Two Hearts Two Spirits

Two Hearts Two Spirits: A Tale of First Nations Two Spirit Love

Centuries before the murder of Julius Caesar or the Norman conquest of England, a nomadic people moved across the width and breadth of a vast hidden valley. The disastrous Wars of the 1800s between the United States and the Indian tribes of the American West were long over. Tribes that were once as free-roaming as the buffalo were now penned up and neglected.

By a sheer accident of location, the village of two Indian youths remained untouched by the ravages of war and the intrusion of the white man. It was a place of refuge from the white eyes who came with their twin plagues, one of the body and the other of the spirit.

Helki and Igashu, friends and constant companions since childhood, will soon perform the ritual of the Basket and the Bow. Choosing the basket means living the life of a Two Spirit, a lover of men. Choosing the bow means becoming a provider, the head of a family, and a warrior-if war should ever come. Yet if Helki and Igashu choose different paths, their love may not survive. This then is the story of Igashu and Helki as they step into manhood in search of their destinies.