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| Exploration of Two-Spirit Literature in Northwest Native Groups |
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| Living - Society | |
| TS-Si News Service | |
| Monday, 09 May 2011 03:00 | |
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Manhattan, KS, USA. Many Native American and native Alaskan groups (the native nations) deal with alternative genders and homosexuality, with emerging practices that approach many of those associated with western culture.
Lisa Tatonetti notes there has been a significant expansion of Two-Spirit literature since the 1970s. She says that today "Two-Spirit is a term coined in the '90s that refers to people of native cultures who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender/transsexual or queer" (GLBT/TQ). A native nation refers to a collective body of Native American people who are citizens in an indigenous nation existing within the U.S. or Canada, Tatonetti said. In Alaska alone, more than 300 native cultures exist. "Traditionally in native cultures, many native nations have alternate genders and different sexuality spaces," says Lisa Tatonetti, associate professor of English and American ethnic studies at Kansas State University (K-State), and a noted scholar in this field. Lisa Tatonetti, PhD, began her study of Two-Spirit literature soon after earning her doctorate from Ohio State University (OSU) in 2001. Her work on Two-Spirit literature has appeared in various journals, edited collections and contemporary magazines.But back when Spanish and French missionaries and settlers first encountered these beliefs and practices in native cultures, they deemed them barbaric, often resulting in the practitioners' deaths because they did not adhere to beliefs of Judeo-Christian origin. Consequently, this forced the Two-Spirit movement underground. Tatonetti met with various native groups to learn about their policies and cultures, including those on alternative sexualities and genders. She studied the Yup'ik, Tlingit, Tsimshian, Haida and Kwakwaka'wakw nations, whose cultures differ greatly from those of native nations in the lower 48 states. For her research she met with internationally known scholars and native artists every day. "When I learned about a particular culture, I asked if their nation had these Two-Spirit traditions. It was amazing because everywhere I went these traditions existed," Tatonetti said. Even though a part of many cultures' histories, she found that acceptance of Two-Spirit practices varied, and contemporary Two-Spirit people often faced the same tribulations as those with alternative sexuality and gender roles in the U.S. "There are Two-Spirit societies all over the northwest area I visited and also throughout the U.S.," Tatonetti said. "It's funny, because while nations like the Navajo and Cherokee have multiple gender traditions, they also have passed their own defense of marriage acts. "It's been a back-and-forth in many nations for a long time. I think this literature is blossoming right now because of shifts in the larger conversations in academia and queer studies, and because of the changes in understanding in the U.S.," Tatonetti said. "Historically these native nations are ahead of where American culture currently is in terms of their understanding of the complexity of gender and sex roles, but today they face similar debates and challenges." Tatonetti recently co-edited and contributed to Sovereign Erotics: A Collection of Contemporary Two-Spirit Literature, from the University of Arizona Press (2011). Her recent findings will contribute to her upcoming book in progress, Queering American Indian Literature: The Rise of Contemporary Two-Spirit Texts and Criticism. It will be the first literary exploration into recorded Two-Spirit literature, mapping its inception in the early 1970s to its rise in present day and its criticism. CitationLisa Tatonetti, associate professor of English and American ethnic studies, received a fellowship to "Native Cultures of Western Alaska and the Pacific Northwest Coast," a summer institute of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
CitationSovereign Erotics: A Collection of Contemporary Two-Spirit Literature. Qwo-Li Driskill (Editor), Daniel Heath Justice (Editor), Deborah Miranda (Editor), Lisa Tatonetti (Editor). University of Arizona Press (October 1, 2011). ISBN-10: 0816502420; ISBN-13: 978-0816502424
Publisher's Decription Two-Spirit people, identified by many different tribally specific names and standings within their communities, have been living, loving, and creating art since time immemorial. It wasn't until the 1970s, however, that contemporary queer Native literature gained any public notice. Even now, only a handful of books address it specifically, most notably the 1988 collection Living the Spirt: A Gay American Indian Anthology. Since that book's publication twenty-three years ago, there has not been another collection published that focuses explicitly on the writing and art of Indigenous Two-Spirit and Queer people. This landmark collection strives to reflect the complexity of identities within Native Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Two-Spirit (GLBTQ2) communities. Gathering together the work of established writers and talented new voices, this anthology spans genres (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and essay) and themes (memory, history, sexuality, indigeneity, friendship, family, love, and loss) and represents a watershed moment in Native American and Indigenous literatures, Queer studies, and the intersections between the two. Collaboratively, the pieces in Sovereign Erotics demonstrate not only the radical diversity among the voices of today's Indigenous GLBTQ2 writers but also the beauty, strength, and resilience of Indigenous GLBTQ2 people in the twenty-first century.
 The TS-Si News Service is a collaborative effort by TS-Si.org editors, contributors, and corresponding institutions. The sources can include the cited individuals and organizations, as well as TS-Si.org staff contributions. Articles and news reports do not necessarily convey official positions of TS-Si, its partners, or affiliates.We welcome your comments. Use the form below to leave a public comment or send private correspondence via the TS-Si Contact Page. We will not divulge any personal details or place you on a mailing list without your permission. TS-Si is dedicated to the acceptance, medical treatment, and legal protection of individuals correcting the misalignment of their brains and their anatomical sex, while supporting their transition into society as hormonally reconstituted and surgically corrected citizens. To create link towards this article on your website, copy and paste the text below in your page. Preview :
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| Last Updated on Sunday, 08 May 2011 22:15 |
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