After centuries of oppression, marginalization, and colonization, Two Spirit people are re-establishing their revered place in their communities; they are “working to be recognized, respected and engaged in an integral manner, within Indigenous communities and in society in general.” Today, Two Spirit people are creating organizations to develop and mobilize the current movement toward self-discovery and recognition. They are promoting healing by creating healthy environments to discuss issues relevant to Two Spirit people. Elder Edward Lavalee eloquently states, “as their movement becomes stronger, they hope they will gain and retain their rightful roles."

The Edmonton Two Spirit Society (E2S) is an example of the contemporary Two Spirit movement actively building recognition and respect for Two Spirit people both within Indigenous Societies and in society at large. They describe their goals as working “to re-establish and enhance our traditional roles and responsibilities as Two-Spirit people in Indigenous communities while creating supportive environments within all societies for contemporary Two-Spirit peoples.”

An E2S community member and volunteer, Rob Gurney, reflecting on his life story, recalls challenges he encountered finding a sense of identity, belonging, and community before Two Spirit identity was identified and before organizations like E2S emerged. Recollecting his youth, Rob recalls, “I had my own look. It was masculine and feminine, and I always knew that, but I couldn’t identify it or what it was because I was raised in a small Christian town by my adoptive parents, who had the best of intentions. So, this wasn’t something we talked about, but I knew something was going on.” As a child of the ‘Sixties Scoop’ , Rob was raised by a Caucasian family and grew up with primarily Caucasian friends. Throughout his youth and early adulthood, Rob confides, “I didn’t feel like I belonged with Indigenous or Caucasian. It was quite lonely a lot of the time.” Rob recalls finding connection and a sense of belonging, after first moving to Lethbridge while attending high school drama classes, then moving to Calgary and being introduced to drag through the bar scene.

After experiencing addiction and homelessness as a young adult, Rob found his place in Edmonton as one of the only Indigenous people at the leadership tables of larger non-for-profit organizations serving people working through food and housing insecurities. Even then, Rob recalls, “there was that same thing that feeling of not really belonging anywhere. Then I started meeting more Indigenous people when I sobered up; that was nine years ago now. I had met a lot of people in the bar scene, but if you were in the bar scene, you were drinking, so that’s who I knew”. Remembering the significance of E2S to his sense of identity, belonging, and connection with the community, Rob states:

So E2S came along, and one of the members, Boyd, introduced me to the Two Spirit community and welcomed me and started teaching me about things. And I started meeting other people who were Indigenous, and Two Spirited and the word Two Spirit started coming out. And, I thought, finally... It was very emotional; I had an identity – it was – Oh my gosh, this is exactly who I am. I am not defined by my sexuality alone – I’m not these things that I have been told, I’m Two Spirited. It was so freeing, so empowering. It was such a beautiful way of knowing myself. It just made sense – I’m Two Spirited in every definition of the term. It was the most beautiful thing.

Cheyenne Mihko Kihêw, speaking about E2S connecting to the Two Spirit community in Edmonton and beyond, states, “I think we [E2S] have done a really good job accessing our Elders and our Knowledge Carriers, but [as someone working at E2S] the learning has been invaluable for me too”. Cheyenne describes their journey learning about Two Spirit identities as a process of moving from binary notions to understanding the Cree Two Spirit teachings about eight genders. Reflecting on these teachings, Cheyenne states, “I have an identity and its’ not foggy anymore. Like, I can actually see who I am for once. I am not a woman and not a man; I’m like this in-between person, and two of the genders within those eight genders are not a man, not a woman, rather all genders in one, and the in-between person. So, it is really interesting for me to see myself in the teachings. It’s just so affirming.”

Delineating the history of Two Spirit people in Amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton) and the more recent history of Two Spirit groups in this area, E2S highlights how Two Spirit groups were not established until the early 2000s, despite a long history of Two Spirit people living in the area. E2S points to Indigenous peoples’ oral histories, which trace back centuries, to demonstrate how Two Spirit people resided in Edmonton, intrinsically embedded within Indigenous communities, long before and since Edmonton was established in 1795.

Tracing their history as an organization, the Edmonton Two Spirit Society (E2S) highlights three foundational and interconnected Two Spirit groups, the first beginning in 2001 in Amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton). These groups ultimately culminated in the formation of E2S in 2018. Dale Ahenakew founded the first group. This group was called The Aboriginal Two Spirit Working Group (ATSWG) and was created to support the local needs of Two Spirit people in Edmonton. In 2002, ATSWG successfully co-hosted an international event: The International Two Spirit Peoples Gathering at the Nakoda Lodge in Morley, Alberta. In the mid-2000s, Dale Ahenakew, Edward Lavallee, Roxanne Roan, and Warren Winnipeg, amongst others, incorporated ATSWG as the Two Spirit Circle of Edmonton Society (TSCES). TSCES actively addressed the needs of local Two Spirit people, networked within Indigenous communities, and created outreach programs to educate the public. TSCES’s impressive list of activities includes: co-hosting the first Canadian Forum on Two Spirit Peoples, HIV/AIDS, and Health (2003); creating public training programs to teach who Two Spirit people are and how to work with them (2004/2005); and holding cultural ceremonies to delve into the cultural and historical teachings of Two Spirit people with the support of local Elders (2003-2006). In 2015, Dr. James Makokis and Ryan Buffalo established Two Spirit Edmonton (2SYEG). These founders significantly expanded the public profile of Two Spirit people by hosting floats in Edmonton’s annual pride parades and creating a strong social media presence (i.e., 2SYEG on Facebook). Before the formation of 2SYEG, Makokis was the keynote speaker at a conference on Two Spirit Identity hosted by the University of Alberta, the first such conference in Canada. At the conference, Makokis related how his own coming out was heavily influenced by the homophobia his father learned in Christian residential schools. , When Dr. Makokis stepped down from 2SYEG to attend to his expanding medical practice, Boyd Whiskeyjack took up the leadership and subsequently co-founded The Edmonton 2 Spirit Society (E2S) in 2018 with Jeffery Chalifoux.

