Two-Spirit Flag Indigenous drag performers are those who may incorporate aspects of their

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology) In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...

and/or tribal identity into their drag performances. In the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

such performers may also be considered

Indigiqueer ''Two-spirit'' (also known as ''two spirit'' or occasionally ''twospirited'', or abbreviated as ''2S'' or ''2E'', especially in Canada) is a umbrella term used by some Indigenous North Americans to describe Native people who fulfill a trad ...

and/or

two-spirit ''Two-spirit'' (also known as ''two spirit'' or occasionally ''twospirited'', or abbreviated as ''2S'' or ''2E'', especially in Canada) is a umbrella term used by some Indigenous North Americans to describe Native people who fulfill a trad ...

Overview

Some Indigenous drag performers see imbuing their creative work with Indigenous aesthetics, values, and themes as an act of resistance and resurgence. Through costume, makeup, design, and even naming the Indigenous drag performers break away from colonial norms and resist erasure. In this way, art and fashion can be seen as pathways to Indigenous reclamation and

empowerment Empowerment is the degree of autonomy and self-determination in people and in communities. This enables them to represent their interests in a responsible and self-determined way, acting on their own authority. It is the process of becoming strong ...

. According to researcher Treena Clark, the

aesthetic Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy,'' , acces ...

expression that is present in drag performances can be seen as a strategy for cultural survival and resistance, which engages each individual artist in truth-telling, amplifies resilience, and promotes reconciliation. This idea of Indigenous drag being an act of artistry can be seen through interactions such as the one Jayelene Tyme and

Xana The xana (Asturian: /ˈʃana/or �ɕa.na is a character found in Asturian mythology. Always female, she is a creature of extraordinary beauty believed to live in fountains, rivers, waterfalls, or forested regions with pure water. The origin o ...

had on

Canada's Drag Race ''Canada's Drag Race'' is a Canadian reality competition television series based on the American series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and is the Canadian edition of the ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by Blue Ant Studios. In a similar format to t ...

. During the interaction Xana, who was dealing with the struggles of feeling disconnected from her community and Indigenity expressed these emotions. Upon her expression, Tyme gifted her a Métis sash. Tyme stating, "I'm reminded how important it is for us to create spaces where people can feel safe, to share how they feel."

Indigenous drag events

In 2017, the Miss First Nation drag competition, open to performers of Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islanders ( ) are the Indigenous Melanesians, Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal peoples of the res ...

identity, was established in Darwin, Australia. In 2023, the first Miss First Nation Supreme Queen was held in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Notable Indigenous drag performers

List of notable Indigenous drag performers including their nationality, specific Indigenous identity, tribe, nation, or reserve, and notability. * Anita Landback, a Canadian

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses Drag (entertainment), drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate Femininity, female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have ...

who was profiled on ''

Canada's a Drag ''Canada's a Drag'' is a Television in Canada, Canadian documentary series that premiered on CBC Gem on March 7, 2018. The show was created by Peter Knegt and Mercedes Grundy. Each episode focuses on a drag (clothing), drag performer from a diff ...

.'' * Beth, a Canadian

Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...

drag queen who competed on ''Canada's Drag Race'' season 2. * Carla Rossi, an American

drag performer who is a citizen of the

Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon (CTGR) is a federally recognized tribe of Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Plateau. They consist of at least 27 Native American tribes with long historical ties to present-day west ...

. * Chelazon Leroux, a Canadian two-spirit drag queen from the

Buffalo River Dene Nation The Buffalo River Dene Nation () is a Dene First Nations band government in Saskatchewan, Canada. The band's main community, Dillon, is located on the western shore of Peter Pond Lake at the mouth of the Dillon River, and is accessed by Highway ...

who competed on ''Canada's Drag Race'' season 3. * Eddi Licious, a Canadian Métis two-spirit

drag king Drag kings have historically been mostly female performance artists who dress in masculine drag and personify male gender stereotypes as part of an individual or group routine. As documented in the 2003 ''Journal of Homosexuality,'' in more r ...

who was profiled on ''Canada's a Drag.'' * Ilona Verley, an American-Canadian

Nlaka'pamux The Nlakaʼpamux or Nlakapamuk ( ; ), also previously known as the ''Thompson'', '' Thompson River Salish'', ''Thompson Salish'', ''Thompson River Indians'' or ''Thompson River people'', and historically as the ''Klackarpun'', ''Haukamaugh'', ''K ...

two-spirit drag queen who competed on ''Canada's Drag Race'' season 1. * Jaylene Tyme, a Canadian

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

and

two-spirit drag queen who is registered with the Zagime Anishinabek Nation. She was profiled on ''Canada's a Drag'' and competed on ''Canada's Drag Race'' season 5. * Kaos, a Canadian Métis two-spirit drag performer who competed on ''Canada's Drag Race'' season 3. * Massey Whiteknife, also known as ICESIS Rain, a Canadian

Cree The Cree, or nehinaw (, ), are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people, numbering more than 350,000 in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada, First Nations. They live prim ...

two-spirit drag performer who is a member of the

Mikisew Cree First Nation Mikisew Cree First Nation (, ''meaning: "golden eagle"'') is an Indigenous First Nations government of Woodland Cree people in northeastern Alberta and in Northwest Territories, Canada. Most Mikisew Cree First Nation members live in Fort McMurr ...

