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"You are hope made flesh": Gender and sexuality in Indigenous Oklahoma

Waters, Savannah J.
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Abstract

The history of Indigenous understandings of gender and sexuality are complex and multifaceted. My research mines this cave of complexity in hopes to understand two-spirit life and its connections to the past ancestors and future kin. At the core, this writing asserts that modern two-spirit Indigenous people are a continuation and transformation of practices and identity of their past predecessors. Just like the discipline of history, two-spirit continuities are also accompanied by change. Ultimately, the two-spirit people are variation of each other only separated by time. The history of two-spirit people is extremely intricate and contains multiple truths. Using Muscogee methodologies, this research uses the state of Oklahoma as a way to investigate two-spirit life. The temporal scopes range from the 1800s to 2024. Many past histories on the topic offer a national approach to two-spirit history. While no doubt important, a larger national scope misses the very real, on-the-ground, experiences of Indigenous two-spirit people. The records concerning two-spirit people presented a challenged as narratives reveal multiple gaps. This dissertation seeks to expand knowledge of the two-spirit world by finding tangible topics in which to survey including religion, gender, sexuality, legal systems, politics, Oklahoma history, migration, community, and oral histories. These themes work together to form a story about some of the two-spirit people. Engaging with Native American and Indigenous Studies methodologies, my own person is written into the history to show how my life intertwined with my own research project. The inclusion of myself may help others to think about their own lives and experiences. Readers may realize they are not alone. The whole project is a loving study made for my family and community. Mvto (thank you!)

Date
2024-07