Land, Gender, & Language
The term, coined in 1990 at a conference in Winnipeg, unites Indigenous sexual and gender minorities.
What is “Two-Spirit.”
This term, imposed by Settler anthropologists, inaccurately labeled suprabinary genders in Indigenous nations and reduced them to sexualized stereotypes.
What is “Berdache”
In 2017, Canada introduced this gender marker on passports, allowing individuals to identify outside the binary categories of male and female.
What is "X"
Decolonization efforts aim to restore Indigenous gender roles and challenge the legacy of this system that continues to impact Indigenous communities.
What is “settler colonialism.”
These colonial institutions suppressed Indigenous gender systems by imposing Christian binary norms and labeling traditional identities as sinful.
What are “Residential Schools”
Residential schools played a key role in erasing Indigenous gender systems by enforcing these two colonial constructs.
What are "binary gender roles and heteronormativity"
Some Indigenous languages had three dialects - one for men, one for women, and one for this type of event.
What are “ceremonies.”
The introduction of this Western framework, which emphasized male and female roles, contributed to the suppression of traditional Indigenous gender systems.
What is “the Western Binary Gender System”
In many Indigenous communities, Two-Spirit people held respected positions as healers, mediators, and preservers of history through what traditional method?
What is “storytelling.”