Welcome!
ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਕਾ ਖਾਲਸਾ! ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਕੀ ਫ਼ਤਹਿ!
ਸਤਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ
ਜੀ ਆਇਆਂ ਨੂੰ!
Sakhis as Stories in Sikh Traditions
In Sikh traditions, a “sakhi” (ਸਾਖੀ) is a story. It can tell us about our histories, how events unfolded, and how people once lived.
Usually, when Sikhs talk about sakhis, they mean stories about the Sikh Gurus and lessons we can learn from their collective lives. But sakhis are also about more than re-telling events. Sakhis gives those listening and reading an opportunity to join a conversation that may seem far away or too difficult to understand.
What can you find here?
Through this Project, we draw on Sikh traditions to share sakhis of LGBTQIA+ Sikhs.
We want to bring together the different life histories of LGBTQIA+ Sikhs to produce a social history of LGBTQIA+ Sikhs’ lives in the United States. We want to create a space for LGBTQIA+ Sikhs to reflect upon and narrate their lived experiences in their own words.
Through this Project, we hope to understand the many ways LGBTQIA+ Sikhs make sense of themselves and how this may have changed throughout their lives. In oral history interviews with LGBTQIA+ Sikhs, each individual decides the direction of the conversation and what matters to them in their life histories. You narrate your sakhi.
We are currently paused and not doing new interviews. In the meantime, you can listen and read about our lives, or read some existing resources on supporting LGBTQIA+ Sikhs. We invite you to explore the website as a resource and learn about:
Spotlight on Resources
For many Sikhs, kirtan has been a way to connect with their Sikhi and the Guru. The team compiled a playlist of kirtan that is open to all.
Kaur Life also created a “Kaur Kirtan” page that includes kirtan done by Kaurs around the globe.
