guide with free learning materials and lesson plans for educators and students.
