Colleen asked Keira Andrews:

Dear Ms. Andrews, Just finished Voyageurs and I hated...that it was so short. Loved this book. Voyageurs were never that interesting in school...ha. Could you please tell me if this section of the story is factual. “In my mother’s culture, there are men who lie with men. Men who marry men. But they have the spirit of a woman and they live as women do. Dress as they do. Work as they do." Thks, Torontonian too! ?

Keira Andrews Hi Colleen! Thank you so much for reading, and I'm delighted you enjoyed the story. And yes, the idea of being "two-spirited" (although that is a modern term) was present in Ojibwe cultures. Here's a quote (the source is in the article linked below):

“Sex usually determined one’s gender, and therefore one’s work, but the Ojibwe accepted variation. Men who chose to function as women were called ikwekanaazo, meaning ‘one who endeavors to be like a woman. Women who functioned as men were called ininiikaazo, meaning, one who endeavors to be like a man.”

In recent years there has been more debate about how prevalent it was in various tribes, and how our understanding of it has been influenced by colonialism. This is a really interesting piece on it by an Ojibwe writer:

https://rewire.news/article/2016/10/1...

Hope that helps, and have a great weekend! Awesome weather we're having. :)

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