In the Old Ways,
those who embodied
the spirit of a man
and the spirit of a woman
in one person
were considered doubly blessed.
They were the gifted ones,
the tribe's magic person.
They were the visionaries,
the prophets, the healers.
They were the medicine people,
the keepers of creation stories.
The elders say, aho,
now the seventh generation has come,
when two-spirited people
are restored to their
traditional and respected roles,
all of Turtle Island
will begin to heal.
May it be so.
for Susan's prompt at Midweek Motif: Gender. The Two-Spirited people have always fascinated me. I love the idea of them being the tribe's magic person.
Sources:
Rainbow Resource Centre
Canadian Encyclopedia: Two-Spirits
First People
Two-Spirit
This is wonderful!!! Love it!
ReplyDeleteThey definitely did, and continue to. Not sure why white skin is considered superior. If I could change mine, I would, given the history. In a heartbeat.
ReplyDeleteBravo! May it be so! Some say we forever search for our other half, but I have known people who are balanced masculine and feminine--so maybe there are two "quarters" people out there totally confused.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful write, Sherry, and a beautiful thought.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wise and beautiful poem Sherry. I think each of should try to find our other self whether is be male of female as surely it is there inside us should we need it.
ReplyDeleteThis is so well written. Like pages of a scroll, lost long ago.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting poem Sherry
ReplyDeleteMuch love...
this is why i blog, simply to learn more and more...both spirits in the poem shine ...hope all come to their senses soon...
ReplyDeleteIndeed, may it be so!
ReplyDeleteThis poem has the feel of a celebratory prayer to it. Hallelujah! Amen!
ReplyDeleteYes, may it be so! I'm with you, Sherry. xo
ReplyDeleteAh, like them, many other Aboriginal rituals and ways of life have been drastically altered by historical circumstance. Yes... there are several things we need to be conscious of and work to address as we move forward. Arguably culture is never static and thus evolves...Beautiful piece, Sherry.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing..
aho sherry. the color of skin shares no association to anything, other than what we arbitrarily (or historically) give it. love the poem
ReplyDeleteah, that's very well said...
ReplyDelete