Straddling Boundaries, Rebuilding Relations: Queer Indigenous Governance in Blackfoot Territory.

This article investigates the intersection of queerness and Indigeneity within Niitsítapi (Blackfoot) territory, focusing on the experiences of Niitsítapi women and 2SLGBTQI+ members who engage in queering gender justice through traditional governance, kinship, and spirituality. It highlights how Niitsítapi resurgence efforts—including revitalizing sacred societies (Kana'kaaatsiiks), repatriating sacred bundles (amopístaanistsi), and maintaining the Sundance (Aakokatssin)—confront colonial and heteropatriarchal structures embedded within Indigenous political systems. The article critiques pan-Indigenous and settler-colonial appropriations of Two-Spirit identities that risk erasing cultural specificity and relational accountability, advocating instead for a queer-Indigenous-feminist praxis grounded in Niitsítapi boundary practices and consent-based relationality. Through community-engaged research and re-storying traditional Blackfoot narratives, it foregrounds rematriation as a transformative project reclaiming women’s and 2SLGBTQI+ authority within Niitsítapi governance, offering new pathways for inclusive, ethical Indigenous resurgence.