Changing Ones: Third and Fourth Genders in Native North America

by Will Roscoe

The term 'berdache' is a little-known, rarely discussed reference to Native American individuals who embodied both genders - what some might classify as 'the third sex.' Berdaches were known to combine male and female social roles with traits unique to their status as a third gender, defying and redefining traditional notions of gender-specific behavior. In Changing Ones , William Roscoe opens up and explores the world of berdaches, revealing meaningful differences between Native American culture and contemporary North American culture. Roscoe reveals that rather than being ostracized or forced into obscurity, berdaches were embraced by some 150 tribes, serving as artists, medicine people, religious experts, and tribal leaders. Indeed, Roscoe points out, berdaches sometimes even occupied a holy status within the tribal community. Roscoe begins with case studies of male and female berdaches, blending biography and ethnohistory, and he builds toward theoretical insights into the nature of gender diversity in North America. What results is highly engaging, readable, and illuminating. Changing Ones combines the fields of anthropology, sociology, queer theory, gay and lesbian studies, and gender studies to challenge conventional schools of thought and to expand every reader's horizons.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Queer, Native American, Gender, LGBT, Anthropology

332 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Rem · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the very first book I had ever read on anything regarding so called 'berdaches', two-spirit people or any kind of third and fourth gender study. I really appreciated all the notes as well as the extensive bibliography at the end, and I am curious to know if there is an updated version, as this book is nearly 20 years old now. I found one possible typo on page 44 "Religion and religious beliefs 'were' should say 'are' a pervasive aspect of Navajo life," if I am not mistaken.

"In truth, the ground American society occupies once may have been the queerest continent on the planet. The original peoples of North America, whose principles are just as ancient as those of Judeo-Christian culture, saw no threat in homosexuality or gender variance. Indeed, they believed individuals with these traits made unique contributions to their communities... 'We don't waste people the way white society does. Every person has their gift.'... In this "strange country," people who were different in terms of gender identity or sexuality were respected, integrated, and sometimes revered." pg. 4

"Furthermore, the ambiguous space of the border zone, native and European concepts of gender and sexuality coexisted as well as clashed. The legacy for Euro-Americans has been the way in which North American multiple genders influenced the formation of modern concepts of homosexuality and heterosexuality. For native people, the legacy is a darker one, for the greater part of it has entailed their conquest, decimation, dispossession, and colonization. But along the way, the representatives of gender diversity were among those who took strong stands on behalf of their tribes, who sought and found creative strategies by which their people could survive. Their lives challenge the assumption that natives and their cultures have disappeared or been assimilated [obviously, many tribes have and are extinct, but Native Americans as well as those who identify as two-spirit are alive and well today.]
The evidence of multiple genders in North America offers support for the theory of social constructionism...As we will see, native beliefs about gender and sexuality were avowedly constructionist, acknowledging the malleability of human desire and destiny. At the same time, North American multiple genders emerge as roles with great historical depth and continuity, with parallels in societies worldwide." pp. 4-5

"This first part of the book concludes with an account of contemporary gay and lesbian natives, who have adopted the term "two-spirits" to reflect the non-Western roots of their identities, and their efforts to revive alternative gender traditions." pg. 6

"Alternative gender roles were among the most widely shared features of North American societies. Male berdaches have been documented in over 155 tribes. In a third of these groups, a formal status existed for females who undertook a man's lifestyle, becoming hunters, warriors, and chiefs. They were sometimes referred to with the same term for male berdaches and sometimes with a distinct term--making them, therefore, a fourth gender. (Thus, "third gender" generally refers to male berdaches and sometimes male and female berdaches, while "fourth gender" always refers to female berdaches.)" pg. 7

"Although there are important variations in berdache roles, which will be discussed below, they share a core set of traits that justifies comparing them: Specialized work roles, gender difference, spiritual sanction, and same-sex relations. The most visible marker of berdache gender status was some form of cross-dressing, although this occurred much less consistently than is usually assumed...Berdaches are also frequently attributed with spiritual powers. This was especially common in tribes, such as those of the Plains, with a vision complex, in which visions or dreams were considered life-defining and believed to convey power. Such beliefs not only justified alternative gender identities, they endowed those identities with special prestige...In tribes with a vision complex, supernatural intervention was sometimes credited with determining berdache status, but a close reading of ethnographic and historic reports reveals that in many cases childhood cross-gender interests and skills preceded visions, which merely served to confirm alternative gender identity." pp. 8-9

