{"id":194,"date":"2016-02-05T13:43:31","date_gmt":"2016-02-05T21:43:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/twospiritjournal.com\/?p=194"},"modified":"2016-02-06T10:17:31","modified_gmt":"2016-02-06T18:17:31","slug":"worlds-only-public-two-spirit-powwow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/twospiritjournal.com\/?p=194","title":{"rendered":"World\u2019s Largest and Only Public Two-Spirit Pow-wow"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>
Ty Defoe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On Saturday February 20th, 2016<\/strong>, the 5th annual <\/span>Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirit <\/span><\/a>(BAAITS) Powwow will be held at <\/span>Herbst Pavilion in Fort Mason, San Francisco, California<\/span><\/a>, from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Grand Entry will be at 12:00 PM and at 7:00 PM. The event is free, open to the public and wheelchair accessible. It is the only Two-Spirit powwow in the world that is open to the public and is the largest of its kind.<\/span><\/p>\n

BAAITS Chairperson Roger Kuhn (Poarch Creek) says, \u201cThis year, we have youth head dancers for the first time.\u201d Kuhn added, \u201cThe reintegration of Two-Spirit people into the broader Native community is part of our mission, so this is an important step.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

There will be another notable event at the powwow. Kuhn continued, \u201cWe have a Two-Spirit person, Gabe Castilloux, who is journeying all the way from western Qu\u00e9bec to our powwow to do their \u2018coming out\u2019 ceremony as a grass dancer, a male dance style. They\u2019ve danced jingle dress, a female dance style, their whole life, and have wanted to dance as a grass dancer for a long time, but their local community doesn\u2019t allow it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Gabe Castilloux<\/strong> (Anishinaabe and Mi’kmaq) is excited to make this journey, \u201cThere are many powwows in my area that don’t allow Two-Spirit people at all: if they come, they get asked to leave, so it\u2019s difficult around here to do this ceremony. I\u2019m so excited to journey southwest to see you all and be surrounded by incredible people and do ceremony with everyone. I\u2019m counting down the days.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kuhn emphasized, \u201cThe Two-Spirit powwow was originated to bring all Two-Spirit people back into the circle. At this powwow all Two-Spirits and LGBTQ people and their allies from all over the U.S. and Canada get a chance to come together to celebrate Native culture, build community, and express themselves in traditional and nontraditional ways.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Powwow co-chair Aidan Dunn adds, \u201cThis powwow provides some Native community members their first exposure to a Two-Spirit community. It’s an amazing opportunity for healing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The powwow will also be honoring straight ally Richard Moves Camp, an Oglala Lakota medicine man and elder from Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Moves Camp, a longtime supporter of the Two-Spirit community, led a healing and reconciliation ceremony last winter focused on mending rifts between the straight Native community and the Two-Spirit and LGBTQ Natives who they had excluded over the years.<\/span><\/p>\n

This powwow features \u2014 instead of just two Head Dancers, a male and a female\u2014 three Head Dancers, representing men, women, and other genders, are being called upon. The three adult Head Dancers for the powwow are:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>
Marc Martin Keka<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Santa Clara, California-born Marc Eyslee Keka-Goggles<\/strong> (Three Bulls) is an enrolled member of the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes of Anadarko, OK, and descendant member of the Otoe Tribe of Red Rock, OK. He received a Bachelor of Social Work from New Mexico Highlands University in 2012. Marc has served as Vice Chairman of the American Indian Public Charter School and Powwow Club instructor for the Native American Community Academy in Albuquerque, NM, among other Nativeleadership roles. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>
Alicia Peters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hailing from Canada, Alicia Star-Peters<\/strong> represents the Wet’suwet’en First Nation, Gitdumden (Bear Clan) Grizzly House. Alicia graduated with honors in Aboriginal Leadership from the Justice Institute of British Columbia (BC). She currently works with at-risk youth at the Am’ut Residential Treatment Center in Chilliwack, BC, and is an activist for missing and murdered aboriginal women including the Highway of Tears murders. She is also an activist in support of wild salmon (Wild Salmon Warriors) and aboriginal rights.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>
Ty Defoe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

New York-based Ty Defoe<\/strong> (Giizhig), represents the Oneida and Ojibwe tribes of Wisconsin. Ty won a Grammy for work on \u201cCome to Me Great Mystery: Native American Healing Songs,\u201d and an NEA award grant for work on \u201cDrum is Thunder, Flute is the Wind,\u201d and recently co-directed \u201cCrane on Earth, in Sky,\u201d a puppetry show at LaMaMa Theatre in NYC. He is on the Youth Council of the East Coast Two-Spirit Society. He has degrees from CalArts, Goddard, and NYU.<\/p>\n

Additionally, there will also be two youth Head Dancers to support and promote upcoming leaders:<\/p>\n