‘Being Thunder’ Magazine: The Making of a Two-Spirit Indigenous Activist

Feeling at home in your body and identity isn't always easy, especially when the world has tried to erase you. While many Native American tribes embrace two-spirited souls, the indigenous term for people who embody both masculine and feminine qualities, the moving documentary “Being Thunder” shows that gender-broad people face just as much discrimination in indigenous communities than in other parts of society. Through the daily experiences of Sherente Harris, a precocious two-spirited teenager from the Narragansett Tribe of Rhode Island, "Being Thunder" follows the gradual blossoming of an emerging activist into a force of nature.

Directed by French filmmaker Stéphanie Lamorré, "Being Thunder" takes a respectfully intimate approach to documenting Sherente's journey, which they travel with a close-knit and supportive family. Taking an observational approach, the film rarely explains the customs and culture it captures so intimately, only touching on an outside perspective when Sherente is seen leading educational tours. Instead, viewers are told about sacred rituals and community gatherings, closely following Sherente's lived experience. Whether addressing the community or the interviewer behind the camera, Sherente is wise beyond his years, often dispensing incisive musings in poetic speeches.

"Being Thunder" opens with a family ritual, as members of the Sherente tribe burn herbs and pledge their support to Sherente as a Two-Spirit. Speaking with fierce conviction, their mother recounts the story of Sherente's birth, when they arrived face up, looking skyward. A passionate advocate for her Elder, she never misses an opportunity to remind her community that her ancestors revered and respected Two-Spirit people, something too many seem to have forgotten. The Narragansett tribe live in what is now Rhode Island, and she explains that, purely by geography, they were on the front lines of settlement. As the first to suffer the destruction and violence of settler colonialism, the indigenous tribes of the East are that much further removed from their history and traditions.

This is what Sherente faces when they dance with the girls at the annual regional powwows, a colorful competition of traditional costumes and dances. In a first scene, Sherente ranks third out of four dancers. Visibly disappointed, Sherente suspects it's just a consolation prize to mask the judges' biases. Although they never forbid them from competing, whispers that the tribal elders who run the powwows don't really want Sherente to compete. Never wavering in their resolve, they dance beautifully and with deep emotion, with traditional shawl regalia unfurling in a luminous array of feathers and flowing fabrics. If they didn't compete, the category would be much diminished.

"The most controversial act I've ever done in my life was being true to myself," Sherente announces at a supporters' meeting, in which a tribal elder expresses support as a two-spirited ally. Lamorré shoots this scene behind a metal fence and bleachers, the joyful cries of children playing in the background. At home, too, Sherente is always surrounded by younger siblings, the bustle of life teeming in a modest home. The young people admire Sherente and the elders testify.

Sherenté often makes her most incisive observations while putting on makeup, transported to deeper wisdom as she focuses on mixing dollops of foundation and lining her eyes. If it weren't for the rigid gender roles, they might not even wear makeup, they explain, but that's okay if they want to compete with the girls. They feel the same about the possibility of a medical transition, like surgery or hormones, recognizing the frustrating chasm between knowing each other so clearly and still wanting to be seen by the world.

As Sherente must constantly remind their tribe, Two-Spirit people have been around for generations. Embodying the spirit of connection to ancestors, they display a remarkable awareness of time and the changing seasons of life. "Being a teenager sure isn't easy," they say as they apply a generous base coat in the mirror. "And I know that in the future I will beg and wish I was fifteen again." As Sherente straddles the boundaries between masculine and feminine, they also bridge the gap between past and future: living in the beautiful in-between of the flamboyant present.

A Film Movement release, "Being Thunder" for...