About Spirit Root Medicine People
Before colonization, being Two Spirit/QTBIPOC was a sacred and essential role in many Indigenous communities. Systems of colonization committed genocide on Two Spirit communities. Two Spirit roles that were depended-upon in daily Indigenous community life were destroyed, and remnants that remained were/are criminalized and ostracized. Two Spirits held the sacred roles of being the stewards of ceremonial, genealogical and healing knowledges. In Indigenous culture, these knowledges are the foundations of a balanced healthy life for all beings. When these roles were eradicated, Two Spirit people went into hiding and survival mode. This continues today and it looks like isolation, severe mental illness, addiction, denial, transphobia/homophobia, suicide, but, also, experienced through a deep longing to reclaim the sacred role of being part of the sacred ceremonies, reconnecting with genealogical ties and healing from the genocide brought on by colonization. Our circles serve to meet this longing, reclamation & healing.
SRMP is a Healing Justice project that continued from Oyate Tupu’anga Project (OT), a Two Spirit, Pacific Islander, and other Indigenous LGBTQI support group. OT was a recipient of Alameda County Behavioral Health’s Innovations Grants Round Three, 1-year funding and it was created by former SRMP co-facilitator Loa Niumeitolu and co-facilitated by Ruth Villesenor, then Chair of Bay Area American Indian Two Spirits (BAAITS) and founding member of the first Two Spirit Powwow on Turtle Island, along with Niumeitolu. Although the grant ended in 2016, Alameda County contacted Niumeitolu in 2019 to continue offering workshops for Two Spirit/LGBTQ relatives. These circles were continued and new co-facilitator, Ceremonialist and Two Spirit Lifeways Steward, Kuya'karanuta'ni Gonzalez joined and Spirit Root Medicine People was founded that same year (2019).
In present day 2025, Spirit Root Medicine People plays an important role by “holding the form” and rooting deep into our collective Indigenous Ancestral ways. Our offerings support the community in learning how to take care of themselves and their families with natural medicines, traditional practices and beloved community. These things remind the people where they come from, that they are sacred, powerful and beautiful. It gives folks the tools, strength and confidence to rise up against the Empires of the world that are destroying the planet and attempting to inflict genocide among those who are the most vulnerable yet the most connected to the ways of the earth. With each offering we make, we empower our community to heal, grow and rise, until inner & outer liberation for all is finally achieved!