This is a sensitive issue and deserves honest answers. As the various American Indian groups have essentially two histories, before and after the colonization period. The differences in world view usually reflect the organization or level of communal cohesivesness of the 'tribe'. Many of the northern tribes tended toward a less uniform ceremonial and ritualistic lifeway, with very difuse authority, prior to colonization. The emphasis on survival life skills took precedence in these tribes. Among the more communal and centralized authoritarian groups, ritual and ceremonial lifeways were more paramount. Once the cross cultural sharing became a part of the invasion of American Indian culture,' the center did not hold' , as a result uniform and authoritarian ethics and values changed. The need for people with skills to contribute to the survival of the band or clans outweighed any differences in lifestyle, however the lifestyle that did not contribute to the extension of the future generations was suspect in most American Indian groups.

without echoing the other contributions to this thread, let me add that your inclusion as "bisexual" can also be part of the misunderstanding o 2 spirit. Some traditions may hold that 2 spirit folks will be an expression of sexual orientation while others will believe that it is gender. One is not mutually exclusive to the other, but they are totally different and distinct issues.

There is a film festival currently running in Seattle. (labor day weekend) and one of the films is exactly on this topic. The title and description are "TWO SPIRIT PEOPLE is an overview of historical and contemporary Native American concepts of gender, sexuality, and sexual orientation. This documentary explores the berdache tradition in Native American culture, in which individuals who embody feminine and masculine qualities act as a conduit between the physical and spiritual world, and because of this are placed in positions of power within the community."

I do not know who produced this film, but there certainly may be some perspectives that will be enlightening. As there is a fairly large 2 spirit group here in the area, I suspect that there was some consultation with that group before selecting the film to run in the festival.

tan'si

S>>>------->