Amazing couple advocates for Two-Spirit People

By Kelly Anne Smith

NORTH BAY— It was an amazing talk by Dr. James Makokis and Anthony Johnson at the North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre. The couple were engaging— humorous, yet serious.

Dr. James Makokis of Saddle Lake Cree Nation stated Indigenous Peoples have the worst health of anybody.

“This is where the reconciliation conversation is happening. Indigenous Peoples’ health, lives and the length of time that we live should equal to Canadians.”

The North Bay Indigenous Hub (NBIH) co-hosted the event Building a Safe Community along with Nipissing University’s Enji giigdoyang – the Office of Indigenous Initiatives, and the North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre. Ray Hookimaw, a two-spirit youth, spoke before Makokis and Johnson – Team Ahkameyimok, winners of Amazing Race Canada.

Makokis had asked himself as a physician, what could one person do to help address the loss of role of Two-Spirit people? His answer came from Dr. Adrian Edgar, then with Canadian Professional Association for Transgender Health (CPATH). Edgar told Makokis that if he provided cross-sex hormone therapy, he will save lives.

Through trans-medicine, Dr. Makokis helps people truly express themselves regardless of their birth gender. He has over 400 patients, mainly practicing in South Edmonton and also Kehewin Cree Nation. The doctor explained there was gender diversity on Turtle Island pre-colonization. Then, Indigenous Peoples were healthy with stories of centenarian Elders.

“People using our own medicines, our own wellness systems, our own child-rearing practices, our own education systems, were routinely more than a hundred years old. We know that from oral history with our Elders who said my teacher was 116.”

Now Indigenous Peoples have a lower life expectancy compared to other Canadians. Makokis says there is a need to rebuild systems to be healthy again.

“As a doctor working in the community, like many of you community workers here, community members see this. In our medical system, we see that in terms of increased morbidity and mortality.  In our legal system, there are increased incarceration rates, our governance system and social chaos, MMIW, misogyny, the loss of the role of women, the loss of the role of Two-Spirit People. And in the education system, we see decreased graduation rates.”

For Plains Cree, Makokis says a Two-Spirit individual has characteristics of both male and female gender traits.

“They could be both gender diverse or have a diverse sexual orientation.”

Makokis also discussed bringing awareness of Indigenous Peoples on national television as contestants and then winners of the Amazing Race Season 7.

“When we watched TV, we had never seen a gay, Indigenous, married couple,” Makokis says. “We thought, ‘What an opportunity it is to show the country how we know Indigenous People to be’. We know Indigenous People to be successful, and healthy and thriving but they often don’t see that.”

Knowing two million people would be watching was one of the reasons they wore skirts to honour women.

“We wanted to show them, that as a couple of guys, that we see them and value them and appreciate them and wanted to make space for them as well. When we got to the finale, we wanted to cross the finish line in those dresses that Anthony made.”

Navajo Anthony Johnson is a Harvard man. Johnson says it’s hard to talk about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women on a family-friendly show. Inspiration came with Jamie Black’s Red Dress Project when he saw a red dress hanging from a tree branch close to a gathering of women for ceremony. Johnson wondered whose dress it was, not filled with a body.

“What is that? I filmed it for seven minutes. I saw it in the tree, fluttering in the wind.”

Johnson says wearing their athletic versions of ribbon skirts has had an impact.

“There was a girl who came up to us the other night. She was 15 or 16, in high school, and she started crying and said, ‘When you wore those skirts, you really touched me because my kookum has been missing for several months now. When you wore those skirts, it helped me know people care.’”

Team Ahkameyimok is fundraising for the building of a cultural healing centre in Kehewin Cree Nation. So far, $11,921 has been raised of the $250,000 goal.