Native American Heritage Month

Karlie Harper, LSW Butler PA

Throughout the month of November, we honored Native American Heritage, which was designated by President George Bush in 1990 by signing a joint resolution. This is significant for Pennsylvanians, as Pennsylvania was originally home to Native American tribes Lenape/Delaware and the Susquehannock tribes, as well as the Nanticoke and the Shawnee peoples (NPR, American Indian Tribes Today, https://native-land.ca/). However, today, there are no federally recognized tribes in Pennsylvania. As a new resident of Pennsylvania, having moved here from Oklahoma several years ago, it was an interesting difference from a state where 38 tribes continue to be recognized federally. There are more than 5 million people in the United States who identify as Native American (NativeAmericanHeritageMonth.org), including 12,000 in the state of Pennsylvania. Much about the lush and diverse culture and life of the tribes who originated in this state, as well as the rest of the country, were lost due to forced removal, disease, boarding schools, colonization and religion, not just here but all over North America.

The Social Justice Committee decided to celebrate Native American Heritage month by highlighting the intersectionality referred to as 2 Spirit. While this term may be new for many, it one rich in history for Native Americans, and in turn, the United States. The US Department of Health and Human Services: Indian Health Services defines 2 Spirit as “Traditionally, Native American two-spirit people were male, female, and sometimes intersexed individuals who combined activities of both men and women with traits unique to their status as two-spirit people.” (https://www.ihs.gov/lgbt/health/twospirit/).

I interviewed friend and colleague Wulf Roby, in hopes of spreading awareness and understanding around the term 2 Spirit, what it means, and how our current societal norms of the majority impacts these individuals. Wulf is a 2 Spirit individual who belongs to a federally recognized tribe in the state of Oklahoma and is now living in Kansas.

For those who don’t know, can you describe what 2 Spirit means, and what makes it similar or different from Non-binary?

Wulf - “So 2 Spirit is a modern word that was coined to describe not really a pan-Indigenous experience as far as gender and sexuality are concerned. But to denote a community role that has been lost along with a lot of other cultural traditions of Indigenous nations across Turtle Island. Not all 2 Spirit people are non-binary. There are 2 Spirit people who identify as various genders and sexualities across both spectrums. The community role of a 2 Spirit person traditionally would have been somewhere between a counselor and a medicine person for many tribes. Today, a lot of the community aspects have been lost because of colonization and Christianity. However, a lot of 2 Spirit people are reclaiming that.”

Can you talk a little bit about your lived experience as a 2 Spirit individual in OK near the tribal lands and now further away?

Wulf - “My tribe is not one that respects 2 Spirit people and their role in our greater community. In legal and many public ways the tribe does its best to exclude us. In our community that is much different. There are many language keepers and people who serve in traditional leadership roles who identify as 2 Spirit. My personal experience is very much that of exclusion from many places in cultural practice. The caregiving role as 2 Spirit in my community includes much more than the indigenous relatives around me. Moving to an area near an Indigenous university has changed the way I am able to be involved in cultural practice. There are many intertribal opportunities to develop relationships and live more authentically than I did in my own tribe's reservations area.”

Since we are celebrating Native American Heritage month this month, I’d love to have you talk about the things you love about your culture, tribe, yourself, and whatever else you can think of.

Wulf: “This time period in my life has shown me how much people like me truly are needed in our community. From being influential in policy and community governance, both indigenous and in settler colonial government, to simply sharing Indigenous cultures through things like public selection for a statewide program, becoming comfortable with this middle of life era has taught me the importance of learning from those more experienced and those coming at situations with fresh eyes.”

As Wulf mentioned, Christianity and colonization intentionally tried to eliminate 2 Spirit people from our history. Through the use of boarding schools, missionaries, and government actions 2 Spirit individuals were condemned and targeted. However, these individuals have persevered. If you want to know more about 2 Spirit individuals you can look here:

LGBTQ2S Advocacy and Native Out [PDF - 782 MB] Presentation

Native Out Webinar

Two-Spirit Identity: Then and Now Presentation

Two-Spirit People: Then and Now [PDF - 3 MB] Presentation

Information about the centuries-long practice of Land Acknowledgements can be found at: https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/informational/land-acknowledgment

https://www.npr.org/2023/03/15/1160204144/indigenous-land-acknowledgments

https://collegefund.org/blog/why-give-an-indigenous-land-acknowledgment-and-how-to-make-it-matter/

Many resources can be found on The US Department of Health and Human Services: Indian Health Services site: https://www.ihs.gov/lgbt/health/twospirit/, though, your own research is also encouraged.

If you want more information about Native American Heritage Month you can check out https://www.nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/ or as always, Google is your friend. If you want to find out which tribes are indigenous to the lands you live on you can check out the website https://native-land.ca/.

Sources for references: https://www.nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/ https://www.nps.gov/cajo/learn/historyculture/american-indian-tribes-today.htm https://www.ihs.gov/lgbt/health/twospirit/

https://native-land.ca/.