RENEE HAWLEY (SHE/HER/REZBIAN)
AANIIIH NATION (GROS VENTRE)
Grass dancer, Mr. Montana Two-Spirit
Hays, Montana, Fort Belknap Reservation
In 2025, during the 61st annual Milk River Indian Days, I’m going to be the women’s head flag bearer — and to me, that is major, because in my 57 years, I’ve never seen a woman in men’s regalia in charge of a big powwow like that. I started to grass dance when I was just a little girl. My parents even made me a couple of outfits. And then puberty set in, and my breasts started showing, so adults said, “You don’t belong here. What are you doing?” I would get bullied by other kids. So, at age 12, I couldn’t do it anymore. Instead of feeling like I belonged in the circle, I felt ostracized — I felt anxiety, I felt fear, I felt shame. It’s just recently I went back to the circle in full grass dance regalia.
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This article appeared in the January 2025 print edition of the magazine with the headline “#IAMTHEWEST.”
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