Two Spirit people emerging as tales are told

[kweerwolf]

Jingling bells on traditional regalia announced the American Indian contingent at the San Francisco Gay Pride Parade in 1986. Among them was a young Alaskan Eskimo named Anguksuar, or "Little Man." He wore holes in his moccasins dancing on the hot asphalt.

As a teenager in the 1970s, he was a conscientious objector. He lived near Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania during its nuclear scare in 1979. He heard former Miss America Anita Bryant's attacks on gays and lesbians and came of age during the beginning of the AIDS epidemic.

<snip>

Today, he writes poetry, public policy statements and articles for the gay and native press. He is active in AIDS education as well as native language preservation. He creates traditional crafts out of wood, leather, copper, beads and quills. He's also a classical pianist with a passion for Haydn and Mozart.

On Sunday, the longtime social activist comes full circle, serving as grand marshal of the Twin Cities GLBT Pride Parade.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/389/5474507.html

(It's good to see the media giving coverage to the "two-spirit" movement in some Native American tribes. If anyone is interested in learning more about the two-spirit people, Will Roscoe has several books on the subject.)

[Teaser]

1. I thought scholars had called the "two spirit"

folk motif into some question...

Will have to check up on that.

[kweerwolf]

2. There has always been some controversy about it among scholars

According to what I've read, two-spirits were recognized among some tribes, but not others. Also, some tribes who once celebrated two-spirit people have distanced themselves from it due to the early influence of missionaries who discouraged the practice.