(literally translated as "one who is transformed") androgynous Was believed to be economically benefited by having a "nadleh" Among some groups, such as the Navajo, a family They were often considered to be hard workersĪnd artistically gifted, of great value to their extended familiesĪnd community. Two-spirit people were respected by native societies not onlyĭue to religious attitudes, but also because of practical concerns.īecause their gender roles involved a mixture of both masculineĪnd feminine traits, two-spirit persons could do both the work Were influenced by their own homophobic prejudices to distort Some European commentators,įrom early frontier explorers to modern anthropologists, also That report negative reactions are themselves suspect, and shouldīe evaluated critically in light of the preponderance of evidence Persons disrespectfully, by kidding them or discouraging childrenįrom taking on a two-spirit role. Sources suggest that a minority of societies treated two-spirit With over a thousand vastly differentĬultural and linguistic backgrounds, it is important not to overgeneraliseįor the indigenous peoples of North America. Most of the evidence for respectful two-spirit traditions isįocused on the native peoples of the Plains, the Great Lakes, Into one box, but to allow for the reality of diversity in gender The emphasis of Native Americans is not to force every person To those who completely cross-dress and act as the other gender. Males or masculine females, to androgynous or transgender persons, Gender status offers a range of possibilities, from slightly effeminate Status that is different from both men and women. Make themselves into "the opposite sex", it is moreĪccurate to understand them as individuals who take on a gender Instead of seeing two-spirit persons as transsexuals who try to Person's "spirit", or character, as being most important. Rather than the physical body, Native Americans emphasised a Have been noted among indigenous Americans from Alaska to Chile,Īndrogyny seems to be quite ancient among humans. Years ago, and since reports of highly respected androgynous persons The ancestors of Native Americans migrated from Siberia over 20,000 Of Siberia and many parts of Central and southeast Asia. Quite similar religious traditions existed among the native peoples Persons, often looked to them as religious leaders and teachers. Therefore, many Native American religions, rather than stigmatising such Than the typical masculine male or feminine female. Thus, they are honouredįor having two spirits, and are seen as more spiritually gifted Spirit of a man and the spirit of a woman. Transgender persons are seen as doubly blessed, having both the Since everything thatĮxists is thought to come from the spirit world, androgynous or Indian traditionalists, even today, tend to see a person's basicĬharacter as a reflection of their spirit. Many Native Americans focused on their spiritual gifts. Rather than emphasising the homosexuality of these persons, however, In Latin America and the English colonists in North America condemned The masculine females had feminine women as wives, the term berdache Because these androgynous males wereĬommonly married to a masculine man, or had sex with men, and To as "berdache" by early French explorers in NorthĪmerica, who adapted a Persian word "bardaj", meaningĪn intimate male friend. People, but in the past feminine males were sometimes referred To define such persons today is to refer to them as "two-spirit" Males and masculine females in high respect. Native Americans have often held intersex, androgynous people, feminine
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