The first time John Sneezy danced in a two spirit powwow he was nervous and scared, even though he has been a dancer for more than 30 years. 

He put on the regalia worn for the traditional cloth dance, a slow and graceful dance that is traditionally performed by women, after decades as a grass dancer. Grass dancing is traditionally male with movements like one is stomping down grass.

When he finally did, it felt good.

“I’m 42 years old and I’m finally comfortable doing it.”

Sneezy came to Arizona’s first Two Spirit Powwow at South Mountain Community College for the one reason, to dance for those who cannot dance.

He lives in San Carlos, Arizona, and grew up on the San Carlos Apache reservation.

Before this weekend’s powwow, Sneezy had to go out of state to dance. He would travel to California to participate in the two spirit powwow hosted by the Bay Area American Indian Two Spirits (BAAITS) organization, which is the largest two spirit powwow in the U.S. He wore a blue cloth dress with rainbow colored ribbon trim to dance this weekend.

“I do it because so many other people left this earth who could not dance, who could not express themselves,” Sneezy said. “I come here to dance for them because they didn’t have a voice and I want to give everybody a chance to have a voice.”

The event was hosted by Native PFLAG, South Mountain Community College and Phoenix Pride Grant Programs. There were over eight dance categories where about 30 powwow dancers participated. Hundreds of people showed up to see the powwow, and the crowd was full of families, elders and youth from various Native communities.

“This community needs healing and you all showing up shows support for this community,” said Shelia Lopez, founder and president of the Native chapter of PFLAG, the nation’s largest organization for families and allies of the LGBTQ community.

During the powwow’s grand entry, the Gila River Indian Community, Salt River Indian Community and the Navajo Nation flags were carried in alongside the U.S., Arizona, rainbow and transgender flags.

Showing love and respect for the dance and the dancers

Sneezy is two spirit and gay, but he doesn’t use those labels to identify himself. When meeting people, he introduces himself in Apache by saying: “I am San Carlos Apache, my name is John.”

When he saw his friends and family from the area show up to support him, it touched his heart.

“This was very important for me to do, and I did it,” he said. “I was watching the audience and I don’t think they saw us as LGBTQ, they saw us as powwow dancers.”

That’s the impact he believes two spirit powwows will have on Native communities. It will open the door to more acceptance and more dancers will come out to participate.

“They’re going to continue doing it at two spirit powwows until they (the dancers) get comfortable,” he noted.

Sneezy said as long as a dancer shows respect for the dance as well as how they present themselves dancing, communities should be more accepting of two spirit and LGBTQ powwow dancers.

That was what happened during Sneezy’s first time dancing the traditional cloth dance in Arizona at the 2019 Apache Gold Powwow earlier in March. The cloth dance was listed under the women’s dance category, but Sneezy participated anyway.

“It was accepted when I danced, and people told me that was because I showed love and respect for the dance,” he said.

At that powwow he was given an eagle wing fan, which is a fan made of eagle feathers, from a college friend who saw him dancing. He danced with that eagle wing fan for the first time at the Two Spirit Powwow.

Being the role models they never had

The Two Spirit Powwow aims to open the eyes of Natives, said Miss Apache Diva, Té Titla, by showing that it’s OK for Natives to be a part of the LGBTQ community.

“It’s bringing awareness that two spirit individuals are here and are part of the community,” she said. “It’s just us embracing our culture.”

Titla, 26, is two spirit and transgender from the White Mountain Apache and San Carlos Apache tribes. Growing up on the Fort Apache reservation in White River, Arizona, Titla said her family fully supported her, even though her community still isn’t really open to LGBTQ people.

Her family believes in the traditional idea of there being four genders, she said, and growing up she embraced the masculine and feminine side of her culture.

In 2018, she was crowned Miss Apache Diva, a title open to male, female and two spirit individuals from the San Carlos Apache and White Mountain Apache communities.

The Miss Apache Diva pageant started in 2017 in honor of Una Sue, who was also known as Miss Apache Diva. Sue identified as female, but due to traditional obligations she was buried as a male when she passed away, Titla said.

The Miss Apache Diva title carries on in her memory, she added, and it represents all two spirit and LGBTQ Apache people.

Titla’s platform is all about representation within the community. She wants to clear a path for other Native youth who grew up without role models in the LGBTQ community.

“Growing up I had no LGBT representation,” Titla said, and she’s made it a point in life to be that representation.

With that thought, she carried in the transgender flag during the Two Spirit Powwow’s grand entry, wearing a black and white traditional Apache dress along with her beaded crown and sash.

“For me, to carry the flag within the inaugural powwow is so empowering,” she added. “I hope these pictures are everywhere and some little indigenous kid somewhere is like ‘I can do that too.’”

Reporter Shondiin Silversmith covers Indigenous people and communities in Arizona. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her Twitter @DiinSilversmith.

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