Two-Spirit Pride Flag (Patrick Hunter)

Overview

To mark the 35th anniversary of the term 'Two-Spirit' with an officially commissioned flag designed by an Indigenous artist, rooted in Indigenous artistic traditions rather than Western pride flag visual language. ^[1][2]

The International Day of Pink commissioned Anishinaabe artist Patrick Hunter to design a Two-Spirit pride flag for the 35th anniversary of the term 'Two-Spirit.' The flag was unveiled at a ceremony at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg on November 19, 2024. The event included a panel of Two-Spirit community members (Feather Talia, Wesley Flett, Vida Lamour, Elder Charlotte Nolin, Brielle Beardy-Linklater, and Patrick Hunter) and the premiere of the short documentary Re-Emergence, featuring Two-Spirit activists, community members, and Elders. ^[1]

Identity & Context

Represented Identity

Two-Spirit

Subcommunity

Indigenous North American LGBTQ people who hold culturally specific gender/social roles

Movement

Two-Spirit visibility, Indigenous Queer pride, Day of Pink anti-bullying awareness

Diaspora Context

North American Indigenous communities, both within and across national borders

Language Context

The English term 'Two-Spirit' was proposed by Elder Myra Laramee (Fisher River Cree) in 1990 at the Third Annual Intertribal Native American/First Nations Gay and Lesbian American Conference in Winnipeg. It comes from the Anishinaabemowin term 'niizh manidoowag.' The sun element in Hunter's flag is named by its Anishinaabemowin word 'giizis.' ^[1][2]

Religious Context

Two-Spirit identity is rooted in specific Indigenous spiritual and ceremonial traditions. The eagle feathers in the flag carry spiritual significance in many Indigenous Nations.

Racial / Ethnic Context

Exclusively Indigenous North American identity. The flag was unveiled alongside Two-Spirit Elders, activists, and community members including Elder Charlotte Nolin and Brielle Beardy-Linklater (Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation). ^[1]

National Context

Pan-Indigenous identity. The unveiling event featured panelists from multiple Nations and backgrounds.

The flag was deliberately unveiled in Winnipeg, the birthplace of the term 'Two-Spirit.' Elder Charlotte Nolin shared her personal story of the term's adoption: 'When the term was coined here in Manitoba, I was sitting in the sweat lodge at the University of B.C. That's when I was told who I was.' ^[1]

Creators

The Creator

Patrick Hunter

Designer

Anishinaabe artist working in the Woodland art tradition, a distinct style of Indigenous art popularized in the late 1960s by Norval Morrisseau. Woodland art typically depicts people, plants, animals, and spirit through bold distinct shapes, strong lines, and an internal rather than exterior view of subjects. Hunter was commissioned by the International Day of Pink to design a Two-Spirit pride flag for the 35th anniversary of the term 'Two-Spirit.' The flag was unveiled at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg on November 19, 2024. Hunter has partnered with RBC, BMO, STAPLES Canada, and Redwood Classics Apparel, and served as Artist-in-Residence for the Prince's Trust Canada. He is a member of the Canadian Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. ^[1][2][3]

The sun, he kind of provides us with everything else that we need in this life. ^[1]

The earliest artwork that we see out on pictographs, out in the world are dots and circles, and I just thought what a throwback to seven generations ago. ^[1]

We walk Turtle Island with these two perspectives at all times, and if they are in harmony, we can achieve anything. ^[2]

Science tells us that we're all made from star stuff, as old as the universe. ^[2]

We're here to add our own verse to the cosmic poem. ^[2]

Motivations

• To create a flag that connects Two-Spirit identity to ancient Indigenous artistic traditions and cosmology ^[1][2]
• To honor the 35th anniversary of the term 'Two-Spirit' with a design rooted in Anishinaabe visual language ^[1]

Stated inspirations

• Ancient Indigenous pictograph art, dots and circles found on rock faces across Turtle Island^[1]
• The sun (giizis) as provider of life and illumination^[1][2]
• The concept of walking with two perspectives (masculine and feminine) in harmony^[2]

Broader influences

• Woodland art tradition and its stylized organic forms^[1]

Attribution notes

Patrick Hunter is an Anishinaabe artist whose work is influenced by Woodland art traditions. He was commissioned by the International Day of Pink non-profit to design the flag for the 35th anniversary celebration of the term 'Two-Spirit.' Hunter has spoken publicly about the design's symbolism, citing pictograph art, the sun (giizis), and the interconnectedness of all beings as core inspirations. ^[1][2]

