The fourth annual Arizona Two Spirit Powwow will celebrate the state’s two-spirit and LGBTQ+ communities on Saturday at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix.
The free outdoor event will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the college’s south lawn. The Phoenix Indian Center, a nonprofit serving the local Indigenous community, and the community college have co-sponsored the powwow to provide a “safe space” for two-spirit and LGBTQ+ individuals to openly express pride in their identities, as stated by Levi Long, a spokesperson for the center.
According to the Indian Health Service, in many Native American tribes, two-spirit is an alternate gender status that pertains to individuals identifying with both masculine and feminine spirits. Traditionally, two-spirit individuals would engage in a blend of activities assigned to both genders, along with roles typically reserved for those of two-spirit identity.
Historically, two-spirit individuals were esteemed as talented and respected members of their communities, often assuming roles as healers and visionaries. However, with the spread of colonization and conservative Christian values, they began to face discrimination.