i love how she was such a respectful and interested listener! we all need to listen up whenever native americans have something to say because they've been silenced too long
My husband's Aunt went ballistic on me years ago when I posted something about Two-Spirit people. She claimed it wasnt true that indigenous people never identified as anything other than male/female. She still hasnt spoken to me, and its been over 5 years since that day. Seeing this was so amazing, and it helped me to know I didnt have my information wrong. ♡ ty Dr Doe
I had no idea that two-spirit also referred to romantic/sexual attraction! I thought it was strictly a gender identity. it's a good day to stay curious ;)
I'm not sure you just watched the same video I did, since it's explicitly stated that it is NOT a gender identity OR referring to romantic/sexaul attraction. It is a strictly indigenous peoples terminology that is not meant to be used by anyone who is not deeply entrenched in indigenous culture and is indigenous themselves...
I think she just meant she didn't know it referred to romantic/sexual attraction within indigenous people, rather than only gender identity within indigenous people - I didn't read any implication she meant outside of that. I too thought two-spirit only referred to indigenous trans folks, rather than indigenous experiences of various sections of what we'd consider the LGBT+ spectrum.
It's not at all about sexual orientation. Of course because you have both masculine masculine femine energies you can be attracted to both masculine and feminine, but being two spirited is about harnessing and tapping into both energies. Its has zero to do with who you're having sex with. I know straight male two spirits.
I really loved hearing the history of the term two-spirit. I never knew any of that backstory. It makes sense that there would be different words among different tribes, but I never thought about it before.
I'd love to see an interview with people living with/who have contracted STDs. I feel like so many are misrepresented and blown out of proportion, or we're only shown the most severe cases, I think it would be refreshing to hear from people who have had to actually deal with these things.
Two people who contracted HIV actually did a presentation at my school. It was very interesting and eye opening to hear these experiences from people who contracted it during the 80's and 90's when there was a huge stigma, I would love to see a video like this on sexplanations.
You should check out Shan Boody! She's a really good sex positive RUclipsr, and she has a few videos about STDs. She actually had chlamydia, so her videos are really down to earth!
I learned a lot from this video and about what is Two Spirit and who can and who should not identify as such. It was extremely informative and thank you for posting this video. While there area lot of take-aways from this video, one is, is how Dr. Doe just listened. She asked what two? three questions? But she did not dominate the video, instead she let the person who is informed, who helped create the Two-Spirit community speak. This is important to any ally of any community. Just listen to what they have to say, lean in, ask questions, but don't dominate, listen to the answers they give. So often than not people speak about communities and groups of people that they are not part of. All Dr. Doe did was have her camera on, and let this man speak about his community and what it is and what it means. This is not just a great video on Two-Spirit but also a great video on how to be an ally.
I like how instead of bashing people for asking to use the term he encourages people to learn about their own history and their own culture to find a term that's right for them. I think that's a beautiful way to fight appropriation.
I'm so glad you're talking about this! As someone who recently started identifying as two spirit in a state and tribe that has no information on it (That or they're just denying it), it makes me so happy that information is becoming more available to everyone.
DemonicVibrations hey, Cousin! NC Cherokee. The SE tribes have been under European Christian influence for so long, that things like 2 Spirit identities are just shut out. I was trying to find anyone who practices the old religion and it's damn near impossible. Y'all preserved the stickball game better than we did, though.
Gerard Miller Hey! Yeah that seems to be a really huge problem here in Oklahoma for sure. It doesn't help that any informational sites just don't address it at all. And lol yeah that's for sure
I knew that I was Two Spirit when I was a teenager. Nothing to be ashamed of. Those who are Two Spirit are truly blessed with a lot of knowledge and understanding of life.
More interviews please! An interview with people of varying levels of ability would be so neat. It's been hard as a trans disabled guy not seeing any representation of the disabled community when we talk about things like sex, sexual health, or even just intimate relationships in general. Disabled people are often assumed to not be sexual or romantic, in the most patronizing ways. It hurts. And can we PLEASE talk about sexual assault of disabled individuals?! It happens so often because it's known that we may have a more difficult time defending ourselves. Particularly with cognitive or developmental disabilities, because the victim may not know how to say no, or even that they are allowed to say no. Some people are taught, intentionally or not, that they don't have a right to bodily autonomy, which is so dangerous, not only in the context of sexual assault, but in body image and self respect and developing healthy relationships. We NEED to have these conversations!
I love this! Do you think we could get more videos like this? Longer explanations on gender identity by people who identify as said gender identity? Also maybe more videos on polyamory? I'm always recommending sexplanations to people I know and non-monogamy is not a topic often treated with the respect you have towards these topics
That would be super cool! I've never been in a relationship like that and can't identify with people who want poly relationships so I'd love to learn more about it
I'm so confused by this comments section. People keep going on and on about how they're so happy two-spirit relates to sexuality AND gender, and many very clearly non-indigenous people are announcing happily that they are two-spirit. Did you even watch the bloody video?? *sighs* He very clearly states that it does NOT really relate to sexuality OR gender, and that no - if you are not indigenous, you may NOT identify as two-spirit, as it is very deeply entrenched in their cultural history and identity, and has no real meaning outside of it. It's embarrassing to see so many of Doe's followers completely disregard the content of her actual videos...
Yeaaah. Same problem when colonial immigrants (or ignorant people abroad who want to play Native Indian...) Claim a spirit-animal. They mean they are a furry or its their Patronus.
Thank you. I am intersexed,two-spirit like third sex speaks more to me as an indigenous/tribal woman. I am more than what my perceived gender is. As a matter of fact I am told my features gender bend
@@louisehills5480 don't thank me, since you (despite claiming to be indigenous) are also not actually two-spirit. It has nothing to do with being intersex, nothing to do with what your features look like. You watched the video, read my comment... And STILL are pretending to be two-spirit, even though you clearly have no clue what it means. Also, next time don't respond to a THREE YEAR OLD comment, geez.