Origin

Region / state

Manitoba

City

Winnipeg

Specific Place

Canadian Museum of Human Rights

Place Type

museum

Digital Origin

false

Created in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on Treaty 1 territory, the traditional homeland of the Anishinaabe, Ininew (Cree), and Dakota peoples, and within the National Homeland of the Red River Metis. ^[4][5]

Indigenous land context

Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) — Treaty 1 territory, traditional homeland. Winnipeg is located within Treaty 1 Territory, signed August 3, 1871 at Lower Fort Garry. The Anishinaabe are among the primary Indigenous peoples of this territory. ^[4][5]

Ininew (Cree) — Treaty 1 territory, traditional homeland. The Swampy Cree (Ininew) were co-signatories to Treaty 1. The name "Winnipeg" derives from the Cree words for muddy water, referring to Lake Winnipeg. ^[4][5]

Dakota — traditional homeland ^[4]

Colonial / settler context

This flag was unveiled at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, a state institution on Treaty 1 territory. Two-Spirit visual culture exists in structural tension with the settler-colonial institutions that frame and archive it. ^[4][5]

Land status

Treaty territory (Treaty 1, 1871; first of the Numbered Treaties)

Indigenous engagement

Indigenous-authored

Continuing presence

Anishinaabe, Ininew (Cree), and Dakota communities present; National Homeland of the Red River Metis

Unveiled at a Two-Spirit celebration hosted by the International Day of Pink at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg, on November 19, 2024. The choice of Winnipeg is significant, it is the city where Elder Myra Laramee introduced the term 'Two-Spirit' in 1990. ^[1]

Human Interest

Coming home to Winnipeg

The flag was unveiled at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights in Winnipeg, the city where the term 'Two-Spirit' was proposed by Elder Myra Laramee at the Third Annual Intertribal Native American/First Nations Gay and Lesbian American Conference in 1990 as a replacement for the colonial term 'berdache.' Thirty-four years later, at the 2024 unveiling, Elder Charlotte Nolin recalled the moment the term reached her: 'When the term was coined here in Manitoba, I was sitting in the sweat lodge at the University of B.C. That's when I was told who I was.' The unveiling's location was chosen to mark the city's role in that naming. ^[1]

Dates & Chronology

Year Created

2024

Exact date

November 19, 2024

First public use

November 19, 2024

Period in Use

2024–present

The flag was launched alongside a Two-Spirit curriculum guide with free learning materials and lesson plans for educators and students, produced by the Day of Pink organization. The annual International Day of Pink is held on April 9th. As of early 2025, the flag's adoption beyond the Day of Pink organization is still emerging. ^[1]

This is the first Two-Spirit pride flag formally commissioned by a national organization and unveiled at a dedicated ceremony. Previous Two-Spirit flags (the 2005 Zoccole design, 2Sanon's 2016 Tumblr submission, and sirieko's 2021 Twitter design) emerged through grassroots channels. ^[1]

Lineage

Indirect influences

Two-Spirit Pride Flag (2005, Zoccole), Two-Spirit Pride Flag (2Sanon)

Related flags

Indigiqueer Pride Flag (cedar-maw), Two-Spirit Nonbinary Pride Flag (2Sanon), Two-Spirit Pride Flag (2021, sirieko)

Part of the Two-Spirit flag family but departs from all prior designs in visual approach. Where Zoccole (2005) and 2Sanon (2016) placed Indigenous symbols on a rainbow base, and sirieko (2021) used an independent color palette alongside rainbow-adjacent colors, Hunter's design is built from Woodland art traditions with no rainbow or Western pride-flag elements. It is the first commissioned Two-Spirit flag and the first by a named, publicly identified Indigenous artist. Its relationship to the earlier flags is thematic (shared Two-Spirit visibility) rather than visual. ^[1][2]

Colors & Symbolism

The flag connects Two-Spirit identity to Anishinaabe cosmology and artistic tradition. Hunter built the design from Anishinaabe visual vocabulary (eagle feathers, the sun, and pictograph-inspired dots) rather than from rainbow-stripe or Western pride-flag elements. ^[1][2]

This flag has no official digital palette. Color values shown are approximate.

Two stylized eagle feathers

Represent the balance and harmony of masculine and feminine energies within Two-Spirit individuals. Hunter stated: 'We walk Turtle Island with these two perspectives at all times, and if they are in harmony, we can achieve anything.' ^[1][2]

Giizis (the sun)

The sun on which the feathers rest represents the boundless nature of spirit and the provider of life. Hunter said: 'The sun, he kind of provides us with everything else that we need in this life.' ^[1][2]

Rainbow of dots

Circles reflecting the spectrum of visible light and celebrating ancient Indigenous pictograph traditions. Hunter described them as 'a throwback to seven generations ago,' connecting the flag to the oldest known Indigenous art forms. The dots also add 'movement and magic' to the design. ^[1][2]

Hunter's stated symbolism connects Two-Spirit identity to stars, the sun, and longer timescales than contemporary identity-category vocabulary. His statement 'Science tells us that we're all made from star stuff, as old as the universe' and 'We're here to add our own verse to the cosmic poem' position Two-Spirit identity within that wider frame. ^[2]

Colors extracted from the flag image. The six dot bands follow a rainbow progression from red (top) to purple (bottom). The same rainbow hues appear as eye-shaped accents within the feather vanes. Exact hex values are approximations, no official palette has been published by the artist or Day of Pink.

