Watch: Wal-aks and the culture in coming out as 2-Spirit

Wal-aks Keane Tait, who leads Nisga’a cultural dance groups, talks with Dustin McGladrey about his devotion to his culture, making things work, the piercings that honour his 2-spiritness and his identity as a 2-spirit Nisga'a person.

McGladrey also directs the short video. He is enrolled in the Indigenous Independent Digital Filmmaking program at Capilano University in Vancouver. McGladrey was an on-air personality at Windspeaker Radio North, CFWE-FM. He left Windspeaker Radio last August to pursue a career in film.

The Wal-aks video was made for his schooling.

“I wanted to tell a positive story something a youth could watch and something where there are some heroes living in our communities,” said McGladrey.

“It gives me much pride watching the film. Keane is my language teacher and dance leader, and learning from a 2-spirit human gives me the opportunity to learn from someone whose perspective isn’t coming from a completely western colonial worldview.”

They, Wal-aks Keane Tait, came out in 2004 and started identifying as 2-spirit around 2014/2015.