If im understanding right. Two -spirit IS NOT as simple as saying i was born male/female but identify opposite of the gender born. Two- spirit is more a spiritual term that has deep tribal roots. Thus why the person who is understood to be two -spirit at a young age is groomed for TRIBAL leadership. Because that persons life will be dedicated to spiritual matters rather than just personal acceptance of gender and who the person will be attracted to. If im wrong I am very open to correction
for the most part on this channel I know everything in a broad sense and lindsey helps give me more info but for this topic I had never even heard of it before this is so wonderful to learn about and to learn more about other cultures :D
Just your friendly neighbourhood nerdfighter, here to remind you please do not feed the trolls, they get riled up and even more bothersome when you do. 😊
I was taught that the term two spirit came from a translation of the anishinaabemowin phrase "niizh manidoowag" which literally translates as "one who is of two spirits", because we ojibwe folks had (that I know of) 3 additional genders in addition to the western binary two its always really interesting to hear people speak who are from tribes I don't get to interact with a lot, my tribe being from southern canada/northern US. Keep up the amazing work!!
Oh how nice, I love how upfront and blunt some Native people can be: can you call yourself two-spirit? Well are you a tribe leader? Wise person? See, it isn’t a general term, it’s Native. Bravo! (yes, paternal grandmother half Attakapa half black) ps: I remember holding a viewing of a special that came out on TV when I was at college about Polynesian (or Hawaiian, don’t remember) cis-males that were what white people would have called gay. The narrator went to great lengths to show how important and integral to the community they were. Wasn’t there even a genetic study done with a Hawaiian/Polynesian population showing how families with these individuals were actually more successful genetically? May be applying my own beliefs and not memory but I believe it was supposed that having more adults per child (attention, protection, etc) contributed to a child being better raised, cared for and thus more successful.
There are several studies on them, in fact! There's a lot of discussion in the scientific community whether this may be an evolutionary reason why gay people actually exist - some say yes, others think that it's still impossible to say because, despite how important LGTBQ people are in many cultures, human cultures benefiting from a natural phenomenon doesn't mean that that benefit is the reason for the phenomenon. Culture makes a mess of human evolution, if only we were penguins, where same-sex couples take care of abandoned eggs and make it pretty clear why it's beneficial... (not just in the zoo - this has been observed in nature!)
Thank you for sharing this video. I am Choctaw and bisexual. I have been learning the various two spirit teachings among the indigenous peoples. But even though I identify as two spirit, I often get called crazy because so many in the he Nations don't accept the term or it's sacredness.
This was really awesome to learn about. I've heard the term before but never looked into it much. I love learning about different cultures and experiences of self so this was very interesting to me.
Beautiful video. Love the conversational style about such an important cultural term. I especially love that Herrera broadened the usage to all Native/Indigenous people & not only members of tribes. I've met some tribal members who poo poo those of us not "enrolled" & using the term. Not all Native/Indigenous folks want to or can be members of a tribe.
I inferred through the term itself that Two-spirit describes aspects of gender and spirituality in Native Americans, but I had no idea that it was such a broad term with so much history behind it. Now I wish I had looked into it sooner, and I know I'm going to spend a day or two reading as much as I can sometime soon. I hope that non-Native people who resonate with the Dualistic nature of the term find a suitable replacement and don't try to strip it of its cultural significance. I think it's a great opportunity for different cultures to look back and contextualize our history, rather than trying to sidestep someone else's. I think it would be helpful either way, to help shine a light on the diversity our society has spent a long time ignoring, and to weaken the narrative that gender and sexuality are strict binaries.
Thank you for this awesome video and the information. Can you put a link to the full interview? I'm guessing the hard cuts was to keep it flowing, but it is a little off putting for me. Still amazing stuff!!! Ty.
Traditionally speaking, we Filipinos don't exactly identify as Two-Spirit or any of the correlating tribal identities that are independently recognized in at least a hundred Indigenous American nations. Native Hawaiians (Kanaka Maoli) even have words of their own to describe their LGBT people as Aikāne and Māhū. The speaker simply misspoke. Indigenous Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Filipinos are completely different cultures who never made contact with each other. Nonetheless, historically we used to have Gender and Sexual Diversity of our own. But that was before the Spaniards brought catholicism, colonized and enslaved us, fed our queer and matriarchal ancestors to crocodiles, and nearly eradicated our indigenous cultures. Filipinos used to honor ancient matriarchal social orders of warrior priestesses known as Babaylan in our middle islands and Katalonan in the northern islands. Queer, trans, and intersex individuals were welcomed in their ranks, respected by the Babaylan as *Asog* or *Bayog.* Together the Babaylan and Asog were among the leaders of agriculture, domesticity, spirituality, care-giving, counseling and more. We stood next to the Datu (chiefs) and warriors. In the late 19th century, one Babaylan named Estrella Bangotbanwa took on the title of "Tagsagod kang Kalibutan" or “Caretaker of the World”. She managed to summon a heavy rain that saved two towns from a devastating three-year drought. Even some Asog left their mark in the Filipino Revolutionary Era: Ponciano Elofre (aka Dios Buhawi or Wind Spirit), Papa Isio, and Gregorio Lampinio. These three Asog leaders, who lived around the 1800s and 1900s, led revolts against Spanish and white American imperialism. Unfortunately 500 years after Spanish colonization, much of our indigenous cultures have been disrupted or forgotten. Catholicism is mostly to blame, too. Philippines is now the most catholic majority country in the far east. Femininity, queer cultures, shamanism and even our Gods have been subjugated and demonized. Strict patriarchy has ousted the Babaylan from taking full leadership of their own communities. Asog and Bayot are now misogynistic, homophobic and transphobic slurs. Queer Filipinos (predominantly feminine gay Filipino men) are now called *Baklâ.* hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/Babaylan-The-Ancient-Witches-of-Tribal-Philippines
It doesn't really relate to either...I feel like people weren't really paying attention to him while he spoke. So many people are saying things about it relating to sexuality, when he very specifically states it has NOTHING to do with sexuality...
I've heard Two Spirit supposedly has a more literal meaning where it feels like the person has such a separation of their masculine side and their feminine side that they feel like they literally are two spirits in the same body... But in listening to this it seems that's not quite true. Especially considering more of the historic context around the term. If you or someone you know feels like they are two people in the same body, and you're not a Native, the term "bigender" might be more applicable. Literally, "two genders." Genderfluid might also work, and several others.
