Wichita Two-Spirit rising again
- by Brian Eckberg
Two-Spirit Columnist
All Nations Two-Spirit Society
First Nation people have made their home at the confluence of the Arkansas and the Little Arkansas Rivers for more than 5,000 years. It is an area that has been home to the Pawnee, Comanche, Osage and Kiowa.
When Spanish invaders arrived in the 1500s, they found the area populated by the Wichita, for whom the modern city is named. It is a place rich in Native history and embraced proudly by its residents, as evidenced by its famous symbol, The Keeper Of The Plains. The steel sculpture, by Kiowa/Comanche artist Blackbear Bosin, calls out prayers to Creator at that same river confluence. Its IndigiQueer residents are again finding their voice.
Pam Harjo created the Wichita Two-Spirit Society (WTSS) in the early 2000s while serving as HIV/AIDS Counselor at Hunter Health Clinic. The group has built ties to regional Two-Spirit organizations, especially in Oklahoma, where they often attended the legendary gatherings in the Osage Hills.
Over time, many members moved out of Wichita, and when COVID-19 ravaged the nation, in-person events came to a halt. As with so many groups in a post-pandemic era, WTSS is just now beginning to reorganize and grow. It’s an exciting time for Two-Spirit people to connect.
Brent Kennedy has been involved in the Wichita 2SLGBTQIA+ community since the late 1990s. They are currently chairperson at The Center Of Wichita, a lecturer for the Wichita State University Anthropology department and now leader of the Wichita Two-Spirit Society.
“My main focus is getting us back to engaging with events locally and attending some gatherings to reestablish ties that we lost during and after COVID,” says Kennedy. Because so much Indigenous history and info was passed down through oral tradition, Native groups still tend to connect in person. But that’s beginning to change.
“It’s one of the reasons I was so glad BAAITS (Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirit) streamed their annual pow-wow. It gave us a chance to see so many faces we hadn’t seen in person in a long time, but also gave us a bit of a kick to get back out there.”
Kennedy, whose ancestry is the Kalinago (Carib) people from Trinidad (among the first to encounter Europeans arriving in the Western Hemisphere during the 1490s), envisions the future of WTSS to include a return to partnering with All Nations Two-Spirit Society (ANTSS or “Aunties”), based in Oklahoma.
“We’d love to do some team-ups and joint events if we can. We don’t have a lot of resources at the moment.”
That first team-up was in November, 2024, when Kennedy, their partner & WTSS co-leader Onemoc Chaz Marquez (Chichimeca Tribe) and Two-Spirit people from across Turtle Island meet at Canyon Camp (near Hinton, OK.) for the 37th annual International Two-Spirit Gathering.
“So far, our strongest advocates have been the youth in the community. We’ve been invited to a few youth events, and their curiosity, passion and desire to learn about and celebrate Two-Spirit history and identity has been incredible to experience. Their efforts to decolonize and bring us in has a tangible power.”
A combination of youth-infused enthusiasm, along with a deeper embrace of social media and event streaming, represent new methods for Indigenous connection. The pandemic that pushed WTSS into digital outreach has left them in a stronger position to grow after more than 20 years of operation. Regional partnerships among IndigiQueer societies only make for a stronger collective, and Wichita Two-Spirit is rising again.
For more information on the Wichita Two-Spirit Society (WTSS), visit their Facebook page and message Brent Kennedy at www.facebook.com/groups/172555332761481.
Wado! (Thank You).
For more information on the All Nations Two-Spirit Society, visit www.antss.co
The Gayly 02/26/2025 @ 12:51 p.m. CST.