. *

Matraka Matraka is the stage name of Gerardo Reyes Toledo, a Mexican drag queen and contestant on the first season of '' Drag Race Mexico''. Matraka is from Purísima del Rincón, Guanajato, and identifies as Indigenous Mexican. Early life Matraka wa ...

, a Mexican

drag queen who competed on ''Drag Race Mexico'' season 1. * Mirage, an American

Native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

and

Indigenous Mexican Indigenous peoples of Mexico (), Native Mexicans () or Mexican Native Americans (), are those who are part of communities that trace their roots back to populations and communities that existed in what is now Mexico before the arrival of Europe ...

drag queen who competed on ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' season 16. * Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, a Canadian Cree drag performer. * Sasha Colby, an American Hawaiian drag queen who won

Miss Continental Miss Continental is an annual drag queen pageantry system founded in 1980 by Jim Flint. The pageant itself takes place at the Baton Show Lounge in Chicago, Illinois, and is usually held over Labor Day weekends. History Jim Flint organized th ...

and ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' season 15. * Shuga Cain, an American

Apache The Apache ( ) are several Southern Athabaskan language-speaking peoples of the Southwestern United States, Southwest, the Southern Plains and Northern Mexico. They are linguistically related to the Navajo. They migrated from the Athabascan ho ...

drag queen who competed on ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' season 11. * Stacy Layne Matthews, an American

Lumbee The Lumbee, also known as People of the Dark Water, are a mixed-race community primarily located in Robeson County, North Carolina, which claims to be descended from myriad Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands who once inhabited th ...

drag queen who competed on ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' season 3. * The Virgo Queen, a Canadian Afro-Indigenous drag queen who won ''Canada's Drag Race'' season 5. *

Trixie Mattel Brian Michael Firkus (born August 23, 1989), better known by the stage name Trixie Mattel, is an American drag queen, television personality, makeup entrepreneur, DJ and singer-songwriter originally from Silver Cliff, Wisconsin, Silver Cliff, Ma ...

, an American

Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

drag queen who competed on ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' season 7, won ''RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars'' season 3, and is known for her careers in

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

, television ('' Queen of the Universe, The Trixie & Katya Show, Trixie Motel''), web series (''

I Like to Watch ''I Like to Watch'' is a 2019 American web series hosted by drag queens Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova. The series was created by Netflix, and streams on the company's YouTube channel. ''I Like to Watch'' films its hosts as they view an ...

, UNHhhh)'', and business ventures ( This is It!, Trixie Cosmetics, Trixie Motel). * Venus, a Canadian Métis drag performer who won ''Canada's Drag Race'' season 4. * VIZIN, an American drag performer and member of the Arikara tribe. * Xana, a Canadian Metis two-spirit drag queen who competed on ''Canada's Drag Race'' season 5.