Wonderful video! Loved hearing about two-spirit from the source. My only concern is that as a leader of such a group he still used the term "transgendered". I would have liked to see Dr. Doe use that opportunity to teach him how that word is inappropriate as well.
Could you make a video about nonfapping or porn addiction? Ps: I think that I already ask for that in another video, so sorry if this looks a little spammy. But I though it could be an interesting subject.
Sitting on Ceilings I didn't start nofap but I was thinking about it. I stopped masturbating every single day like I did some time ago, I feel that I have more energy but I don't think it's only related to it.
The American Indian culture did not exclude people who were not hetro, the tribal framework had space for everyone and believed that the people could learn from those that were different, they even had 'gay marriage' for want of a better word years and centuries before it became 'accepted' in faith based societies. Good videos always here.
I am very suprised and interested in this subject, because I have never known of this form of identity being ingrained in native cultures. Thank you Lindsey and David for sharing these perspectives and history of sexuality.
I'm curious who all he/is included in First Nations (and therefore can use this term) for him. Dr. Doe characterizes it as North America, but he also mentions Phillipines. In some ways this makes sense as Spain and then the U.S. controlled (and obviously colonized) this area for a long period of time, but seems geographically out of sync. So I'm curious if he is using it for any group of indigenous people that have dealt with the oppression of a colonizer (which then would open this term up for areas in Africa and even possibly Asia... I'm also curious if it's used in South America as the term indigenous is certainly widely used). So interesting to hear the history behind the term regardless.
This was really well done! Previously I didn't know (or care to learn) what it meant and so I wrong assumed it was similar to the whole "otherkin" thing.
As someone with little to no 'heritage ' I both love and hate such concepts. I am jealous, but can't help myself. I'm American White Bread. My genes are a stew of German, English, Irish, Russian, French,, a ton of other European bits, a tiny bit African and a tiny bit native American. I'm not enough of any one thing to claim that heritage. It makes me feel very disconnected sometimes. I can't be part of any community that is based on historical families. I would never steal a term like two spirit, but I wish I could have a group with whom I could share some term.
Alex Andrews I understand this feeling. It's a bit odd to not have a heritage. I found some constancy with religion. But you are not alone feeling this way!
Aster Iris I may have phrased it oddly, but it's not an issue of my whiteness so much as my... stew status. I don't feel comfortable claiming Irish, Germanic, etc, because I am only a small part of each of those. My grand parents, great grand parents, and great great great grand parents were all American. I would be stealing a culture if I claimed myself to be French as much as any other. It's not about the color of my skin, it's about the mix of my genetics. It doesn't help that I also lack a strong family culture. My grandparents lived across the country from me, so I did not grow up learning family history, learning my heritage as a child. I'm not default... I'm the mixed paint with so many bits that claiming to be from one origin is silly. I have actually read about the many cultures that make me up, but I would feel wrong claiming any. Does that make more sense?
Jack K why because I'm honest about my feelings? This is supposed to be a community where people are free to be open and honest. I'm not saying that I'm jealous of the "exotic others". I'm just as frustrated that I'm not more Irish, or Russian. I feel disconnected from culture. It's frustrating.
Alex Andrews I know that feeling. I'm only 1/16th native american but, if I had to pick a heritage that I relate to the most, it would be that. Mainly because my grandma proudly displayed native american paintings that were passed down from her grandma. So, yeah, I think it's less about the statistics split and more about what your surroundings inspired. And, sadly, "proud to be american" seems to have replaced a lot of heritages.
A Two Spirit is two separate spirts in a body, one male and one female. Non the same as trans. It can occur in many cultures and they are usually bi. Possessing traits and skills of both sexes. Leaders, creators, visionaries.
Indigenous cultures have much simpler ways of identifying people. Thats so interesting because in modern america theres kind of a name or label for anything. Which is also fine, but its cool that two spirit is an all encompassing term for anyone lgbtq
I'm not Two-Spirit (I'm white, a Finn) but as I understand it, each tribe has their own set of labels in addition to 'Two-Spirit'. I believe that's how it was explained in the video, with a mention that not all identify as Two-Spirit. Also, the identity isn't mutually exclusive with western identities. The word queer is a label that essentially works as an umbrella term in a manner similar to 'Two-Spirit' but isn't tied to any specific cultures. There's also genderqueer. Some leave it at that, some go beyond but others don't identify as queer at all and sometimes might even find it offensive. I identify as (gender)queer but also use numerous other labels. Finnish isn't quite as specific with things as English is, though. I'm not sure if anyone's coined a word for demigenderflux in Finnish. Actually, Finnish doesn't have gendered pronouns (although there are patriarchal binary terms which likely didn't come from Proto-Uralic hehe bloody Indo-Europeans right? xD xP).
Suvi-Tuuli Allan well that's cool. Idk I'm Mohawk Indian. Raised in new york. I never put too much thought into my identity as far as sexuality because there's so much more too my identity. But i call myself bisexual
Cool. Nobody says that you have to identify with countless labels or any at all or that it has to be very accurate. I once identified as bi but then decided to go with pan and now I use pan but bi feels equally right/wrong. For me, as a trans person, my trans identity is a big part of who I am. It's where I've found a community (besides in the autistic community). Lately I've also felt like I might belong in the aromantic and asexual communities as I came to realise that I'm on the spectra. Polyamory is another thing that feels like me but the trans and autistic identities are more fundamental. I always used to feel like I don't belong. That feeling is still sometimes there but it's probably just my insecurities or something. Trying to survive with depression and anxiety leaves very little time and energy for hobbies or socialising. At least having some sort of a place for myself means that I don't feel completely lost all the time.
There is a common misconception that ALL two spirit people identify with the LGBTQ+ spectrum when I know two spirit people who do NOT identify on the LGBTQ+ spectrum but DO identify as Two Spirit. Just something I wanted to share! I myself am two spirit. :)
So the message seems to be, "You admire our culture and resonate with the feelings surrounding the term we created with your language? That's cool, but FIND YOUR OWN THING WE WERE HERE FIRST."
