@Tzipporah with their Eighth Generation "Two Spirit" wool blanket by Two Spirit artist Ryan Young (Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa) that calls out to their community's traditional story about crows.
Indian women have always been written out of history, but their bravery is being rediscovered in archives and Native oral traditions.
May 11, 2023
“#Cheyenne warrior #BuffaloCalfRoadWoman had fought a number of battles in leadership roles. At the Battle of the #LittleBigHorn, it is told she charged #Custer, grabbed his saber and stabbed him, knocking him off his horse, killing him. Afterward, Cheyenne and #Arapaho women stabbed their awls in Custer’s ears, chanting ‘you will listen to our people in the next world.’ They were avenged.'
"She wasn’t the only female warrior at the Little Big Horn. The Arapaho Chief, #PrettyNose, fought there, too. She lived to be 101 years old and her grandson served in the Korean War as a U.S. Marine and later an Arapaho chief, just like his grandmother.
"Lozen (c. 1840-June 17, 1889) was a female warrior and prophet of the Chihenne Chiricahua #Apache who fought beside #Geronimo. She was the sister of Victorio, a prominent chief. Born into the #Chihenne band during the 1840s, Lozen was, according to legends, able to use her powers in battle to learn the movements of the enemy. The Apache tribesman, scholar and author, James Kaywaykla, was a child during the fighting days of Geronimo, Lozen and Victorio. Kaywaykla wrote, as a child:
"'I saw a magnificent woman on a beautiful horse—Lozen, sister of Victorio. Lozen the woman warrior! High above her head she held her rifle. 'She could ride, shoot, and fight like a man, and I think she had more ability in planning military strategy than did Victorio.'
"He added that Chief Victorio honored his sister as a great warrior: "Lozen is my right hand ... strong as a man, braver than most, and cunning in strategy. Lozen is a shield to her people."
Lozen fought beside Geronimo after his breakout from the San Carlos reservation in 1885, in the last campaign of the Apache wars. The band was pursued relentlessly by both the U.S. and Mexican cavalries. According to Alexander B. Adams in his book Geronimo, Lozen would try to ascertain where the enemy was by standing 'with her arms outstretched, chant a prayer to Ussen, the Apaches' supreme deity, and slowly turn around.' The band often relied on her strategic prowess.
"In 1885, Geronimo and about 140 of his followers, including Lozen, fled the reservation when they heard rumors that they were to be imprisoned on Alcatraz Island. Lozen and another female warrior, Dahteste, were designated to try to negotiate a peace treaty. Ultimately, after Geronimo's final surrender, Lozen traveled as a prisoner of war to the barracks in Mount Vernon, Alabama. There, along with many of her fellow warriors, Lozen died in confinement of tuberculosis in 1889.
"#Dahteste was a #Mescalero Apache warrior who rode with Lozen. Dahteste was fluent in English and often acted as a translator for the Apache people and was designated to lead in treaty negotiations with the American and Mexican armies. When Geronimo surrendered, she was arrested alongside Geronimo and Lozen, but was shipped to St. Augustine, Florida, rather than the barracks in Alabama. Nevertheless, like other prisoners in Florida, she contracted tuberculosis and pneumonia, but managed to survive both. Some scholars believe that #Lozen and Dahteste were #TwoSpirits and lovers."
Non-binary people have always been around, this is not 'new'. From Joan of Arc, two-spirit people and more, the binary has never been the only solution.
In this blog, we dive into the history of non-binary, two-spirit, and other terms you may not have come across yet. Check it out and give yourself an education 💛💜🤍🖤
This is the message that I just sent out to my colleagues in Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC):
Dear GSDIN members and AAFC employees,
As members of the Gender and Sexual Diversity Inclusion Network (GSDIN), we are reaching out to address a pressing matter that requires our collective attention.
To demonstrate your support for the rights and well-being of #2SLGBTQIA+ people, we invite you to join us at one of the following locations this Saturday (February 3):
and here's #twoSpirit dancer & performer, Ty Defoe.
PBS hasn't released the full episode of this show, so am offering you alternate samples of the artists' works.
"Ty Defoe (Giizhig) is from the Oneida and Ojibwe Tribes and resides in New York City. He is a two-spirit/trans* activist, cultural pioneer, writer, musician, and is known for his cultural education, hoop, and eagle dancing.
https://www.niagaracollege.ca/insidenc/2023/10/02/observing-sisters-in-spirit-national-day-of-action-for-mmiwg2slgbtqqia-people/ today is Sisters in Spirit national day of action for missing and murdered Indigenous people. I remember my two-spirit cousin who was kicked out of their rural Newfoundland home when they were still a young teen. They were driven out for being queer. I was only a little kid when it happened and was horrified that a family could treat their kid like this. I always liked my cousin, though I cannot remember their name. They were nice to me and introduced me to new and exciting music. I remember them playing “Drugs in My Pockets’ by The Monks for me. I have no idea what ever became of them. I hope they are ok. They are forever missing for me, but at least I can listen to this song and remember them. #homophobia#TwoSpirit#SistersInSpirit#MMIWg2ST#TheMonks#1970s
“The NAJA staff and board of directors extend a sincere apology for any harm that has been caused to our members who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ over the past 40 years when NAJA has taken an unspoken neutral stance in place of open and active support. We seek to remedy that.”
More about me: I also am #autistic living with #ADHD and anxiety, am #trans / #twospirit af, #anishinaabe, and occasionally make silly jokes and an overall goofball when I need to brighten someone's day. 💜