"In California, third/fourth gender individuals often had ceremonial roles relating to death and burial." pg. 16

"Perhaps the most important distinction in this book is between the terms "sex" and "gender." As used here, "Sex" specifically refers to anatomical or biological sex, while "gender" refers to culturally constructed social roles and identities in which sex is one defining element whose importance (and definition) varies...In recent years, calls have been made to replace berdache with "two-spirit"..."Berdache," they argued, is a term "that has its origins in Western thought and languages."...In its place they were encouraged to use tribally specific terms for multiple genders or the term "two-spirit." Two-spirit was also identified as the preferred label of contemporary gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender natives." pg. 17

"When the sun dance was revived in 1941, after a lapse of sixty-five years, the role [of bote] was not included. But individuals identified as bote have been a part of Crow life in the generations since Osh-Tisch. Today they are likely to identify as "gay" or "two-spirit."...they are not alone in recovering aspects of historical roles. In the end, the efforts of the agents of assimilation failed. The struggles of Osh-Tisch...was not in vain." pg. 38

"Most nadleehi formed relationships with members of their own sex, although some male nadleehi married women...If there were no nadle, the country would change. They are responsible for all the wealth in the country. If there were no more left, the horses, sheep, and Navajo would all go...A nadle around the Hogan will bring good luck and riches. You must respect the nadle. They are, somehow, sacred and holy." pg. 43

"Religion and religious beliefs were a pervasive aspect of Navajo life. Central to Navajo belief is the idea that everything in the world is connected by a kind of spiritual electricity. The condition of balance and harmony within this network of energy is called hozho...hozho refers to the positive or ideal environment. It is beauty, harmony, good, happiness, and everything that is positive, and it refers to an environment that is all inclusive." pg. 44

"Originally, he [Begochídíín] was a trickster figure with power over game and animals and hunters. As such, he was pansexual, and many of the stories about him are quite bawdy...He represents a form of sexuality that require an other--m.......n. Combining (or alternating between) male and female, he epitomizes the potential of a complete lack of self-autonomy and lack of differentiation." pp. 58-59

"Band-level, unstratified social organization appears to favor the presence of female berdache roles, perhaps because, as anthropologists often find, women have more autonomy in hunting-gathering societies." pg. 91

"The tribes with well-known berdache roles share two other general characteristics. None of them were full time horticultural communities...another commonality is the presence of a vision complex. Supernatural intervention was often credited with influencing women to become warriors and hunters." pg. 92

"We believe there exists the spirits of both man and woman within. We look at ourselves as being very gifted. The Creator created very special beings when he created two-spirited people. He gave certain individuals two spirits. We're a special people, and that's been denied since contact with Europeans...What the heterosexuals achieve in marriage, we achieve within ourselves." pg. 109

"Assessing what novelist Gerard Vizenor refers to as "survivance," the capacity of North Americans, against overwhelming odds, to pass on ideas, symbols, identities, and cultural forms from one generation to the next." pg. 167

"History is not an armchair pursuit when it provides the models and language for gay and lesbian natives to open dialogues about homophobia and (re)claim a place in their communities." pg. 198

[Aliessia Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this book for my History of Sex in the Americas class and I quite enjoyed learning about third and fourth gender individuals. The one thing that I will say about this book is that Roscoe consistently uses the term "berdache" throughout the book despite that term no longer being accepted and derogatory in nature. He tries to explain why he uses it and I understand that this is an older book, but the correct term, two-spirit, was adopted in 1990 at the national native conference which was before this book came out. So, for me, it kind of took away from the book.

[Bart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Changing Ones thoroughly documents third and fourth genders roles - community, war, labor, clothing, artistic, religious, sexual, etc. - present in native North America pre- and early contact with European imperialists. Will Roscoe, also, looks at how this contact altered tribes perceptions of gender and present day two-spirited folks. The book was very interesting to me at these parts. The second half Roscoe goes all Foucault and Butler on the audience. Also, Roscoe includes a pretty boring rebuttal to criticisms of another book by the author.

[Anna]

When reading outside my discipline for leisure, I give myself permission to skip anything titled "Towards a Theory of ___" so I admit I just read the first half.

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting stuff. It would do America's rednecks good to learn about the philiosophical sophistication of the Native Americans. Noble savage fetish aside, there is plenty to admire in the societies of pre-Colonial America.

[Sara G · Rating 4 out of 5]

This feels pretty dated but it still seems like a good intro to the topic.