Niigaan Sinclair also wrote a foreword to Love Beyond Body, Space & Time: An Indigenous LGBT Sci-Fi Anthology. He begins with historical non-Indigenous reactions to a two-spirit person from the 1800s (p.12-13). Then he discusses contemporary use of the term “two-spirit” and their roles in historical and contemporary Indigenous communities (p.14-15). He points out that LGBTQ and two-spirit Indigenous individuals experience double oppression – racism and homophobia (p.16). He says “I would add that science has been the predominant foundation for arguments supporting colonial hatred and fear of Indigenous LGBTQ and two-spirit traditions. Arguments based in biased and Darwinian understandings of science, constructing what is ‘normal,’ ‘civilization,’ and ‘order’ formed the basis for Christian ideas of ‘natural law’ and legal principles that legislated and justified hate. These systems perpetuated violence against Indigenous peoples and created cycles that undermined community principles, divided families and clans, and constituted not only ‘cultural genocide’ but actual, physical genocide.” (p.16). He notes that writing (fiction, laws, media) has been used to misrepresent Indigenous LGBTQ and two-spirit identities. He also notes that over the course of three centuries, some Indigenous people have internalized these oppressive narratives. However, “Indigenous two-spirit community members continue to gift us one of the longest and most extensive stories of revolution and agency in North American history. Indigenous two-spirit artists have been using love to overcome hate across time and space – and even beyond it.” (p.17). He says that this collection is “a recognition of Indigenous LGBTQ and two-spirit traditions,” but “none of these stories are solely about history. These narratives are about the future, time-travel and other worlds. They are visions and re-visions of a complete and full Indigenous tomorrow.” (p.17). He notes that this collection takes these tools of oppression – fiction and science – and “re-makes them.” (p.19). The stories “gift us ways of seeing reality beyond that which we have inherited and see science and fiction of what it always should have given us” dreams, hope, and possibilities beyond what we think we see.” (p.17).
Niigaan Sinclair teaches at the University of Manitoba, is head of the Native Studies Department, and has published both academic and creative writing. According to Wikipedia, he's also the son of TRC Commissioner Murray Sinclair.
In September of 2020, he published an editorial regarding Indigenous identity fraud. One of the authors in this anthology (Gwen Benaway) had been openly questioned about her Indigenous identity in an open letter signed by five Indigenous authors (Alicia Elliott, Terese Mailhot, Nazbah Tom, Joshua Whitehead, Tyler Pennock). Rather than answering the call, she closed down her Twitter. In his editorial, Sinclair provides personal anecdotes about the prevelance of identity fraud in the public service and problematizes the self-identification process used in the public service. As a solution he states:
It appears the only route out of this confusion surrounding Indigenous identity is to hand absolute control of Indigenous membership over to Indigenous communities.
Let’s recognize Indigenous decisions and laws when they’re passed after being debated in Indigenous courts and parliaments.
While you’re at it, Indigenous governments need to actually govern, so give their land and resources back, too. All of it.
No? Well at least then let’s fulfil the treaties and recognize Indigenous governments on par with Canadian governments.
I guess identity is tricky after all, but not for Indigenous peoples.
I do think it's interesting that there are a lot of science fiction stories that explore tricky details related to identity and identity fraud. Dale Turner, writing in This is not a peace pipe (2006), said:
The problem of authenticity, of who can speak for whom in an indigenous intellectual culture, is no doubt a thorny one - but it is our problem to discuss and solve! Determining what we can and cannot talk about goes a long way towards resolving the authenticity problem, but I suspect this problem will never go away. My hopes lie not in my own work (I am only, at best, a guide to intellectual landscapes), but in the intellectual work of future indigenous intellectuals. By showing our young minds that they can participate as intellectual equals in the world without giving up who they are as indigenous peoples, we will empower ourselves to some day return our ways of knowing the world to their rightful place in the landscape of human ideas. (p.117).
Nearly 20 years later, we are the "future intellectuals" that Dale speaks of.
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