A third or fourth "acceptable"genders, especially with the assigned at birth bull needs to be critically examined along with the systemic issues that we conventionally refer to as binary. The issues with two spirit from a European perspective is that two spirit has LONG been a translation for those terms in those European cultures to English.
I still don't fully understand. Is two-spirit a gender identity? Is it an orientation? Or is it just an umbrella term, kinda like LBGT, that incorporates both?
There is a great documentary called "Two Spirit", but it has a tragic side to it as it is centered around the murder of a young trans native American from New Mexico.
As interesting as the video seemed, the constant jittering and jump cuts really broke the tempo for me. It was so distracting I couldn't concentrate on the interview :( is there a written version of it?
When he refers to "native, indigenous peoples" is he referring solely to those sometimes called Native Americans or the native, indigenous peoples of any place in the world? I know he's speaking from the North American indigenous people's perspective, but wondering if he's referring to more than that.
Two Spirit folks from the Philippines??? I didn't know Filipinos were allowed to identify as Two Spirit, I thought it was a label strictly reserved for Native Americans.
VelleVette Traditionally speaking, we Filipinos don't exactly identify as Two-Spirit or any of the correlating tribal identities that are independently recognized in at least a hundred Indigenous American nations. Native Hawaiians (Kanaka Maoli) even have words of their own to describe their LGBT people as Aikāne and Māhū. The speaker simply misspoke. We are completely different cultures who never made contact with each other. Nonetheless, historically we used to have Gender and Sexual Diversity of our own. But that was before the Spaniards brought catholicism, colonized and enslaved us, fed our queer and matriarchal ancestors to crocodiles, and nearly eradicated our indigenous cultures. Filipinos used to honor ancient matriarchal social orders of warrior priestesses known as Babaylan in our middle islands and Katalonan in the northern islands. Queer, trans, and intersex individuals were welcomed in their ranks, respected by the Babaylan as *Asog* or *Bayog.* Together the Babaylan and Asog were among the leaders of agriculture, domesticity, spirituality, care-giving, counseling and more. We stood next to the Datu (chiefs) and warriors. In the late 19th century, one Babaylan named Estrella Bangotbanwa took on the title of "Tagsagod kang Kalibutan" or “Caretaker of the World”. She managed to summon a heavy rain that saved two towns from a devastating three-year drought. Even some Asog left their mark in the Filipino Revolutionary Era: Ponciano Elofre (aka Dios Buhawi or Wind Spirit), Papa Isio, and Gregorio Lampinio. These three Asog leaders, who lived around the 1800s and 1900s, led revolts against Spanish and white American imperialism. Unfortunately 500 years after Spanish colonization, much of our indigenous cultures have been disrupted or forgotten. Catholicism is mostly to blame, too. Philippines is now the most catholic majority country in the far east. Femininity, queer cultures, shamanism and even our Gods have been subjugated and demonized. Strict patriarchy has ousted the Babaylan from taking full leadership of their own communities. Asog and Bayot are now misogynistic, homophobic and transphobic slurs. Queer Filipinos (predominantly feminine gay Filipino men) are now called Baklâ. hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/Babaylan-The-Ancient-Witches-of-Tribal-Philippines
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i love how she was such a respectful and interested listener! we all need to listen up whenever native americans have something to say because they've been silenced too long
She's so great on her podcast for the same reasons!
What a nice change of pace :)
My husband's Aunt went ballistic on me years ago when I posted something about Two-Spirit people. She claimed it wasnt true that indigenous people never identified as anything other than male/female. She still hasnt spoken to me, and its been over 5 years since that day. Seeing this was so amazing, and it helped me to know I didnt have my information wrong. ♡ ty Dr Doe
Can you send her this video?
Nilguiri i would love yo! But i have no lines of communication with her any Longer, by her own choice.
That's a shame. Anyway, it's her loss, I'm sure!
Best wishes...
Nilguiri ^.^ her loss ♡ thank you! You as well
Lmfao, she's in for a surprise
I had no idea that two-spirit also referred to romantic/sexual attraction! I thought it was strictly a gender identity. it's a good day to stay curious ;)
I'm not sure you just watched the same video I did, since it's explicitly stated that it is NOT a gender identity OR referring to romantic/sexaul attraction. It is a strictly indigenous peoples terminology that is not meant to be used by anyone who is not deeply entrenched in indigenous culture and is indigenous themselves...
I think she just meant she didn't know it referred to romantic/sexual attraction within indigenous people, rather than only gender identity within indigenous people - I didn't read any implication she meant outside of that. I too thought two-spirit only referred to indigenous trans folks, rather than indigenous experiences of various sections of what we'd consider the LGBT+ spectrum.
It's not at all about sexual orientation. Of course because you have both masculine masculine femine energies you can be attracted to both masculine and feminine, but being two spirited is about harnessing and tapping into both energies. Its has zero to do with who you're having sex with. I know straight male two spirits.
I really loved hearing the history of the term two-spirit. I never knew any of that backstory. It makes sense that there would be different words among different tribes, but I never thought about it before.
Your sweater, lipstick, hair game is distractingly good in this video.
Joey Broda - 10/10 would recommend this style of compliment. Bravo, fellow human person! ;D
I'd love to see an interview with people living with/who have contracted STDs. I feel like so many are misrepresented and blown out of proportion, or we're only shown the most severe cases, I think it would be refreshing to hear from people who have had to actually deal with these things.
Two people who contracted HIV actually did a presentation at my school. It was very interesting and eye opening to hear these experiences from people who contracted it during the 80's and 90's when there was a huge stigma, I would love to see a video like this on sexplanations.
You should check out Shan Boody! She's a really good sex positive RUclipsr, and she has a few videos about STDs. She actually had chlamydia, so her videos are really down to earth!
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I learned a lot from this video and about what is Two Spirit and who can and who should not identify as such. It was extremely informative and thank you for posting this video. While there area lot of take-aways from this video, one is, is how Dr. Doe just listened. She asked what two? three questions? But she did not dominate the video, instead she let the person who is informed, who helped create the Two-Spirit community speak.
