| Changing Ones: Third and Fourth Genders in Native North America Contributor(s): Roscoe, William (Author) |
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ISBN: 0312224796 ISBN-13: 9780312224790 Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan OUR PRICE: $85.49 Product Type: Paperback Published: June 2000 Annotation: In 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. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Social Science | Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies - Social Science | Gender Studies - Social Science | Anthropology - General |
| Dewey: 305.308 |
| Physical Information: 0.82" H x 5.97" W x 9.09" (1.09 lbs) 320 pages |
| Themes: - Ethnic Orientation - Native American - Sex & Gender - Gay - Sex & Gender - Lesbian |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: 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. |