References

{{reflist, refs= {{Cite web , last=Allaire , first=Christian , date=2020-08-31 , title=Indigenous Queen Ilona Verley On Bringing Two-Spirit Representation to Canada's Drag Race , url=https://www.vogue.com/article/ilona-verley-canadas-drag-race-indigenous-queen , access-date=2025-04-08 , website=Vogue , language=en-US , archive-date=2023-02-01 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201161522/https://www.vogue.com/article/ilona-verley-canadas-drag-race-indigenous-queen , url-status=live {{Cite web , last=Beauline-Stuebing , first=Laura , date=May 13, 2023 , title=Meet Indigenous drag artists trying to 'offer hope' to LGBTQ and 2-spirit youth , url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/indigenous-drag-artists-1.6838636 , access-date=April 8, 2025 , website=CBC Radio , archive-date=April 13, 2025 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250413212526/https://www.cbc.ca/radio/unreserved/indigenous-drag-artists-1.6838636 , url-status=live {{Cite news , last1=Beazley , first1=Jordyn , last2=Sharp-Wiggins , first2=Blake , date=2023-03-01 , title=Behind the scenes at the Miss First Nation drag competition – a photo essay , url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/mar/01/behind-the-scenes-at-the-miss-first-nation-drag-competition-a-photo-essay , access-date=2025-04-08 , work=The Guardian , language=en-GB , issn=0261-3077 , archive-date=2023-07-22 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722000146/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/mar/01/behind-the-scenes-at-the-miss-first-nation-drag-competition-a-photo-essay , url-status=live {{Cite web , date=November 30, 2022 , title=Drag Queen Anita LandBack Is a 'love letter' to Mi'kmaw Culture , url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/athanasius-sylliboy-drag-artist-anita-landback-queer-spaces-mi-kmaw-1.6669468 , access-date=February 25, 2025 , website=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation News {{Cite journal , last=Clark , first=Treena , date=2025-01-14 , title=The Role of Fashion and Art in First Nations Healing, Decolonisation, and Cultural Practice , journal=Genealogy , language=en , volume=9 , issue=1 , pages=5 , doi=10.3390/genealogy9010005 , doi-access=free , issn=2313-5778 {{Cite web , date=2014-05-21 , title=Artist Debunks Native American Myths With The Help Of His Drag Alter-Ego , url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/kent-monkman_n_5360583 , access-date=2025-04-08 , website=HuffPost , language=en {{Cite web , last=LandBack , first=Anita , title=Anita LandBack Instagram , url=https://www.instagram.com/anitalandback/ , access-date=April 8, 2025 , website=Instagram {{Cite journal , last=Martineau , first=Jarrett , date=2014 , title=Fugitive Indigeneity: Reclaiming the Terrain of Decolonial Struggle Through Indigenous Art , url=https://iportal.usask.ca/record/44419 , journal=Decolonization , volume=3 , issue=1 , pages=i-xii , via=I-Portal Indigenous Studies Portal {{cite web , last1=nativemax , title=A World with OG Indigenous Drag Queen Landa Lakes , url=https://nativemaxmagazine.com/a-word-with-og-indigenous-drag-queen-landa-lakes/ , website=Native Max Magazine , date=27 August 2020 , access-date=April 12, 2025 , archive-date=10 February 2025 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250210100320/https://nativemaxmagazine.com/a-word-with-og-indigenous-drag-queen-landa-lakes/ , url-status=live {{cite web , last1=Ramos , first1=Dino-Ray , title='Canada's Drag Race' Queens Jaylene Tyme and Xana's Emotional Two-Spirit Connection is a Story of Representation and Reclamation on TV; 'We Are Family' , url=https://glaad.org/canadas-drag-race-queensjaylene-tyme-and-xanas-emotional-two-spirit-connection-is-a-story-of-representation-and-reclamation-on-tv-we-are-family/ , website=glaad , date=6 December 2024 , access-date=April 12, 2025 , archive-date=17 December 2024 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217184238/https://glaad.org/canadas-drag-race-queensjaylene-tyme-and-xanas-emotional-two-spirit-connection-is-a-story-of-representation-and-reclamation-on-tv-we-are-family/ , url-status=live {{cite web , last1=Ryan , first1=Denise , title="Driven to Show up: A Vancouver Drag Queen Determined to Bring Change" , url=https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/driven-to-show-up-a-vancouver-drag-queen-determined-to-bring-change/ar-AA1umxon , website=msn , access-date=February 28, 2025 , archive-date=April 26, 2025 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250426143618/https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/driven-to-show-up-a-vancouver-drag-queen-determined-to-bring-change/ar-AA1umxon , url-status=live {{Cite web , last=Smith , first=Jenna , date=2025-01-15 , title=Indigenous queens bring culture and confidence to season 5 of 'Canada's Drag Race' , url=https://www.mbcradio.com/2025/01/indigenous-queens-bring-culture-and-confidence-to-season-5-of-canadas-drag-race , access-date=2025-04-08 , website=MBC Radio , language=en-CA , archive-date=2025-01-24 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250124083018/https://www.mbcradio.com/2025/01/indigenous-queens-bring-culture-and-confidence-to-season-5-of-canadas-drag-race , url-status=live {{Cite web , last=Werk , first=Jarrette , date=2023-07-06 , title=Getting to know Portland's premier, and Indigenous, drag clown , url=https://ictnews.org/news/getting-to-know-portlands-premier-and-indigenous-drag-clown , access-date=2025-04-08 , website=ICT News , language=en Drag (entertainment)

drag_performers Drag or The Drag may refer to: Places * Drag, Norway, a village in Tysfjord municipality, Nordland, Norway * ''Drág'', the Hungarian name for Dragu Commune in Sălaj County, Romania * Drag (Austin, Texas), the portion of Guadalupe Street a ...