Design

Aspect Ratio

3:5 · standard

Orientation

horizontal

Layout

symbolic composition

Center Symbol

Two stylized eagle feathers inside a circle (giizis/sun), rendered in Woodland art style with black linework

Additional Symbols

Six horizontal bands of rainbow-colored dots (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple) separated by flowing black formlines, Eye-shaped color accents within the feathers in rainbow hues

The design uses a white field with bold black Woodland-style formlines throughout. The composition is horizontally oriented with the central feather-and-sun motif flanked by six horizontal bands of dots in rainbow progression (red at top, purple at bottom). The flowing black lines separating the dot bands have an organic, wave-like quality characteristic of Woodland art. The dots vary in size within each band.

The flag was created by Patrick Hunter as a finished Woodland art composition. The central circle (giizis) contains two large eagle feathers rendered with detailed vane structure in black linework. Each feather contains eye-shaped color accents in rainbow hues (blue, green, yellow, red, purple, gold). A small circle appears at the base of the feathers between the two quills. ^[1]

A white field with bold black Woodland-style linework. At center, two large stylized eagle feathers hang inside a circle representing giizis (the sun). The feathers are rendered with detailed vane patterns and contain eye-shaped accents in rainbow colors. Flanking the central motif, six horizontal bands of dots progress through the rainbow spectrum (red at top, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple at bottom), separated by flowing black formlines. The dots vary in size, with larger dots toward the edges and smaller ones near center, evoking ancient Indigenous pictograph art. The overall effect is a pride flag built entirely from Anishinaabe Woodland art vocabulary rather than the stripe-based format of Western pride flags.

Usage & Adoption

First Users

International Day of Pink (commissioned the flag) ^[1]

Organizations

International Day of Pink ^[1]

Geographic Usage

Canada

Online Usage

Day of Pink website (dayofpink.org/twospiritflag) ^[2]

Event Usage

Unveiling ceremony at the Canadian Museum of Human Rights, Winnipeg, November 19, 2024 ^[1], International Day of Pink 2025 (April 9, 2025), flag launched ahead of this annual event ^[1]

Current Status

active

As of early 2025, this flag is newly launched and its adoption is emerging. Unlike 2Sanon's 2016 design, which spread organically through social media and commercial reproduction, Hunter's flag was introduced through an institutional channel with educational materials. Whether it achieves widespread community adoption alongside or in place of the 2Sanon design remains to be seen. ^[1]

Image Archive

Public unveiling of the 2024 Hunter Two-Spirit flag

Discourse & Debates

• Indigenous pride flags are underrepresented in mainstream pride flag databases. Of the major English-language flag reference sources, only the LGBTQIA+ Wiki and Flags of the World (FOTW) include Indigenous flag entries, and typically only one design, without context for the broader lineage of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer flags. This gap is notable given that Two-Spirit flags have existed since at least 2005, predating many flags that are routinely cataloged, suggesting that archival omission reflects curatorial blind spots rather than a lack of material.
• Whether a newly commissioned flag can achieve the grassroots legitimacy of the organically adopted 2Sanon (2016) design
• The relationship between institutional commissioning and community ownership of identity symbols

Common confusions

• May be confused with the 2Sanon (2016) Two-Spirit flag, which remains the most widely circulated version
• The 'first Two-Spirit pride flag' framing in some coverage is inaccurate, Art Zoccole created the earliest known Two-Spirit flag in 2005, and the 2Sanon design dates to 2016

Footnotes & Citations

Image Sources

Rendering

two-spirit-2024-hunter

• Patrick Hunter (Ojibwe, Red Lake First Nation) unveils his Two-Spirit pride flag design on the International Day of Pink, 2024. · Credit: Patrick Hunter / Day of Pink · Day of Pink unveiling event, 2024
• Two-Spirit pride flag by Anishinaabe artist Patrick Hunter unveiled at the Re-Emergence launch event, Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Winnipeg, Manitoba, November 19, 2024. The event marked the 35th anniversary of the term "Two-Spirit." · Credit: Cierra Bettens / APTN · APTN News