This is important to any ally of any community. Just listen to what they have to say, lean in, ask questions, but don't dominate, listen to the answers they give. So often than not people speak about communities and groups of people that they are not part of. All Dr. Doe did was have her camera on, and let this man speak about his community and what it is and what it means. This is not just a great video on Two-Spirit but also a great video on how to be an ally.
I like how instead of bashing people for asking to use the term he encourages people to learn about their own history and their own culture to find a term that's right for them.
I think that's a beautiful way to fight appropriation.
I'm so glad you're talking about this! As someone who recently started identifying as two spirit in a state and tribe that has no information on it (That or they're just denying it), it makes me so happy that information is becoming more available to everyone.
DemonicVibrations Hi! Which tribe(s) are you from?
Gerard Miller Choctaw
DemonicVibrations hey, Cousin! NC Cherokee. The SE tribes have been under European Christian influence for so long, that things like 2 Spirit identities are just shut out. I was trying to find anyone who practices the old religion and it's damn near impossible. Y'all preserved the stickball game better than we did, though.
Gerard Miller Hey! Yeah that seems to be a really huge problem here in Oklahoma for sure. It doesn't help that any informational sites just don't address it at all. And lol yeah that's for sure
I knew that I was Two Spirit when I was a teenager. Nothing to be ashamed of. Those who are Two Spirit are truly blessed with a lot of knowledge and understanding of life.
YASS!!! Two-Spirit P.R.I.D.E. 🦅🐺🏹
Spooksville Scoob Maybe later if you're lucky, email me a pic boo!!
More interviews please! An interview with people of varying levels of ability would be so neat. It's been hard as a trans disabled guy not seeing any representation of the disabled community when we talk about things like sex, sexual health, or even just intimate relationships in general. Disabled people are often assumed to not be sexual or romantic, in the most patronizing ways. It hurts.
And can we PLEASE talk about sexual assault of disabled individuals?! It happens so often because it's known that we may have a more difficult time defending ourselves. Particularly with cognitive or developmental disabilities, because the victim may not know how to say no, or even that they are allowed to say no. Some people are taught, intentionally or not, that they don't have a right to bodily autonomy, which is so dangerous, not only in the context of sexual assault, but in body image and self respect and developing healthy relationships.
We NEED to have these conversations!
Yay!!! An over 11 minute sexplanations video as a birthday present!!! Thanks so much!!
Kylee Richards Happy Birthday Kylee! :)
ThousandTimesBefore thanks a lot
Happy Birthday!
happy B-day
This was so pleasant and informative. Many thanks for visiting and teaching.
I love this! Do you think we could get more videos like this? Longer explanations on gender identity by people who identify as said gender identity? Also maybe more videos on polyamory?
I'm always recommending sexplanations to people I know and non-monogamy is not a topic often treated with the respect you have towards these topics
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She has a podcast with longer explanations. I believe there was an episode on non-monogamy.
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That would be super cool! I've never been in a relationship like that and can't identify with people who want poly relationships so I'd love to learn more about it
I'm so confused by this comments section. People keep going on and on about how they're so happy two-spirit relates to sexuality AND gender, and many very clearly non-indigenous people are announcing happily that they are two-spirit. Did you even watch the bloody video?? *sighs* He very clearly states that it does NOT really relate to sexuality OR gender, and that no - if you are not indigenous, you may NOT identify as two-spirit, as it is very deeply entrenched in their cultural history and identity, and has no real meaning outside of it. It's embarrassing to see so many of Doe's followers completely disregard the content of her actual videos...
I'm confused by your comment. Did you not hear what he clearly said at 1:55?
Yeaaah. Same problem when colonial immigrants (or ignorant people abroad who want to play Native Indian...) Claim a spirit-animal.
They mean they are a furry or its their Patronus.
Thank you. I am intersexed,two-spirit like third sex speaks more to me as an indigenous/tribal woman. I am more than what my perceived gender is. As a matter of fact I am told my features gender bend
@@louisehills5480 don't thank me, since you (despite claiming to be indigenous) are also not actually two-spirit. It has nothing to do with being intersex, nothing to do with what your features look like. You watched the video, read my comment... And STILL are pretending to be two-spirit, even though you clearly have no clue what it means.
Also, next time don't respond to a THREE YEAR OLD comment, geez.
If im understanding right. Two -spirit IS NOT as simple as saying i was born male/female but identify opposite of the gender born. Two- spirit is more a spiritual term that has deep tribal roots. Thus why the person who is understood to be two -spirit at a young age is groomed for TRIBAL leadership. Because that persons life will be dedicated to spiritual matters rather than just personal acceptance of gender and who the person will be attracted to. If im wrong I am very open to correction
Your hair color matches your shirt so nicely
Snufkin224 They both do! :)
for the most part on this channel I know everything in a broad sense and lindsey helps give me more info but for this topic I had never even heard of it before this is so wonderful to learn about and to learn more about other cultures :D
Lewd Tea I had heard of it but nothing more than recognizing the word. I agree that this was really interesting to learn about!
Just your friendly neighbourhood nerdfighter, here to remind you please do not feed the trolls, they get riled up and even more bothersome when you do. 😊
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What have you got against nerds?
Thank you for this. What a wonderful window into the world of Indigenous culture. Please continue to do your part of reconciliation. ❤️
I was taught that the term two spirit came from a translation of the anishinaabemowin phrase "niizh manidoowag" which literally translates as "one who is of two spirits", because we ojibwe folks had (that I know of) 3 additional genders in addition to the western binary two
its always really interesting to hear people speak who are from tribes I don't get to interact with a lot, my tribe being from southern canada/northern US. Keep up the amazing work!!
Thank you dear lady. I am straight for what ever know reason. I Can identify with this story of TwoSpirit. Very good.
Wonderful discussion of what was here before the European invasion.
Oh how nice, I love how upfront and blunt some Native people can be: can you call yourself two-spirit? Well are you a tribe leader? Wise person? See, it isn’t a general term, it’s Native. Bravo! (yes, paternal grandmother half Attakapa half black)
ps: I remember holding a viewing of a special that came out on TV when I was at college about Polynesian (or Hawaiian, don’t remember) cis-males that were what white people would have called gay. The narrator went to great lengths to show how important and integral to the community they were.
