Pop-Up Pow Wow is an intergenerational Two-Spirit/Indigi-Queer artists gather in space, time, and spirit to share and practice both traditional and contemporary expressions of new ritual, healing, and celebration.

Pop-Up Powwow amplifies the powwow experience as an Indigenous cultural asset by re-establishing Two-Spirit/Indigi-Queer people to a respected, visible place within the community. Within this event, we explored the relationship and connection between contemporary and traditional artistic expression, as well as the inclusion and involvement of Indigenous youth, elders, and everyone in between.

DIrector

Dr. Cara Martinez

Curators

Ty Defoe, Jaymelyn Ebelacker, Amanda Sayed

Expanded Summary:

After the initial wave of colonization, Native/Indigenous tribes and communities found themselves forcibly removed from their lands, reeling from genocide, and persecuted for practicing their religious beliefs. Resilient and determined, tribes adapted and found new ways of carrying out religious/ceremonial dance and song by way of the modern “Powwow.” While outwardly, these flashy events wowed tourists and placated military guards, early powwows were abundant with honor songs to ancestors, prayer dances for the Creator, and a sacred space for tribes to continue centuries of tradition. In this way, the language, songs, and heritage of Indigenous peoples have survived and thrived despite an ongoing history of systematic genocide. Powwow and gathering is viewed as a healing art form and is still utilized today to unite all individuals.

Modern powwow and circles continue to be a spiritual gathering place for a community intent on sovereignty and continuing for generations to come. While powwows and healing circles have evolved, some aspects of pre-colonial Native society have yet to make a comeback. Due to injustices such as boarding schools and forced religious conversion, most modern powwows, events, and talking circles have yet to acknowledge Two Spirit/Indigiqueer relatives and their sacred role in Native society. But this is beginning to change. Two-Spirit/Indigiqueer refers to another gender role that is believed to be common among most, if not all, first peoples of Turtle Island (North America). Each individual has their definition for these terms and carries them from person to person. Before contact, Two-Spirit/indigiqueer individuals were revered in First Nations/Native communities and were elevated to respected roles such as medicine people, match-makers, and warriors. So when 2S/IQ+ events bring people together, they re-establish Two-Spirit/Indigiqueer people to a respected place within Native cultures and ceremonies. It aligns Native customs with the contemporary vision of artisans, creators, and practitioners of health and healing.

The Unexpected:

Director Wendy Preston has observed that creative practitioners/artists can get emotionally connected to the participants (due to the nature of close relationships that can occur in a meaningful interaction between providers and participants) which can complicate professional and ethical boundaries. Artists are not always skilled at providing comprehensive psychological support and the Mixit leadership have learnt that while there must be an ethical basis of care - this does NOT mean becoming too tangled with participants' potentially very complex lives and needs beyond the delivery of activities and recognised, careful levels of ongoing support. Mixit is also adapting to the changing environment around acceptance of trans-gender orientation. Many of the families and communities Mixit works with can be conservative and suspicious of these societal changes. The Mixit team acknowledges it’s a current challenge how to deal with young people in this regard and working to retain an ethical platform of acceptance, support and increased understanding.

Walking in both worlds is a binary experience in a Western and Indigenous way.

OUTCOME:

Knowing the purpose and reason for a community project is vital. The Mixit project was born out of research into the needs of refugee youth communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. The time spent at the outset researching and understanding the needs, voices, hopes and aspirations of this community made the development of the project stronger, and the community’s needs stayed central to the project. Relationships were built with the community during the research period that flowed into the project.

CONSIDERATIONS:

Knowing the purpose and reason for a community project is vital. The Mixit project was born out of research into the needs of refugee youth communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. The time spent at the outset researching and understanding the needs, voices, hopes and aspirations of this community made the development of the project stronger, and the community’s needs stayed central to the project. Relationships were built with the community during the research period that flowed into the project.

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Mixit needs to respond to the ever-changing make-up of youth that are coming to the project which changes as different refugee communities come to New Zealand through the quota system. Sometimes the values of the communities are at odds with the contemporary arts practice that is the foundation of the project (e.g dancing, gender mixing) and this needs to be navigated with care.

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Director Wendy Preston spoke about the level of care required for participants that goes beyond the rehearsal room floor. “Care for us at Mixit means commitment well beyond the creative activities in the floor. It's about supporting each individual holistically. This is different for everyone - it may require mentoring around family relationships, exploring and supporting career options, walking beside individuals when they stumble…To make a meaningful difference and walk the talk of truly empowering young people once creativity opens doorways it's critical that the support doesn’t stop when the creative engagement ends but CARE remains steady and consistent for the whole person.”

Questions & CONSIDERATIONS:
Key Vocabulary: How do you define two-spirit / iQ+?

Our participants each spoke about how they define these terms. The terms two-spirit and Indigiqueer are both a spectrum, so we have included a spectrum of responses to define these terms.

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Walking in both worlds is a binary experience in a Western and Indigenous way.

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Honor being two-spirit through my art and sharing stories through song with my community.

Breaking colonial needs to be labeled, creating space for living without Western definitions and rigid structures. Stresses generational differences in labels and what we call ourselves/identify ourselves.

Living on the spectrum of being female/male. Our brains work both ways. It’s a difficult journey, especially for older generations. It can be a dangerous path, but not living your truth is more dangerous. Healthcare that respects me, is willing to learn and accept and cares about my whole being. Experience finding this kind of healthcare on the East Coast and in urban areas.

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Walking in two worlds in terms of culture and spirituality notes differences in the LGBT community and 2S community, “Native Americans are all 2Spirit”, intercultural & inter spirit, there's a responsibility.

Can be a horrendous struggle for folks to embrace, particularly as a minority, and especially if you belong to a community that doesn’t support your lifestyle. Labels and colonial constructs can be difficult if you don’t subscribe.

RESOURCES

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