Collection

McLeod, Albert Fonds

Span Dates: 1982-2024
Bulk Dates: 1988-1998
Volume: .28 meters textual and digital

Description

Contents: 0.18 m of textual records. 16 photographs. 1 scrapbook: 151 photographs, 0.03 m of textual records. 21 slides. 0.01 m of drawings and prints. 8 oversize posters. 4 books. 4 videocassettes. 1 painting. 0.06 m textiles and ephemera. 2 DVDs: 378 photographs, 2 videos. 2 .zip files : 2 jpegs, 2 pdfs This collection reflects McLeod’s research and advocacy for the Two-Spirit Movement and Two-Spirit people, and consists of records both produced by McLeod as a result of his activist career, and records collected by him for their relation to the Two-Spirit Movement and its various organizations and gatherings, as well as Two-Spirit and Indigenous activism, education, and health. The records include correspondence, posters, banners, books, journals, magazines, newsletters, newspaper clippings, documentaries, photographs, and published and unpublished research; decorative objects and clothing; as well as operational records produced by various Two-Spirit organizations. The first three accessions in this fonds, 11.011, 13.006, 18.017, were arranged into eight series. The first series contains published textual records; the second series contains non-published textual records; the third series contains records from various two-spirited organizations and gatherings; the fourth series is comprised of graphic material; the fifth series consists of a scrapbook composed of photographs and news clippings; the sixth series includes photographs, and published and non-published research on traditional Indigenous clothing and adornments; the seventh series consists of four films; and the eighth series consists of a CBC News Manitoba video news item. Subsequent accruals to the fond are arranged into these series order of their accession.

Hist/Bio Note

Albert McLeod is one of the Two-Spirited Movement’s most active and visible members. He is Metis, descended from Cree and Scottish families, and identifies as a two-spirited gay male. During the 1960s and 1970s, he was raised in Cormorant and The Pas in northern Manitoba, and currently lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Since 1986, McLeod has been actively involved in the Two-Spirit Movement, and as a human rights advocate. He has actively advocated for the rights of Aboriginal LGBTQ people, has pushed for their visible and meaningful inclusion in the Canadian Aboriginal Movement and the LGBT Liberation Movement, and has fought against pervasive homophobia and racism. He co-founded a number of organizations devoted to improving the life of two-spirit people by advocating for education, housing, health services, employment training and cultural development. He co-founded the Manitoba Aboriginal AIDS Task Force and was its Project Manager from 1991-2001; he co-founded the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS network in 1997; and is one of the co-founders of the Two-Spirited People of Manitoba Inc., established in 2006. He has helped co-ordinate a number of two-spirit conferences and gatherings as a way to enable two-spirited people to meet with each other in a safe, encouraging environment where traditional cultural practices are integrated with educational workshops. He is also an experienced crafter who creates both traditional regalia and couture dresses. He has worked for the 595 Prevention Team as a Community Development Coordinator, and as a free-lance educator devoted to Aboriginal cultural reclamation, textile art and community development. In 2018 he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Winnipeg. He presently serves on the Board of Directors for Two-Spirit People of Manitoba, Inc.In 1990, the term two-spirit was established in Winnipeg, Manitoba at the Third Native American/First Nations Gay and Lesbian Conference by activist Albert McLeod and others. With the belief that naming is a political act, which enables discussion and exploration, the group created the term to reconnect with Aboriginal traditional views related to gender and sexual identity, to emphasize the fluidity of identity creation, to fight against colonialism and Eurocentric categorization of sex and gender identities, and to unite Aboriginal LGBT peoples. Since the mid-1970s, Aboriginal gay and lesbian organizations have sprung up across North America, and major growth has been seen since 1988. Two-spirit organizations and gatherings were created in order to connect two-spirit individuals and offer a network of support, understanding, and advocacy. These organizations and gatherings seek to address and change the social stigma two-spirit people face due to pervasive racism and homophobia. The latter of which exists in both their local communities and society more broadly. The Basket and the Bow: A Gathering of Lesbian & Gay Native Americans held in Minneapolis in 1988 marked the first gathering of two-spirit people, and was attended by eleven delegates from Winnipeg. Events from the gathering were recorded in Mona Smith’s 1990 video, Honoured by the Moon. Two-spirit gatherings and conventions often contain workshops, as well as sweat lodges, pipe ceremonies, sharing circles, elders, a pow-wow, smudgings and traditional crafts and singing. Often they are held outside of urban centers and are alcohol and drug free events. The high rates of suicide, and HIV-AIDS rates within the two-spirit community are often major discussion topics at the gatherings.
https://main.lib.umanitoba.ca/mxq

Finding Aid

An online finding aid is available.
https://main.lib.umanitoba.ca/albert-mcleod-fonds

Location

The fonds (collection) is located at the University of Winnipeg. 515 Portage Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
https://archives.uwinnipeg.ca

Tags

Two Spirit | Canada | Manitoba | Two-Spirited People of Manitoba, Inc.