Wasn’t there even a genetic study done with a Hawaiian/Polynesian population showing how families with these individuals were actually more successful genetically? May be applying my own beliefs and not memory but I believe it was supposed that having more adults per child (attention, protection, etc) contributed to a child being better raised, cared for and thus more successful.
There are several studies on them, in fact!
There's a lot of discussion in the scientific community whether this may be an evolutionary reason why gay people actually exist - some say yes, others think that it's still impossible to say because, despite how important LGTBQ people are in many cultures, human cultures benefiting from a natural phenomenon doesn't mean that that benefit is the reason for the phenomenon. Culture makes a mess of human evolution, if only we were penguins, where same-sex couples take care of abandoned eggs and make it pretty clear why it's beneficial... (not just in the zoo - this has been observed in nature!)
wearing my new Stay Curious shirt as I watch this. It's a good day
This was amazing. One of the best videos Sexplanations has ever done... I learned so much!
Thank you for sharing this video. I am Choctaw and bisexual. I have been learning the various two spirit teachings among the indigenous peoples. But even though I identify as two spirit, I often get called crazy because so many in the he Nations don't accept the term or it's sacredness.
"Colonized what we now know as Mexico" 👌👌
This was really awesome to learn about. I've heard the term before but never looked into it much. I love learning about different cultures and experiences of self so this was very interesting to me.
Thank you, for the video! I understand a lot more about Two Spirit.
I loved hearing about this. It is so wonderful to hear from a different perspective. I hope you have him on more, it was a great video.
Beautiful video. Love the conversational style about such an important cultural term. I especially love that Herrera broadened the usage to all Native/Indigenous people & not only members of tribes. I've met some tribal members who poo poo those of us not "enrolled" & using the term. Not all Native/Indigenous folks want to or can be members of a tribe.
I inferred through the term itself that Two-spirit describes aspects of gender and spirituality in Native Americans, but I had no idea that it was such a broad term with so much history behind it. Now I wish I had looked into it sooner, and I know I'm going to spend a day or two reading as much as I can sometime soon.
I hope that non-Native people who resonate with the Dualistic nature of the term find a suitable replacement and don't try to strip it of its cultural significance. I think it's a great opportunity for different cultures to look back and contextualize our history, rather than trying to sidestep someone else's. I think it would be helpful either way, to help shine a light on the diversity our society has spent a long time ignoring, and to weaken the narrative that gender and sexuality are strict binaries.
Thank you for this awesome video and the information. Can you put a link to the full interview? I'm guessing the hard cuts was to keep it flowing, but it is a little off putting for me. Still amazing stuff!!! Ty.
I love the sweater you're wearing, Dr. Doe!
I love these in-depth segments on gender identity and sexuality. I’d really love to see more discussion such as this!
Traditionally speaking, we Filipinos don't exactly identify as Two-Spirit or any of the correlating tribal identities that are independently recognized in at least a hundred Indigenous American nations. Native Hawaiians (Kanaka Maoli) even have words of their own to describe their LGBT people as Aikāne and Māhū. The speaker simply misspoke. Indigenous Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Filipinos are completely different cultures who never made contact with each other. Nonetheless, historically we used to have Gender and Sexual Diversity of our own. But that was before the Spaniards brought catholicism, colonized and enslaved us, fed our queer and matriarchal ancestors to crocodiles, and nearly eradicated our indigenous cultures.
Filipinos used to honor ancient matriarchal social orders of warrior priestesses known as Babaylan in our middle islands and Katalonan in the northern islands. Queer, trans, and intersex individuals were welcomed in their ranks, respected by the Babaylan as *Asog* or *Bayog.* Together the Babaylan and Asog were among the leaders of agriculture, domesticity, spirituality, care-giving, counseling and more. We stood next to the Datu (chiefs) and warriors.
In the late 19th century, one Babaylan named Estrella Bangotbanwa took on the title of "Tagsagod kang Kalibutan" or “Caretaker of the World”. She managed to summon a heavy rain that saved two towns from a devastating three-year drought. Even some Asog left their mark in the Filipino Revolutionary Era: Ponciano Elofre (aka Dios Buhawi or Wind Spirit), Papa Isio, and Gregorio Lampinio. These three Asog leaders, who lived around the 1800s and 1900s, led revolts against Spanish and white American imperialism.
Unfortunately 500 years after Spanish colonization, much of our indigenous cultures have been disrupted or forgotten. Catholicism is mostly to blame, too. Philippines is now the most catholic majority country in the far east. Femininity, queer cultures, shamanism and even our Gods have been subjugated and demonized. Strict patriarchy has ousted the Babaylan from taking full leadership of their own communities. Asog and Bayot are now misogynistic, homophobic and transphobic slurs. Queer Filipinos (predominantly feminine gay Filipino men) are now called *Baklâ.*
hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/Babaylan-The-Ancient-Witches-of-Tribal-Philippines
Thank you so much for making this. I have been meaning to read about the term and culture surrouding it. Especially as a non-binary person.
This is awesome! Thank you for the educational and informative video!
This was so interesting, please do more interviews like this!
I had no idea two spirit related to sexuality as well as gender!
It doesn't really relate to either...I feel like people weren't really paying attention to him while he spoke. So many people are saying things about it relating to sexuality, when he very specifically states it has NOTHING to do with sexuality...
Great video! Love the guest speaker.
On another note, I LOVE your matching hair and sweater 😍 So cute and suites you perfectly.
I've heard Two Spirit supposedly has a more literal meaning where it feels like the person has such a separation of their masculine side and their feminine side that they feel like they literally are two spirits in the same body... But in listening to this it seems that's not quite true. Especially considering more of the historic context around the term.
If you or someone you know feels like they are two people in the same body, and you're not a Native, the term "bigender" might be more applicable. Literally, "two genders." Genderfluid might also work, and several others.
Jackalope this definition could apply to some nations and not others.
If only ever heard of two spirit in terms of gender identity and expression. Thank you for sharing this information
Great video. :D I never knew much about this previously, and I learned a lot from this.
