For Native American Heritage Month, TIGERRS would like to spotlight one of our crew members! Jason Buchanan (they/them) is a mixed race individual whose indigeneity traces to the Apache bands in the Southern New Mexico region. Born two generations outside of the reservation, they continue work to reclaim their ancestral birthright (a never-ending journey) both in a pan-Native context as well as with specifically Apache beliefs and customs, the latter proving a bit trickier. Identifying as two-spirit, for them, revolves not just around the colonizer-concepts of non-normative sexuality and gender identities, but also in what role they play for all the communities they belong to (in absence of knowledge of their specific tribal customs or traditions).
For them, the role of two-spirit integrates the expectations of masculine, feminine, and third-gender roles, including the role of knowledge-keeper, storyteller, artist, mediator, and medium between this world and that of the ancestors. While navigating the dual histories of both colonizer and colonized, along with the inherited familial patterns of their family of origin, they help us out as a youth facilitator, outreach and events committee members, tabler, and will soon begin work on our newsletter. When they’re not volunteering with us, they like to read voraciously, work outdoors with plants, make art, hold space for deep emotions, and help empower others by providing knowledge and opportunities for reflection.
Original image credits and gratitude: Carl Stover and Patrick McDaniel Jr.