Includes bibliographical references and index.

Indian blood : two-spirit return in the face of colonial haunting -- Two-spirit cultural dissolution : HIV and healing among mixed-race American Indians -- Historical and intergenerational trauma and radical love -- Gender and racial discrimination against mixed-race American Indian two-spirits -- Mixed-race identity, cognitive dissonance, and public health -- Sexual violence and transformative ancestor spirits -- Stress coping in urban Indian kinship networks -- Two-spirit return : intergenerational healing and cultural leadership among mixed-race American Indians.

"The first book to examine the correlation between mixed-race identity and HIV/AIDS among Native American gay men and transgendered people, Indian Blood provides an analysis of the emerging and often contested LGBTQ 'two-spirit' identification as it relates to public health and mixed-race identity. Prior to contact with European settlers, most Native American tribes held their two-spirit members in high esteem, even considering them spiritually advanced. However, after contact--and religious conversion--attitudes changed and social and cultural support networks were ruptured. This discrimination led to a breakdown in traditional values, beliefs, and practices, which in turn pushed many two-spirit members to participate in high-risk behaviors. The result is a disproportionate number of two-spirit members who currently test positive for HIV. Using surveys, focus groups, and community discussions to examine the experiences of HIV-positive members of San Francisco's two-spirit community, Indian Blood provides an innovative approach to understanding how colonization continues to affect American Indian communities and opens a series of crucial dialogues in the fields of Native American studies, public health, queer studies, and critical mixed-race studies"--Provided by publisher.

Description based on print version record.