I almost didn't watch this video. I'm a straight white male. This is absolutely fasinating and awesome.
THANK YOU!! This is amazing! 💜💜💜💜
Can you discuss the new law in CA where one does not have to tell someone you are sexually active you are with that you are HIV positive please!
Michele McDonald. I think it's a bad law. HIV is an epidemic. Not telling others is such crap.
It's your private busy you shouldn't have the tell anyone! The only people who need to know are you and your doctor xxx
Not if you're having sex with them, you could pass it on
Well lets see how that turns out. Ha ha ha
Alex Creed very true.
Wonderful video! Loved hearing about two-spirit from the source. My only concern is that as a leader of such a group he still used the term "transgendered". I would have liked to see Dr. Doe use that opportunity to teach him how that word is inappropriate as well.
And "LGB Community"
Could you make a video about nonfapping or porn addiction?
Ps: I think that I already ask for that in another video, so sorry if this looks a little spammy. But I though it could be an interesting subject.
Sitting on Ceilings I didn't start nofap but I was thinking about it. I stopped masturbating every single day like I did some time ago, I feel that I have more energy but I don't think it's only related to it.
Sitting on Ceilings But I would like listen to the opinion of a specialist since it's not a consensus about the results.
I learned something new today
i am curious to see the unedited interview
thanks for making this video, i learned a lot!
Ohhhh...two spirit: a man and a woman inside one body! That is such a beautiful way to look at it!
The American Indian culture did not exclude people who were not hetro, the tribal framework had space for everyone and believed that the people could learn from those that were different, they even had 'gay marriage' for want of a better word years and centuries before it became 'accepted' in faith based societies. Good videos always here.
This is so cool!!
I am very suprised and interested in this subject, because I have never known of this form of identity being ingrained in native cultures. Thank you Lindsey and David for sharing these perspectives and history of sexuality.
I'm curious who all he/is included in First Nations (and therefore can use this term) for him. Dr. Doe characterizes it as North America, but he also mentions Phillipines. In some ways this makes sense as Spain and then the U.S. controlled (and obviously colonized) this area for a long period of time, but seems geographically out of sync. So I'm curious if he is using it for any group of indigenous people that have dealt with the oppression of a colonizer (which then would open this term up for areas in Africa and even possibly Asia... I'm also curious if it's used in South America as the term indigenous is certainly widely used). So interesting to hear the history behind the term regardless.
This was so fascinating that the indigenous natives have a concept and honor LGBT persons.
This was really well done! Previously I didn't know (or care to learn) what it meant and so I wrong assumed it was similar to the whole "otherkin" thing.
Thank you, this was really interesting!
As someone with little to no 'heritage ' I both love and hate such concepts. I am jealous, but can't help myself. I'm American White Bread. My genes are a stew of German, English, Irish, Russian, French,, a ton of other European bits, a tiny bit African and a tiny bit native American. I'm not enough of any one thing to claim that heritage. It makes me feel very disconnected sometimes. I can't be part of any community that is based on historical families. I would never steal a term like two spirit, but I wish I could have a group with whom I could share some term.
Alex Andrews I understand this feeling. It's a bit odd to not have a heritage. I found some constancy with religion.
But you are not alone feeling this way!
Aster Iris I may have phrased it oddly, but it's not an issue of my whiteness so much as my... stew status. I don't feel comfortable claiming Irish, Germanic, etc, because I am only a small part of each of those. My grand parents, great grand parents, and great great great grand parents were all American. I would be stealing a culture if I claimed myself to be French as much as any other. It's not about the color of my skin, it's about the mix of my genetics. It doesn't help that I also lack a strong family culture. My grandparents lived across the country from me, so I did not grow up learning family history, learning my heritage as a child. I'm not default... I'm the mixed paint with so many bits that claiming to be from one origin is silly. I have actually read about the many cultures that make me up, but I would feel wrong claiming any. Does that make more sense?
Jack K why because I'm honest about my feelings? This is supposed to be a community where people are free to be open and honest. I'm not saying that I'm jealous of the "exotic others". I'm just as frustrated that I'm not more Irish, or Russian. I feel disconnected from culture. It's frustrating.
Alex Andrews I know that feeling. I'm only 1/16th native american but, if I had to pick a heritage that I relate to the most, it would be that. Mainly because my grandma proudly displayed native american paintings that were passed down from her grandma. So, yeah, I think it's less about the statistics split and more about what your surroundings inspired. And, sadly, "proud to be american" seems to have replaced a lot of heritages.
Alex, You are a human being, why not identify with or embrace that? we have 12000 years of heritage to own
Hey Lindsay, Thanks!
Im apache who is nadle and proud of my culture we helped the women and took care of the orphans.
Wow, beautiful video and wonderful stories, I hope to create content of this calibre 😊
Enlightening
Dr. Doe’s hair is on fleek.
A Two Spirit is two separate spirts in a body, one male and one female. Non the same as trans. It can occur in many cultures and they are usually bi. Possessing traits and skills of both sexes. Leaders, creators, visionaries.
Would be interested to hear ppls thoughts on what is wrong/harmful about cultural appropriation?
Indigenous cultures have much simpler ways of identifying people. Thats so interesting because in modern america theres kind of a name or label for anything. Which is also fine, but its cool that two spirit is an all encompassing term for anyone lgbtq
I'm not Two-Spirit (I'm white, a Finn) but as I understand it, each tribe has their own set of labels in addition to 'Two-Spirit'. I believe that's how it was explained in the video, with a mention that not all identify as Two-Spirit. Also, the identity isn't mutually exclusive with western identities. The word queer is a label that essentially works as an umbrella term in a manner similar to 'Two-Spirit' but isn't tied to any specific cultures. There's also genderqueer. Some leave it at that, some go beyond but others don't identify as queer at all and sometimes might even find it offensive. I identify as (gender)queer but also use numerous other labels. Finnish isn't quite as specific with things as English is, though. I'm not sure if anyone's coined a word for demigenderflux in Finnish. Actually, Finnish doesn't have gendered pronouns (although there are patriarchal binary terms which likely didn't come from Proto-Uralic hehe bloody Indo-Europeans right? xD xP).
