30 “Today I Learned” Facts Ranging From Weird To Cool (New Pics)

The term two-spirit is indeed recent, as an English phrase broadly used among Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island (North America). Acceptance and affirmation of same-sex relations and gender-non-conforming people is not new but was not necessarily universal, and what that looked like would have varied widely among the hundreds of pre-colonization Indigenous nations. There would have been many different words and phrases used to describe and discuss these topics in the many languages our ancestors spoke. Some of those may reflect the idea of two or of male/female spirits in one body when translated, some conceptualize these identities in different ways. While many modern Indigenous people embrace the term two-spirit, others with queer/trans identities do not find it meaningful for them individually or within their respective cultures. A more recent English term that is growing in use across nations is Indigiqueer. Some may prefer to use the terminology of their own languages.

Source: I am a person of mixed European/Indigenous ancestry from multiple nations, a member of a vibrant Urban Indigenous community, and comfortably identify as any of the following: queer/genderqueer/two-spirit/Indigiqueer. I have both academic and activist background in these areas. Please understand that there has never been a single Indigenous or "Native American" culture (the latter is a term that has fallen out of favour and which is falling out of use here in Canada, along with "Native" and "Aboriginal," Indigenous is the accepted term when not referring to a specific nation, which would be preferred whenever possible). There are and have been hundreds of Indigenous nations across Turtle Island with distinct histories, languages, beliefs, social structures, cultural practices, etc.

When I explain this to people I always use the Sioux nation as an example. There is no tribe called the Sioux. That is a name the French used. The Sioux nation is actually 3 distinct and different tribal communities lumped together because the people that came to the America's for purposes of colonization did not see that there were actually differences. They were all the same in their eyes. You guys have really expanded on what I was trying to say. Great discourse!

Ya know, that was exactly what I was realizing after I made my reply. Indigenous languages are so much more, what word am I looking for, expressive. Learning about Indigenous languages made me realize just how language shapes our world. Thank you for putting into words what my limited language could not.

Hey downvoter, you realize these are also lyrics from the song Angela quoted? Edit: oh, it was ole Abe Hartman, of course

Them being lyrics makes a difference why?

I guess it doesn’t. It’d be nice though if you could digest even the tiniest bit of information or understanding from just snippets of lyrics. If you’re over 70, I bet you were against all of the anti-Vietnam War songs too. Sad little king of a sad little hill. I’m not responding to you again as you’re clearly stuck in “them” ways.

They send the young because they are most suited to be quickly trained and they don't have an established life that would be overturned.

So maybe they should be made to do what rulers did throughout history and actually lead their armies into battle. They'd soon start finding better ways to resolve their differences.

So you think Churchill should've been down in the trenchs?

Abe Hartman, oh yes! That would have be a far greater use of his 'talents' than being in government. Mind you, standing in a field with a herd of pigs would have been a greater use of him too.

You mean Captain bone spurs?