Indigenous drag performers
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Indigenous drag performers are those who may incorporate aspects of their Indigenous and/or tribal identity into their drag performances. In the United States and Canada such performers may also be considered Indigiqueer and/or Two-Spirit.
Overview
Some Indigenous drag performers see imbuing their creative work with Indigenous aesthetics, values, and themes as an act of resistance and resurgence. Through costume, makeup, design, and even naming the Indigenous drag performers break away from colonial norms and resist erasure. In this way, art and fashion can be seen as pathways to Indigenous reclamation and empowerment. The aesthetic expression that is present in drag performances can be seen as a strategy for cultural survival and resistance, which engages each individual artist in truth-telling, amplifies resilience, and promotes reconciliation. This idea of Indigenous drag being an act of artistry can be seen through interactions such as the one Jayelene Tyme and Xana had on Canada's Drag Race. During the interaction Xana, who was dealing with the struggles of feeling disconnected from her community and Indigenity expressed these emotions. Upon her expression, Tyme gifted her a Métis sash. Tyme stating, "I'm reminded how important it is for us to create spaces where people can feel safe, to share how they feel."
Indigenous drag events
File:Landa Lakes.jpg drag queen, at Ducal Coronation 2008.]]
In 2017, the Miss First Nation drag competition, open to performers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identity, was established in Darwin, Australia. In 2023, the first Miss First Nation Supreme Queen was held in Sydney.
Notable Indigenous drag performers
File:Chelazon Leroux at RuPaul's DragCon LA 2024 (cropped).jpg
- Chelazon Leroux (he/she/they) is a Two-Spirit Canadian drag performer from the Buffalo River Dene Nation. As an attempt to be a "bridge between two worlds," Leroux incorporates Indigenous culture in her drag to educate others about Indigeneity, and to give representation/be a role model for young, queer Indigenous people.
- Kaos (she/her/they/them in drag, he/him/they out of drag) is a Two-Spirit Canadian drag performer who is Métis.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}
- Anita Landback (she/her/they/them) competed as a contestant on Canada’s Drag Race Season 4, inspired by both Chelazon Leroux and Kaos. She created her name from the Land Back Movement that pushes to establish Indigenous sovereignty, to recognize treaty rights, and Indigenous language. Anita’s main goal in her performances is to educate people about Indigenous culture and Sovereignty, creating representation for Indigenous people in queer spaces. This work in queer spaces stems from her role as a well acquainted nurse practitioner where she educates schools of nursing and medicine about how to care for Indigenous people and to talk about anti-racism.
- Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, a Canadian drag performer of Cree ancestry
- Carla Rossi, a Two-Spirit American drag performer based in Portland, Oregon, and a citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.
- Jaylene Tyme (she/her) competed on the fifth season of Canada’s Drag Race. Tyme is registered with the Zagime Anishinabek Nation and identifies as a transgender, Two-Spirit person. As a sixties scoop survivor with twenty five years of sobriety, she also works tirelessly to combat homophobia and transphobia, and fights for equity and access in health care services. Tyme works as a research coordinator for the Community-Based Research center program.
- Ilona Verley, a Two-Spirit Canadian drag performer who is Nlaka'pamux; she competed on the first season of Canada’s Drag Race
- The Virgo Queen is a Canadian Afro-Indigenous drag performer from Toronto, Canada.
- VIZIN, an American drag performer and member of the Arikara tribe