Suvi-Tuuli Allan well that's cool. Idk I'm Mohawk Indian. Raised in new york. I never put too much thought into my identity as far as sexuality because there's so much more too my identity. But i call myself bisexual
Cool. Nobody says that you have to identify with countless labels or any at all or that it has to be very accurate. I once identified as bi but then decided to go with pan and now I use pan but bi feels equally right/wrong. For me, as a trans person, my trans identity is a big part of who I am. It's where I've found a community (besides in the autistic community). Lately I've also felt like I might belong in the aromantic and asexual communities as I came to realise that I'm on the spectra. Polyamory is another thing that feels like me but the trans and autistic identities are more fundamental. I always used to feel like I don't belong. That feeling is still sometimes there but it's probably just my insecurities or something. Trying to survive with depression and anxiety leaves very little time and energy for hobbies or socialising. At least having some sort of a place for myself means that I don't feel completely lost all the time.
There is a common misconception that ALL two spirit people identify with the LGBTQ+ spectrum when I know two spirit people who do NOT identify on the LGBTQ+ spectrum but DO identify as Two Spirit. Just something I wanted to share! I myself am two spirit. :)
Hey! Lindsey, we have the same hair color! It looks so good on you!
If I wanted to ask a personal question, but did not want it published where would I go?
Jordyn Mietzke Dr doe's tumblr
More videos with David please!!
5:05 It all changed... when the fire nation attacked
coughweebcough
It was a nation with ships, metal stuff and boomsticks.
-> Any similarities were *TOTALLY DONE ON PORPOUSE*
Could you please do a video on circumcision or more specifically foreskin restoration?
So the message seems to be, "You admire our culture and resonate with the feelings surrounding the term we created with your language? That's cool, but FIND YOUR OWN THING WE WERE HERE FIRST."
Wonderful!
A third or fourth "acceptable"genders, especially with the assigned at birth bull needs to be critically examined along with the systemic issues that we conventionally refer to as binary. The issues with two spirit from a European perspective is that two spirit has LONG been a translation for those terms in those European cultures to English.
I don't know why I didn't click this sooner
Member "Little big man"? The guy that rode the horse backward and washed with sand. My first native lgbtq introduction. Good movie.
Great video
Thank you.
I still don't fully understand. Is two-spirit a gender identity? Is it an orientation? Or is it just an umbrella term, kinda like LBGT, that incorporates both?
AudreyGolightly13 I guess it means "Native LBTQ+/queer person"
TheNinseNanse I would say that it's a cultural term that involves gender/sexuality but there is much more to it than that.
Natalie Parker I have no doubt that you're right. Honestly, I still don't entirely get the term.
There is a great documentary called "Two Spirit", but it has a tragic side to it as it is centered around the murder of a young trans native American from New Mexico.
Your hair is looking great!
As interesting as the video seemed, the constant jittering and jump cuts really broke the tempo for me. It was so distracting I couldn't concentrate on the interview :( is there a written version of it?
Вы сделали русские субтитры, omg thank you.
very interesting!
When he refers to "native, indigenous peoples" is he referring solely to those sometimes called Native Americans or the native, indigenous peoples of any place in the world? I know he's speaking from the North American indigenous people's perspective, but wondering if he's referring to more than that.
I've only ever had the term explained to me in terms of gender identity. Never knew that sexuality could also play a role here.
Does two-spirit mean "intersex" or something else, as intersex and native american myself, I am rather confused.
Two Spirit folks from the Philippines??? I didn't know Filipinos were allowed to identify as Two Spirit, I thought it was a label strictly reserved for Native Americans.
VelleVette Traditionally speaking, we Filipinos don't exactly identify as Two-Spirit or any of the correlating tribal identities that are independently recognized in at least a hundred Indigenous American nations. Native Hawaiians (Kanaka Maoli) even have words of their own to describe their LGBT people as Aikāne and Māhū. The speaker simply misspoke. We are completely different cultures who never made contact with each other. Nonetheless, historically we used to have Gender and Sexual Diversity of our own. But that was before the Spaniards brought catholicism, colonized and enslaved us, fed our queer and matriarchal ancestors to crocodiles, and nearly eradicated our indigenous cultures.
Filipinos used to honor ancient matriarchal social orders of warrior priestesses known as Babaylan in our middle islands and Katalonan in the northern islands. Queer, trans, and intersex individuals were welcomed in their ranks, respected by the Babaylan as *Asog* or *Bayog.* Together the Babaylan and Asog were among the leaders of agriculture, domesticity, spirituality, care-giving, counseling and more. We stood next to the Datu (chiefs) and warriors.
In the late 19th century, one Babaylan named Estrella Bangotbanwa took on the title of "Tagsagod kang Kalibutan" or “Caretaker of the World”. She managed to summon a heavy rain that saved two towns from a devastating three-year drought. Even some Asog left their mark in the Filipino Revolutionary Era: Ponciano Elofre (aka Dios Buhawi or Wind Spirit), Papa Isio, and Gregorio Lampinio. These three Asog leaders, who lived around the 1800s and 1900s, led revolts against Spanish and white American imperialism.
Unfortunately 500 years after Spanish colonization, much of our indigenous cultures have been disrupted or forgotten. Catholicism is mostly to blame, too. Philippines is now the most catholic majority country in the far east. Femininity, queer cultures, shamanism and even our Gods have been subjugated and demonized. Strict patriarchy has ousted the Babaylan from taking full leadership of their own communities. Asog and Bayot are now misogynistic, homophobic and transphobic slurs. Queer Filipinos (predominantly feminine gay Filipino men) are now called Baklâ.
hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/Babaylan-The-Ancient-Witches-of-Tribal-Philippines
Where you live?
OoooSH! If i aint native "american" i aint be 2s ? Isnt that ridiculous ? Thats why we have sooo many letters 😬
What does it mean to be a name giver? I'm having trouble googleing it I just get results for "indian giver"
Because what this world needs is more terms and more divisiveness. You Know.
Anishinaabe Two Spirit right here 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜
So is it a gender or not?
Lindsay! Talk to deafies in drag!!