Native America
Berdaches
Over 130 different Native American tribes had a special category of men who wore women's clothing, spent their time doing "women's work" such as basket weaving and pottery, and held a sacred, spiritual role in the tribe. Berdaches had sex with other men, and marriages between a berdache and another man were common. Sometimes in a polygamous marriage, a berdache became a secondary "wife" to a male who was already married to one or more women.
Berdache status was never forced on anyone. It was determined
by a person's character, social behavior, and occupational pursuits, and not
sexual attraction. Sometimes these men became berdaches because of dreams,
and sometimes as a result of rituals or tests.
Berdaches were revered as sacred, and even considered mystical. To have a berdache in one's family was a sign of luck and good fortune. They performed special roles in a variety of ceremonies and rituals. Berdaches were seen as half man and half woman, and performed as a mediator between men and women -- resolving conflicts, and serving as matchmakers. Berdaches were also believed to have mystical healing powers, and they were often taken into battle to care for the wounded.
With the arrival of Europeans in America, berdaches went into hiding. Their very lives were put in peril because they were viewed as "sodomites". Christian missionaries, in particular, encouraged their eradication. By the beginning of the 20th century, berdaches had almost been wiped out of existance.
The popular term "berdache" is a french colonial term used to describe these people. It is actually a misnomer because it refers to a male prostitute, which these men were not. The term also fails to grasp the sacred and spiritual dimensions these men held for a tribe. There were probably as many names for these people as there were tribes. Among the Sioux, these men were referred to as "winkte", and the Zuni called them "lhamana". This is another case of history being written through the cultural biases of the historians, and of a distinct culture being lost due to the prejudices of the invaders.
Pictured above: We'wha (1849-96), a Zuni berdache, lived in New Mexico. He is shown holding a ritual vessel, dressed in women's clothing.
"Among the Mohave of the American Southwest, such a boy (usually age ten) would be surrounded by members of the tribe, and a singer, hidden from sight, would perform particular songs. If the boy began to dance like a woman (meaning with great intensity), he assumed berdache status." -- Out of the Past, P. 33
Resources:
Books:
Out of the past : gay and lesbian history from 1869 to the present by Neil Miller,Vintage Books, 1995.
Changing Ones: Third and Fourth Genders in Native North America edited by Will Roscoe, St. Martin's Press, 2000.
Sex and Conquest: Gendered Violence, Political Order, and the European Conquest of the Americas by Richard C. Trexler, Cornell University Press, 1995.
The Spirit and the Flesh: Sexual Diversity in American Indian Culture by Walter L. Williams, Beacon Press, 1992.
Web Sites:
Two-spirit People Greatly Respected
Berdache: Male and Female Sharing the Same Body
The Two Spirit Tradition in Native American Experience
What is Q-spirit? - a page for a gay men's spirituality group