Shawnee

Shawnee Lynn Talbot uses her songs to advocate for queer, Indigenous, youth, and mental health issues.  She is an Indigenous Canadian singer who identifies as Two Spirit, meaning that she is fluid with her gender and sexuality.  Two Spirit people were once celebrated in Indigenous communities before European settlers colonized North America. Since the Indigenous culture relied heavily on oral teachings, many were lost when they were forced to conform to European ideologies. Since then, however, many queer Indigenous people are trying to rediscover their history and reclaim the term into their culture.  Shawnee grew up in the Niagara region, and moved to Toronto to pursue her music career.  As a pre-teen she got a job as a Shania Twain impersonator.  Since, she has developed her voice and her activism. She speaks up on social issues by creating songs that speak to young people and members of the LGBTQ community.  She uses her talents to speak up against social and cultural issues like youth mental health, self-identity and Indigenous representation.  Shawnee visited us at Crestwood on November 19, 2019, as part our Towards Reconciliation Symposium; after her performance, she sat down with Crestwood students to complete this interview.