"I’m a story-teller. My stories are influenced by stories told to me by my grandma. Now I create new stories.”

Ma-Nee Chacaby is a Two-Spirit Ojibwe-Cree writer, artist, storyteller, activist, and elder from Canada. Her incredible memoir A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography of a Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder, recounts her life, illuminates her struggles, pain, and the way she thrived and paved the way for others.

Ma-Nee Chacaby is a mentor, supporter, and fierce advocate for Two-Spirit communities across the country. She lives in Thunder Bay, where she mentors individuals and groups including Wiindo Debwe Moesewin and Not One More Death, both organizations that tirelessly ensure safety for all people in the area. Chacaby shares Anishinaabe teachings and stories, and continuously supports access to ceremonies for 2SLGBTQ+ Indigenous peoples.

Her work includes one-on-one healing, mask making, opening & closing ceremonies, drum-making workshops, and bundle ceremonies that help you on your personal journey and self-work.

Ma-Nee has faced many hardships in her life, but her Cree grandmother's spiritual and cultural traditions as well as her newfound healings and art give her strength.

Her beloved kokum (Cree word for grandmother) knew the path she would lead. She said:

"When you grow up, you will be an educator for our people. You will help others. You will be a healer.”

Ma-Nee is all this and more! It was her grandmother too that saw the two spirits in Ma-Nee. For Ma-Nee to be Two-Spirit means she carries both a male and a female spirit inside.

In 2013, she led the first gay pride parade in Thunder Bay, and on December 6th, 2021, she received the Community Hero Award at the City of Thunder Bay's annual Mayor's Community Safety Awards!

To learn more about Ma-Nee Chacaby and the meanings of Two-Spirit identities watch her video with OurStories eTextbook: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juzpocOX5ik

Let us all take the time to recognize and acknowledge Ma-Nee Chacaby's work, life, and the gifts she shares with the world. Celebrate her in honor of Pride Month and National Indigenous History Month but more importantly every month! Her book is available on Amazon and University of Manitoba Press.