One of the most well-known two-spirit people who identified as female was We’wha (1846–96) of New Mexico. Similarly, the Ktunaxa (Kootenay) term titqattek described females who took on roles traditionally characterized as masculine, Such as basket weaving and pottery-making. The Siksika (Blackfoot) term aakíí’skassi described men who performed roles typically associated with women, Men who dress like women and women who dress like men. The Cree terms napêw iskwêwisêhot and iskwêw ka napêwayat respectively reference Two-spirit commonly referred to gender identity, dress and traditional roles.
Pre-Colonial Uses of the Termĭifferent Indigenous cultures have their own variations of the term two-spirit, but all of these terms have historically been used to describe similar traits embodied by two-spirit people including gender variance, specialized work roles, same-sex A rainbow crosswalk celebrating Pride, in downtown Vancouver, 2013.
