cp24.com

Shawnee Lynne Talbot is one of many young native people reclaiming the term '2-Spirited,' used for a person that bears both male and female traits. (CP24/Saira Peesker)

Musician Shawnee Lynne Talbot has come a long way from her days as a pre-teen Shania Twain impersonator, performing her hero's hits for Niagara Region crowds at the tender age of 11 or 12.

Now 21, the velvety-voiced Talbot has moved to Toronto to pursue her career. She is writing her own songs, performing in venues around town and even secured a gig at Pride - one of the city's biggest festivals.

But those changes are just part of a larger rebirth for the singer, who has embarked on a personal journey as well.

As a queer member of the Six Nations first nation, Talbot is reclaiming an aspect of her culture that went by the wayside after colonization.

Talbot has determined she is 2-Spirited, a native term indicating she possesses wisdom from both male and female sides of the gender spectrum. The term was lost in many communities over time, but is being reclaimed by a segment of queer native people.

"It used to be a quality that was looked up to and respected," Talbot said, speaking with CP24.com at an east-end café. "Before things changed in Canada, 2-Spirited people were looked up to as artists and community leaders."

The culture's reliance on oral history means many old teachings were lost when native children were sent to residential schools, notes Talbot's girlfriend Joanna Johnson, a teacher who is schooling herself in the history of 2-Spirited people.

Talbot came out to her family two years ago and says it's been an interesting experience trying to educate her own parents on what she is learning about their history.

"They're still learning," she said. "It's a work in progress."

She described her parents in favourable terms, but says not all queer natives have been so lucky.

"I've heard horror stories of people being thrown off their reserves," say Talbot, shaking her dark, shaggy hair slowly from side to side. "I've only met a few people who respect it as a gift, like what it used to be."

Fortunately, Talbot has been able to seek out other 2-Spirited people using the Internet. She has also used her period of discovery for creative ends, delving deep into songwriting, honing her sound, and pinpointing exactly who she wants to be as an artist.

"I want to make sure I'm in it for the right reasons," says the one-time Twain lookalike, who's had both good and bad experiences when dealing with the business side of music.

"I'm always changing, and my career has been always changing. These days, writing original songs makes it all feel new again."

Shawnee-Lynne Talbot performs at Pride's Free Zone on Saturday at 5 p.m.