individuals who were born male but wore women's clothing and performed everyday household work and artistic handiwork which were regarded as belonging to the feminine sphere. Among the Plains Cree people, two-spirit individuals were regarded as "esteemed persons with special spiritual powers" and were "noted shamans". They are known as (ᐃᔩᐦᑫᐧᐤ; ). It was likely that they were able to marry cisgender men, though David G. Mandelbaum reported in 1940 that an iyîhkwêw named Clawed Woman had remained unmarried her entire life. The Nakoda people refer to two-spirit people as (), or also as (). They carried out only women's work and would marry men. This two-spirit status thus allowed for marriages between two biological males to be performed among these peoples. In the Blackfoot language, two-spirit people are known as (ᖳᖶᖷᖽ; ). Marriage statistics 2,485 same-sex couples married in Alberta from 2005 to 2014. The 2016 Canadian census showed that there were 6,110 same-sex couples living in Alberta. Religious performance In July 2019, the synod of the Anglican Church of Canada passed a resolution known as "A Word to the Church", allowing its dioceses to choose whether to perform same-sex marriages. A few days after the vote, Bishop Jane Alexander of the Anglican Diocese of Edmonton issued a pastoral letter authorising clergy in the diocese to officiate at same-sex marriages. The measure includes a freedom of conscience clause for clergy opposed to performing the marriages. The Anglican Diocese of Calgary does not perform same-sex marriages. In October 2017, the diocesan synod voted with a 57.4% majority to request Bishop Greg Kerr-Wilson to permit parishes to bless civil same-sex marriages. The Diocese of Athabasca, encompassing northern Alberta, likewise does not perform same-sex marriages. Public opinion An EKOS/CBC poll in 2002 indicated that attitudes towards same-sex marriage were more supportive in Alberta than they were in the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, both of which had recognized same-sex marriage earlier. A June 2003 survey by Ipsos-Reid, conducted a few weeks after same-sex marriage was legalized in Ontario, showed that 57% of Albertans opposed same-sex marriage, while 41% supported it. Opposition was higher among older people (77%) than middle-aged people (60%) and younger people (41%), higher among men (63%) than women (51%), and higher among people living in rural areas (65%) than people living in urban areas (45%). An Ipsos-Reid poll conducted in August 2005 showed that 56% of Albertans remained opposed