The document discusses the term "two-spirit" which originated in Native American tribes to describe individuals who possess both masculine and feminine spiritual qualities. It was considered a sacred role by some tribes and two-spirit people often held respected positions as healers, leaders, or warriors. While the term "berdache" was previously used, it is now seen as offensive, and "two-spirit" became the preferred term starting in the 1990s. The document provides historical context and examples of how different tribes viewed and incorporated two-spirit individuals traditionally.

2. The term “two spirit” originates in Native American
tribes. The exact “origins” (such as what tribe it
started in) is unknown. It is believed, however, that at
least 155 tribes have adopted the term. The term itself
typically is used to describe “a person who holds the
spirit of a woman and a man”

3. The word “berdache” was once used as another word
to describe two spirit individuals, however this word is
now considered outdated and offensive to many. It is
taken from a French word that meant “male prostitute”.
However, the word’s origins are Persian which
translated as “slave”. Durings the 1990s is when the
term “two spirit” replaces “berdache”.

4. Those who identify as two spirit often wear clothes that
are “commonly” associated with “female” clothes and
“male” clothes, whatever their culture deems as
“male” clothes and “female” clothes.

5. Some tribes treated two spirit individuals as being
“double blessed”, holding high ranks within their tribes
such as: shamen, teachers, and spiritual leaders. Two
spirit individuals are often “tagged” onto people who
also identify as transgender within Native American
tribes. They were typically respected within their tribes.
In some tribes, two spirit individuals who were born with
male genitalia, but identified as female were allowed to
go to war and participate in “traditionally” male activities
within the tribe. Two spirit individuals who were born
with female genitalia, but identified as male were allowed
to participate in “tradtionally” female activities within the
tribe.

6. •Two male, two spirit individuals may call each other “sisters”
•To be in a relationship with another two spirit individual was
considered “incestuous” for some tribes
•Parents of two spirit individuals did not believe to have any
“special treatement”
•The majority of two spirit individuals tend to have relationships
with females
•In the Lakota tribe, it was common for two spirit individuals to
marry widows
•Some tribes believed that having sexual relationships with two
spirit individuals let them have magical powers

7. The 1964 book Little Big Man by Thomas Berger, adapted into the
1970 western film Little Big Man. The film features a character
named Little Horse. The Cheyenne (a tribe) accepts Little Horse as a
"hee-man-eh," a class of persons who are neither traditionally male
nor female. The novel describes Little Horse as anatomically male
but displaying mannerisms more typical of women and self-
identifying as female. While Hoffman's character is initially wary of
Little Horse and rejects her sexual overtures, the two eventually form
a close friendship.
The 2009 documentary film Two Spirits, directed by Lydia Nibley,
tells the story of the hate-murder of 16-year-old Navajo Fred
Martinez, nádleehí - a male-bodied person with a feminine nature.
There is a trigger warning for those who have experienced
transphobic incidents.

8. Alec Butler
A Canadian playwright and
filmmaker. Assigned female at birth, he
identified as a butch lesbian before
pursuing gender reassignment in 1999,
and currently identifies as a Two-
Spirit and trans man. Prior to his gender
reassignment, his work was published
under the name Audrey Butler. He was a
nominee for the Governor General's
Award for English drama in 1990 for his
play Black Friday. He has also worked on
artistic projects with The 519 Church St.
Community Centre as their first artist-in-
residence. He was named one of
Toronto's Vital People by the Toronto
Community Foundation in 2006.
He is a Métis of Mi'kmaq heritage

9. Chrystos
a Menominee rights activist and poet.
Prior to being published, she worked as a
home caretaker, and an activist for Turtle
Mountain Band of Chipewa (tribe), Norma
Jean Croy (involved in a firefight with
police), and Leonard Peltier(a man
deemed guilty of killing FBI agents, very
controversial).

10. Kent Monkman
An artist of Cree and Irish ancestry. His
works examine the way Indigenous
American and Canadian history has
been presented in art.
Most of his works have strong gay male
imagery and deal with sexuality and
Christianity as they have been affected
by colonialism in Canada and the United
States. He became interested with the
issues of gender and queer or two-
spirit Indigenous sexualities after
discovering that George
Catlin encountered Two-Spirit peoples in
his travels and refused to include them in
his paintings of "traditional" aboriginal
life. He currently lives and works
in Toronto