Mindi Lynn Thunder: finding her place in the circle

Born in Green Bay, Wisconsin to Menominee parents, Mindi spent her earliest years off the reservation before her family returned to the reservation when she started kindergarten. Ever since, Neopit has been the anchor of her life.  few years ago, she established her own home there, raising her daughter on the same soil that shaped her own upbringing.

As the youngest of four children, Mindi grew up navigating the stark realities of rural reservation life. She speaks with candor about the hardships she witnessed as a child: cycles of poverty, addiction, and codependency that left lasting emotional imprints on her community. Growing up in a secluded, small-town environment exposed her to the quieter fractures within her own community, including colorism -- where lighter- and darker-skinned relatives were treated differently -- and the rigid closed-mindedness that can take root in isolated places.

Yet woven directly through those struggles was an extraordinary cultural inheritance. Raised in a deeply traditional family, Mindi attended public school through second grade before transitioning to the tribal school from third through eighth grade. She was placed directly in the care of fluent Menominee language speakers and cultural keepers. While countless Indigenous youth of her generation grew up severed from their heritage, Mindi learned the ancestral language, participated in traditional ceremonies, and harvested wild rice on the lakes. 

It was not until she grew older and met peers from other communities (including friends who attended off-reservation boarding schools like those in North Dakota) that she realized how rare and magical her upbringing truly was. Having direct access to elders, ceremonies, and her mother tongue gave her an unshakable foundation for a healthy and whole life.

Navigating self-discovery as a young person in northern Wisconsin during the late 1990s and early 2000s came with its own quiet obstacles. Mainstream television and music culture offered no reflections of Native youth or queer Indigenous people. On school playgrounds, words like "gay" were routinely tossed around as casual insults.

Inside Mindi’s family, however, love was the rule. She grew up with a lesbian aunt who was both openly out and openly accepted. Seeing this unconditional acceptance was important for Mindi. No matter who she was, she knew she would be safe with her family.

Through high school, Mindi’s friends were always crazy for boys – but she had no real interest in having a boyfriend of her own.

“I felt like I was supposed to like boys,” said Mindi, “but I just really wasn’t into them.”

By her early 20s, Mindi began recognizing her attraction to women. For a time, she felt the familiar social pressure to “pick a side” -- to define herself strictly one way or the other -- before eventually embracing her bisexuality on her own terms. 

When she finally shared her truth with her family, there was no dramatic confrontation or fear of rejection. Their response was warm and unbothered.

“They said, ‘we’ve known this all along, we were just waiting for you to figure it out,” said Mindi.

In August 2026, she began working at Menomini yoU, the tribe’s dedicated language revitalization campus in Keshena. Stepping onto that campus meant stepping up another level in her journey of self-discovery. Learning the Menominee language is far more than memorizing vocabulary; it is an immersion into an entire ancestral way of living.

“I am extremely grateful for the daily work at MenominiYou because it is opening up my eyes even more to the beauty that our home has,” said Mindi. “Visiting different places throughout the land and learning the history. Knowing that our ancestors fought for us gives me strength to continue to do this work for future generations.”

As she researches her family tree, traces her clan lineage, and uncovers the origins of her traditional name, she is simultaneously learning how her ancestors understood gender and community roles long before colonization imposed Western binaries.

Historically, Two Spirit relatives held vital, respected places within Indigenous nations precisely because they carried and balanced both masculine and feminine energies, stepping fluidly into whatever roles their families and communities needed. Uncovering that history has allowed Mindi to see her place in the world as a continuation of an ancient, honored tradition.

At the same time, Mindi is fiercely protective of Indigenous cultural boundaries. Through community trainings and lived experience, she has grappled with the painful reality of non-Native people claiming Two Spirit identity or replicating sacred Native medicines and regalia. She recognizes the important distinction between cultural appropriation -- when outsiders take or claim sacred traditions that do not belong to them -- and cultural appreciation, such as respectfully purchasing beadwork or art directly from Native creators and showing up as genuine allies.

“To me, authentic allyship is sitting at tables and having the difficult conversations in places that we usually wouldn't be at,” said Mindi. “It means taking the hits on the front lines to make a better tomorrow. It means being respectful not to cross boundaries and never claim something you are not.”

Mindi’s commitment to her community extends far beyond the classroom. Inspired by close friends and mentors (including Patrick Firgens, Leslie Doxtator, and Jim LaRock,) she has helped organize pride celebrations in the local community, and played an instrumental role in bringing Wisconsin’s first-ever Two Spirit Pow Wow to life at the Woodland Bowl in Menominee.

More than a thousand people gathered for the historic event. Unlike traditional Pow Wows centered around high-stakes dance competitions, the Two Spirit Pow Wow was intentionally laid-back, joyful, and deeply affirming. Attendees of all backgrounds danced, shared their chosen pronouns openly, and experienced a rare sense of collective belonging.

One of Mindi’s favorite memories from the day happened during the grand entry honor song recognizing elder Joseph Torres, his family, and the TwoSpirit community. Looking up into the crowd, Mindi noticed several non-Native LGBTQ allies hanging back in the bleachers out of respect for the sacred space. Wanting them to feel welcomed rather than excluded, she ran straight to the announcer’s stand to make sure the rest of the LGBTQ community knew they were welcomed onto the grounds.