Cloe McMichael Oral History Interview

McMichael talks about their experience growing up on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. This included wanting to be able to pursue both mens’ and womens’ roles, and trying to fulfill the role of the son their father never had. These experiences led them to identify as a two-spirit person, which allowed them to start to learn those roles. They had mentor figures of both their uncle and a fellow two-spirit person in their community, who helped them to accept and embrace their identity. They talked about their experience coming out, which included shaving their head and not initially being accepted by their mother. They shared that moving to Corvallis was a positive experience for them, as they felt they didn’t have to hide who they are anymore. For their object, they brought a muffler, which they described as initially being a sort of safety blanket for them, but they have now reclaimed it and proudly use it to express themself.

“Lilóocya (hello) everyone!” xạ́ xạac tiwat’áat (Grizzly Bear Medicine Woman), referred to as Cloe McMichael in the interview and summary, is from the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Mission, Oregon. They were born on the 27th of September 2001 in Walla Walla, Washington but were raised and reside on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. They are a 4th year double degree student studying history and ethnic studies with a minor in Indigenous Studies. They also work at the Kaku-Ixt Mana Ina Haws, which is the Native American and Pacific Islander cultural center on the Oregon State University Corvallis campus. Some of their hobbies include practicing their traditional way of life as an Indigenous person, learning about the history of Indigenous peoples throughout North America, and learning about how the structures of today’s world interact with the people who live within them. At the time of the interview, they identified as a two-Spirit and a non-binary woman.

This interview was conducted in support of interviewer Jozie Billings' honors thesis project titled, "Beyond the Binary: Multimodal Oral Histories of Navigating Gender and Finding Identity from Gender-Diverse and Cisgender Students." More information about that project is available in the finding aid for the OSU Queer Archives Oral History Collection (OH 34).