Changing OnesChanging Ones
Third and Fourth Genders in Native North America
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Book, 1998
Current format, Book, 1998, 1st ed, No Longer Available.Book, 1998
Current format, Book, 1998, 1st ed, No Longer Available. Offered in 0 more formatsIn many Native American tribal societies, it was not uncommon for some men to live as women and some women to live as men. In this land, the original America, men who wore women’s clothes and did women’s work became artists, ambassadors, and religious leaders, and women sometimes became warriors, hunters and even chiefs. Same-sex marriages flourished. Berdaches—individuals who combine male and female social roles with traits unique to their status as a third gender—have been documented in more than 150 North American tribes. By looking at this aspect of non-Western culture, Roscoe challenges the basis of the dualistic way most Americans think about sexuality, and shakes the foundation of the way we understand and define gender.
Describes the role of the berdache, a previously overlooked aspect of Native American life. Occurring in over 150 tribes in pre- Colombian North America, the berdache were individuals who embodied both genders and combined male and female social roles with traits unique to their status as a third gender. The author draws on the historical record and examines berdache lifestyles among the Crow, Navajo, the Cheyenne, and many others. He looks at female warriors and chiefs, explores the mythological background of shamans and berdaches, develops a theory of gender diversity, and looks at the implications of all these for contemporary homosexuals in the Native American community. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
Documenting the wide-spread but little-known practice of gender shifting in Native American tribes, the author of Living the Spirit explores the acceptance of homosexuality and gender variance in indigenous cultures and challenges the dualistic view of sexuality and gender in America today.
Changing Ones reveals how queer people in Native societies have been acknowledged, honored, and attributed with unique skills. Roscoe argues that these traditions can inform and enrich our lives today.
Changing Ones reveals how queer people in Native societies have been acknowledged, honored, and attributed with unique skills. Roscoe argues that these traditions can inform and enrich our lives today.
Documents alternative genders in Native American cultures and explores the contributions to tribal society made by the berdaches--men and women who chose to live as members of the opposite sex
Describes the role of the berdache, a previously overlooked aspect of Native American life. Occurring in over 150 tribes in pre- Colombian North America, the berdache were individuals who embodied both genders and combined male and female social roles with traits unique to their status as a third gender. The author draws on the historical record and examines berdache lifestyles among the Crow, Navajo, the Cheyenne, and many others. He looks at female warriors and chiefs, explores the mythological background of shamans and berdaches, develops a theory of gender diversity, and looks at the implications of all these for contemporary homosexuals in the Native American community. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
Documenting the wide-spread but little-known practice of gender shifting in Native American tribes, the author of Living the Spirit explores the acceptance of homosexuality and gender variance in indigenous cultures and challenges the dualistic view of sexuality and gender in America today.
Changing Ones reveals how queer people in Native societies have been acknowledged, honored, and attributed with unique skills. Roscoe argues that these traditions can inform and enrich our lives today.
Changing Ones reveals how queer people in Native societies have been acknowledged, honored, and attributed with unique skills. Roscoe argues that these traditions can inform and enrich our lives today.
Documents alternative genders in Native American cultures and explores the contributions to tribal society made by the berdaches--men and women who chose to live as members of the opposite sex
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- New York : St. Martin's Press, 1998.
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