Essay: Gender Two Spirit Option
For this assignment, you need to watch the video “Two Spirit People” at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JcmAoderl4 (if you have trouble with this link, Google the title).
As in your own research paper, describe each speaker (appearance, voice, etc.); also, assign each a pseudonym (i.e., give them a name for this paper).
Address the following (each topic should be given roughly equal space in the text): 1) How do the speakers describe what being Two Spirit means to them? 2) How do they separate this gender concept from Western/ European gender and sex concepts? 3) How do they separate or relate the Two Spirit gender to sexual orientation? How is being Two Spirit- in their understanding of it- about much more (or not at all) about being what Westerners call “gay”? 4) What are the traditional roles of Two Spirits and how do they describe their roles in their modern lives? How do they describe living their Two Spirit gender identity in their lives? 5) Some of the speakers describe rituals where children traditionally identified themselves or were identified as being Two Spirit. Describe at least one of them. 6) Discuss the frustration expressed by several speakers about how they feel they were denied knowledge of their ethnic group’s old, traditional Two Spirit concept due to Western influences. How do they talk about this issue?
Do not do any kind of bibliography for this assignment since the instructor knows what the source is. No header is required; however, note that if you do give a header, that space does not count towards the 2 full pages of text requirement.
Since this is a video, no in-text citations are required for this assignment.
Two to three full pages of text, typed (double-spaced). Note: any header you give does not count towards the required two pages of text.
