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Article: The 'berdache'/'two-spirit': a comparison of anthropological and native constructions of gendered identities among the Northern Athapaskans.
- Article from:
- Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute
- Article date:
- December 1, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Royal Anthropological Institute. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Introduction
This article argues that anthropologists have conceptualized gender variance among Native North Americans without paying sufficient attention to the ways in which indigenous practices 'construct members of a community "as" woman or "as" man (or member of other gender categories)' (Eckert & McConnell-Ginet 1992: 463). The article is divided into three parts. The first focuses on issues of definition and terminology in anthropological studies of Native North American gender identities. The second challenges recent claims that the status of 'berdache' existed, and continues to exist, among Northern Athapaskans. I argue that in identifying some Northern ...