Michael Pourier (she/they) was born on October 20, 1967 in Pine Ridge Agency, South Dakota. Her name is Wawakanomani, which means everything she walks on is holy, and their “earthly name” is Michael Pourier. Her mother was Oglala Lakota – Blue Horse was her maiden name – and Michael’s father was half Oglala Lakota and French. Michael grew up with 5 brothers and 6 sisters. As their father was Catholic, she learned to pray every night, which started her spiritual journey. Michael’s father ran a small business, which kept the family more financially well-off than many others in the surrounding community.
Both their father and mother struggled with alcohol abuse for a period, and Michael’s father would hit them. Further, Michael’s brother would physically and spiritually abuse her, criticizing her for wanting to play with dolls and express femininity, trying to kill the little girl inside her. The beating got severe enough once that Michael had to be hospitalized for a fractured skull and concussion. Michael also experienced a halt in puberty, so their voice did not lower alongside their peers with male bodies. At school, they were relentlessly bullied and called the f-slur. Michael felt hopelessly alone and struggled with suicidal ideation throughout their pre-teen years.
Michael’s parents had an estranged relationship with her grandparents, so Michael started sneaking to her Grandma Olivia and Grandpa Holbert’s home in secret and told them about the bullying she endured at school. Her grandma told them about the two-spirited world and encouraged her to pray to the Creator. During this time, Michael started exploring her spirituality more and came to terms with her two-spirit identity as a male warrior who is the protector of her female energy, all of which are holy.
Through their young adulthood, Michael continued to face multiple violent hate crimes and even sexual abuse from a spiritual leader. Despite the years of pain and mistreatment, Michael continues to embrace her two-spirit identity and shares it proudly to inspire others. In 1998, she started doing the two-spirit sacred dance, and became one of the first to perform it in over 200 years. During our interview, Michael candidly shares about important people who have accompanied her through particularly challenging patches in her life, how her spirituality supported her through her cancer diagnosis and treatment, and the historical and cultural significance of two-spirit identities.
