Book
A two-spirit journey : the autobiography of a lesbian Ojibwa-Cree elder / Ma-Nee Chacaby with Mary Louisa Plummer.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780887558122 (paperback)
- Physical Description: xii, 240 pages : illustrations, maps, genealogical table ; 23 cm.
- Publisher: Winnipeg, Manitoba : University of Manitoba Press, [2016]
- Copyright: ©2016
Content descriptions
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Chacaby, Ma-Nee, 1950- Lesbians > Ontario > Thunder Bay > Biography. Indigenous elders > Ontario > Thunder Bay > Biography. Ojibwe > Ontario > Thunder Bay > Biography. Cree > Ontario > Thunder Bay > Biography. Thunder Bay (Ont.) > Biography. |
| Genre: | Biographies. |
Search for related items by series
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeshore Branch | 306.7663092 Chaca | 31681010410322 | NONFICPBK | Checked out | 01/30/2026 |
- Book News
A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography of a Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder tells the story of Anishinaabe elder Ma-Nee Chacaby, who grew up in the Ojibwa/Cree community of Ombabika in northwest Ontario. Chacaby lived a hard, yet beautiful, life as an indigenous two-spirit woman, and Two-Spirit Journey details both her struggles and her triumphs, as well as her journey towards self-discovery as a lesbian. From physical and sexual abuse to addiction, foster parenting to single parenting, traditional indigenous lifestyles to challenges facing two-spirit people, Chacoby's life story engages and inspires diverse readership. The book opens with a family tree and a short family history of the lives of her grandmother and mother, setting the stage for Chacaby's story, and ends with Chacaby leading the first gay pride parade in Thunder Bay. It also includes a glossary of Ojibwa and Cree words and a list of people mentioned in the book. Distributed in the US by Michigan State U. Press. Annotation ©2016 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com) - Chicago Distribution CenterA Two-Spirit Journey is Ma-Nee Chacaby’s extraordinary account of her life as an Ojibwa-Cree lesbian. From her early, often harrowing memories of life and abuse in a remote Ojibwa community riven by poverty and alcoholism, Chacaby’s story is one of enduring and ultimately overcoming the social, economic, and health legacies of colonialism.
As a child, Chacaby learned spiritual and cultural traditions from her Cree grandmother and trapping, hunting, and bush survival skills from her Ojibwa stepfather. She also suffered physical and sexual abuse by different adults, and by her teen years she was alcoholic herself. At twenty, Chacaby moved to Thunder Bay with her children to escape an abusive marriage. Abuse, compounded by racism, continued, but Chacaby found supports to help herself and others. Over the following decades, she achieved sobriety; trained and worked as an alcoholism counselor; raised her children and fostered many others; learned to live with visual impairment; and came out as a lesbian. In 2013, Chacaby led the first gay pride parade in her adopted city, Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Ma-Nee Chacaby has emerged from hardship grounded in faith, compassion, humor, and resilience. Her memoir provides unprecedented insights into the challenges still faced by many Indigenous people. - Chicago Distribution CenterA Two-Spirit Journey is Ma-Nee Chacaby’s extraordinary account of her life as an Ojibwa-Cree lesbian. From the remote community of her childhood to the larger urban centers she later called home, Chacaby experienced abuse, addiction, racism, homophobia, and homelessness. Eventually, with the right support and drawing on her grandmother’s teachings for strength, she emerged from those experiences grounded in faith, compassion, humor, and resilience. Her memoir provides unprecedented insights into challenges still faced by many Indigenous people.
- The University of North Carolina Press
Winner of Canada Reads 2025
From her early, often harrowing memories of life and abuse in a remote Ojibwa community, Ma-Nee Chacaby's extraordinary story is one of enduring and ultimately overcoming the social and economic legacies of colonialism.
As a child, Chacaby learned spiritual and cultural traditions from her Cree grandmother and trapping, hunting, and bush survival skills from her Ojibwa stepfather. She also suffered physical and sexual violence, and in her teen years became an alcoholic herself. At twenty, Chacaby took her children and, fleeing an abusive marriage, moved to Thunder Bay. Despite the abuse, racism, and indifference she often found there, Chacaby marshalled the strength and supports to help herself and others.
Over the following decades, she achieved sobriety, trained and worked as an alcoholism counsellor, raised her children and fostered many others, learned to live with visual impairment, and came out as a lesbian. In 2013, Chacaby led the first gay pride parade in Thunder Bay.
Ma-Nee Chacaby has emerged from hardship grounded in faith, compassion, and humour. Her memoir provides unprecedented insights into the challenges still faced by many Indigenous people.
- The University of North Carolina Press
A Two-Spirit Journey is Ma-Nee Chacabyâs extraordinary account of her life as an Ojibwa-Cree lesbian. Chacabyâs story is one of enduring and ultimately overcoming the social, economic, and health legacies of colonialism.
