The Coast Salish Two-Spirit Mosaic challenges patterns of silence and affirms the First Nations Longhouse, X̱wi7x̱wa Library, and šxʷta:təχʷəm as places of welcoming, reflection, and respect.
The Coast Salish Two-Spirit Mosaic is almost hidden in plain sight. Positioned at the end of q̓ʷeχt (Agricultural Road), where it meets sme:ntásəm (West Mall), the mosaic, measuring 7 feet by 8 feet, is something I walk over multiple times a week without a second thought on my way to the Longhouse. But recently, as part of my Work Learn role at the First Nations House of Learning, I was tasked with including its story in the unit’s Indigenous Outdoor Art Series.
Perusing the UBC Equity and Inclusion Office website I learned it was created through a partnership between Musqueam and UBC and installed in 2023 by mosaic artist Liz Calvin. It is a tiled re-creation of the Coast Salish Two-Spirit Pride symbol designed by xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) artist kʷəlasəltən (Mack Paul). The symbol represents Two-Spirit unity, dignity, and respect.
The design incorporates a traditional Coast Salish motif and depicts clouds cradling the rainbow Pride symbol familiar to the broader LGBTQ+ community. Each of its colours reflect an aspect of Coast Salish culture:
- Red represents fire
- Orange the vision or visibility for Two-Spirit people
- Yellow is for the sun
- Green the land, where identity comes from
- Blue represents water, and
- Purple depicts the məθkwəy̓ plant which is native to the territory kʷəlasəltən comes from; it also represents the ecosystems of different Coast Salish territories.
Among other things, the mosaic works to increase visibility of the Two-Spirit community, as well as to celebrate and amplify Two-Spirit pride through a vibrant, colourful installation in UBC’s public realm, and it supports inclusive campus spaces rooted in Indigenous presence and knowledge.
Learning about the mosaic made me curious about how the term “Two-Spirit” came into use and how recognition of this identity has evolved in Canada.
Story of the term Two-Spirit
Despite being coined almost two decades prior, people who identified with the term Two-Spirit were formally acknowledged for the first time by the Government of Canada in 2017, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized to Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people for the harm and discrimination they experienced due to federal legislation, policies and practices.
In What is Two-Spirit? Part One: Origins, published by the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Scott de Groot, Curator for Sexual and Gender Diversity, acknowledges that before European presence on Turtle Island (North America), gender and sexuality were not understood in binary terms as they often are today:
“Across Indigenous North America, some people lived their lives as neither men nor women. Some were seen as combining – even transcending – masculine and feminine characteristics. They performed important social roles, held knowledge, led ceremonies, reared children, married and lived in same-sex relationships.”
de Groot describes how the term Two-Spirit, which is a direct translation of a Anishinaabemowin phrase niizh manidoowag, was shared by Cree activist Myra Laramee at a 1990 transnational gathering of Indigenous LGBTQ+ activists in Manitoba, later to be known as International Two-Spirit Gatherings. Since then, the term has been taken up by many Indigenous individuals across diverse Indigenous nations to provide a culturally grounded and unifying identity.
While this term has taken hold over the years, it should still be appreciated that many Indigenous languages have their own words and expressions to describe identities broader than what this term conveys. As de Groot explains, the Cree language includes at least six such terms, and Anishinaabemowin has at least four. Moreover, Two-Spirit is not meant to replace established LGBTQ+ terms or specific Indigenous language identities. Rather, says de Groot, it serves as a pan-Indigenous concept centered on self-determination, cultural resurgence, and the reclamation of suppressed aspects of identity and spirituality.
“Simply put, Two‐Spirit was (and is) about self‐determination, rejecting colonial labels, building community and reconnecting with long‐suppressed aspects of Indigenous histories and cultures, including spirituality.”
Welcoming Places
For me, the Coast Salish Two-Spirit Mosaic brings these histories, stories, and futures into public view. And, as Arig al Shaibah, Associate Vice-President, Equity and Inclusion, proclaimed during the mosaic’s unveiling on November 14, 2023:
“The Mosaic serves to honour the lived experiences and contributions of Coast Salish Two-Spirit/Indigequeer people, and it will be a beacon of belonging and inclusion for Two-Spirit/Indigequeer students, faculty and staff at UBC…”
Knowing all of this now, the mosaic affirms for me that the First Nations Longhouse, šxʷta:təχʷəm student space, and X̱wi7x̱wa Library are culturally-grounded spaces for reflection, gathering, and community expression, and they are welcoming places for diverse sexual and gender identities.
Sources:
- Coast Salish Two-Spirit Mosaic (UBC Equity & Inclusion Office)
- Coast Salish Two-Spirit Mosaic mural installed (UBC Facilities)
- Remarks: Two-Spirit Coast Salish Mosaic Reveal (UBC Equity & Inclusion Office)
- What Is Two-Spirit? Part One: Origins (Canadian Museum for Human Rights)
- Apology to LGBTQ2 communities (Government of Canada)
This article was written by Kylie Krueger (Métis), 4th year Double Major in Physics & Computer Science, with contributions from Kevin Ward, Research and Communications Officer, First Nations House of Learning.
Indigenous Outdoor Art Series: Find out where you can view Indigenous art on campus and the story behind each piece by checking out this interactive map.