Bay Area American Indian Two Spirits

Bay Area American Indians Two-Spirits (BAAITS) exists to restore and recover the role of Two-Spirit people within the American Indian/First Nations community by creating a forum for the spiritual, cultural and artistic expression of Two-Spirit people.

BAAITS produces the world’s only public two-spirit powwow. Our Third Annual Two Spirit Powwow last February was a great success, attracting over 1,200 Two Spirit and allied people from across North America. Two Spirit people filled key ceremonial leadership roles at the powwow, including MCs, Head Man & Woman Dancers, and Host Drum.

Every year so far, we have grown exponentially and exceeded our venue's capacity - from the 500 attendees who managed to fit into our 200-person room at the LGBT Center in our first year, to the Drums we squeezed together and the nonprofits and vendors we had to turn away this year due to lack of space.

Our BAAITS Powwow gives some of our Native community members their first or only exposure to a larger Two Spirit community or a Two Spirit organization. It is a place within Native culture where Two Spirit people are honored and included as part of the sacred hoop of life. It is an important community event, and an amazing opportunity for healing. This is why having a larger space for next year is so important: it will allow us to include as many people as possible.

In order to continue to grow and thrive, the BAAITS Powwow Committee needs to secure a larger venue to for our 4th Annual Powwow, which is scheduled for Saturday February 7, 2015. We need to raise the funds to commit to a bigger space now.

If we meet our fundraising goal, here's what you can expect for the 2015 4th Annual BAAITS Two Spirit Powwow:

-A bigger dance arena

-More space for Drum groups

-More community and elder seating

-A high-quality sound system so you can hear what's going on

-Changing rooms for dancers

-A private HIV testing space

-More space for vendors and nonprofit tables, and

-Shorter frybread lines!