being two-spirit is self-defined, and i personally use the term as a native person to describe both my romantic attraction/sexuality and gender identity, in the same way some ppl label themselves as queer. if i were going to list out all the western labels that fit me, the list would include trans, nonbinary, genderfluid, polysexual, and aromantic. but i dont like western labels, and i prefer to use queer or two-spirit because i feel like those suit me best, two-spirit especially because being native is often the thing i feel like most represents who i am in my identity.
not every tribe or indigenous group has a concept of two-spirit, and some tribes have even regarded gender ambiguity or queerness of any kind as ‘evil’, while some others were evangelized/radicalized by colonizers and currently follow christian teachings and perpetuate colonialism within their own societies, so it’s important to remember that we are not a homogenous group or race, every tribe is different. two-spirit is more or less part of the pan-indigenous movement, though, and was coined by lgbtq+ native folks ~1990. any first nations indigenous person can claim two-spirit as an identity label, even if their tribe didn’t historically recognize something like it.
there is a really good video about it here that i think does a good job of explaining the label and why it is used.
just remember that two-spirit, like any queer identity label, is self-defined so if you’re looking for a clear-cut definition of two-spirit, just know that the “answers” that exist in books and on the internet are usually one-sided and sometimes written by colonizers who have a narrow grasp of what it means to be queer and indigenous.
also: two-spirit does not mean “bisexual” or “bigender” which is what i’ve seen a lot of non natives say, essentially, when explaining it to other non natives. which is frustrating.
anyway please watch the video!
