Native American Women and Berdachism

Research into Native American Women and Berdachism:

A Review of the Literature

The purpose of this paper is to explore the lives and different roles of Native American women. In this paper we will discuss the term berdache, what it means and how it played an important role in the lives of Native American women. Furthermore we will be discussing an article by DRK, in titled A Native American Perspective on the Theory of Gender Continuum. This article will help us discover how berdachism seemed to blur the lines between male and female roles.

In the article by DRK, entitled A Native American Perspective on the Theory of Gender Continuum, (1) the author points out how Native Americans seem to recognize more then two genders categorizes. Unlike most Americans who only accept male and female gender categories, many different tribes could have as many as five different categories for gender roles. One such category was referred to as Two- Spirit; the Europeans later dubbed this Berdache. Quoted from Shadi Rahimi, “The term "Two-Spirit" refers to a belief among some tribes that there are people who manifest both masculine and feminine spiritual qualities.”(3) In further detail this category referred to a man or women that had the outer appearance of one sex, but felt like the opposite sex on the inside. An example of this would be a man who had genitals of a man but displayed behaviors of a woman. This term was also used to describe a child born with both genitals, clinically referred to as a Hermaphrodite. So how did this affect the traditional roles of a man or women? In order to answer this we must first understand the different roles.

What Are The Traditional Gender

Roles Within a Tribe?

Traditionally, women played the role of the mother/caretaker of the people. Their jobs included cooking, cleaning, tending to the children, gardening, beadwork, weaving, pottery and providing shelter for their families. In addition, some women could also earn enough status to participate in religious rituals or act as medicine women. According to the writings of The Wind River Rendezvous, (author unknown), “Women enjoyed a great deal more independence and security than the white women of that era.”(4) In most tribes women were viewed as a life-giving force to their future generations. They were often idolized and the inspiration of many songs and myths that were passed through generations. (4) However this was not understood by the European explorers of the day. Even today many people view Native American Women as powerless members of their tribes, mere slaves to their husbands in a male-dominate society.

The male’s role in a traditional tribe was quite different from that of the female. Men were seen as the protectors of the people. Men were the ones who bravely went into battle. They were also the hunters and spiritual leaders, who performed the rituals and ceremonies of the people. They were the brave and strong people among the tribe. So what happened if someone didn’t fit into one of these role categories?

When The Lines Between Male And Female

Roles Where Blurred, Where Did One Fit in?

In spite of these seemingly starkly different gender roles, there was a great deal of freedom allowed before assuming an adult gender role. If a child was born who didn’t seem to fit neatly into one of these two genders they were thought to have a special spiritual power to connect between the temporal and spirit world. This is where the term “Two-Sprit” comes from. When Europeans came over and started to force their influence onto the Native Americans they called Two-Spirit people “Berdache”. The Europeans then proceeded to remove all traces of berdachism from the Native American culture. This attempt by the Europeans was almost entirely successful. However, within the last three decades Native American gays and lesbians have been trying to rekindle this tradition. So who were the berdache people and what role did they play?

Who Were The Berdache And What Role Did

The Berdache Play Among A Tribe?

According to the Mohave creation story, “Ever since the world began, there have been transvestites, and from the beginning of the world, it was meant that there should be homosexuals. (Roscoe, ed. 39).”

Most berdache people were born as anatomically normal children that seem to fit (physically) into a typical role. However, as they were observed through puberty to see what behaviors they exhibited, they displayed emotional or personality traits more indicative of their opposite sex. Rather than being forced into a role for which they were unsuited, they were allowed the chance to explore their inclinations. Then later in a ceremony they were able to determine their paths.

It is also important to note that Native American people didn’t believe this to be a personal choice, rather one being guided by their spiritual guide. Once they determined their path, they were to assume their selected gender role’s responsibilities. In such if a man chose the path of a women, he was to begin dressing as such and performing jobs of a women. It should be noted that although not as well documented, there were women who chose the role of men in their society as well. As such they were also expected to fulfill that role’s demands.

A Review of an Article By DRK, Entitled:

A Native American Perspective On

The Theory Of Gender Continuum.

According to DRK’s article, these individuals could easily adapt to their new identity. They often were able to live normally within their society and even get married to what we today would view as a member of the same sex. Native Americans didn’t view these people as the same sex or in a bad way. These people were looked upon as prophets or as holy, and thus highly respected within their community. It’s sad to think that people today don’t except others that are different from the norm, as the Native American people did in their time. It only shows that we are regressing instead of progressing towards acceptance of differences between people in general.

Another interesting fact about the berdache is that work done by one in beading, weaving, pottery and other artwork is highly