E2S was officially incorporated under the Alberta Societies Act as a non-profit organization on April 5, 2018. Since its incorporation, E2S has been busy supporting and building Edmonton’s Two Spirit community through social, educational, ceremonial, and political events while also networking the society and community members through national and international Two Spirit gatherings and events. Some of the social events offered by E2S include weekly and monthly socials, movie nights, BBQs, potlucks, beading nights, community sharing circles, dinner drag and info, sober dance parties, and poetry reading fundraisers. Health and educational supports are also offered by E2S, with such offerings as Indigenous inclusion focus groups, community Naloxone training, and Peer N Peer: LGBTQ2S+ Substance Use Gatherings. E2S has also worked with multiple Edmonton-based 2SLGBTQ+ groups, including Fruit Loop, to offer events such as the E2S Sober Dance Party 2019, the IndigiQueer Gayla at the 30th Calgary Pride celebration in 2020, and the Fruit Loop Augmented Reality Tour 2021; and with RaricaNow events such as Unpacking Queer Racism during Black History Month, February 2021.

One of the most significant events E2S participates in is the International 2 Spirit Gathering. Importantly, E2S is part of the International Council of Two Spirit Societies with groups throughout Turtle Island (North America). In 2020, E2S won the bid to host the International 2 Spirit Gathering, but when COVID-19 hit, E2S quickly adapted online strategies. Recounting this shift, Cheyenne Mihko Kihêw recalls, “we did beading socials and ribbon skirt teachings, and we did some COVID-specific things like we had an online session with Dr. James Makokis. We also had a nurse who is a community member in full drag talking about COVID and vaccines. Last year the Gathering shifted to a totally online virtual event”. Rob Gurney recalls E2S holding spaces of community connection for its members by being inventive when physical gatherings were impossible. Rob fondly recounts receiving Sweetgrass in the mail from E2S, with teachings about its medicinal properties, during COVID-19 lockdowns, as a welcoming community outreach during this socially isolating time.

In August 2021, the 34th International 2 Spirit Gathering was held in person. E2S hosted close to 100 delegates from across Canada. Activities included a sweat lodge, teachings from Two Spirit Elders from across the country, medicine picking, and a no talent-talent show. The 34th International 2 Spirit Gathering also marks the first Annual Regional 2 Spirit Gathering hosted by E2S. Rob Gurney and Cheyenne Mihko Kihêw were inaugurated as Regional 2 Spirit Warriors, 2021, the first regional titleholders. This recognition reflects and celebrates their commitment and work on behalf of the Two Spirit communities of Beaver Hills.

Rob reflects, “It was an amazing Gathering. I made so many new friends, and that would have been enough to take with me. That being said, there was so much more. There was ceremony, eating together, talent show, keeping the fire burning, prayer, pow wow, collaborations, education and lots of laughter. It was well done—a highlight of my summer”.

Recently, E2S received funding from the Federal Department of Women & Gender Equality (WAGE), enabling E2S to further its capacity-building efforts while advancing 2SLGBTQ+ equality locally, nationally, and internationally. Jeffrey Chalifoux has recently taken on the role of E2S inaugural executive director, promising to: "endeavour to continue and expand the work of the many tireless volunteers, members, and Elders who have carefully pursued to re-establish and enhance our traditional roles and responsibilities as Two-Spirit people. In the coming years, my efforts and energies will be to advance the mission of E2S and focus on collaboratively building partnerships and resources among 2S-BIPOC-LGBTQ+ people.”

With the creation of dynamic new educational videos and organizing the 34th International 2 Spirit Gathering, E2S is emerging as a highly significant organization intrinsic within Two Spirit and Indigenous communities within 2S+BIPOC+LGBTIQ+ communities and within Edmonton at large.

Reflecting on the significance of E2S in his own life and on the lives of numerous youth and young adults, Rob confides, “I’m a Sixties Scoop survivor, and I was raised very colonial, very Caucasian, and that was their intent to erase our identities, and they did a darned good job of it. A lot of us found our way in jail, we found our way in rehab, we found our way in trauma, and that’s ongoing. But E2S takes that away for a lot of people growing up who don’t have to do these things. E2S really is that connection, that in-between space, where you know we are going to teach you about your culture and traditions now, so you don’t have to go through what our folks in residential schools and Sixties Scoop had to go through. It's hard to talk about because it’s a real thing. So just to have a space where we can talk about it, and people who understand is really important. I can’t say enough good things about E2S and how it's helping our future generations.”