Rels

It seems that we can learn a great deal about tolerance and understanding through analyzing aboriginal society. Many anthropologists such as James Frazer take an ethnocentric approach when viewing tribal societies as barbaric and undeveloped,^[1] yet I believe that an important attribute of a developed society is a sense of acceptance towards others. Thus upon my examination of aboriginal society, it became apparent to me that aboriginal people had developed a strong sense of acceptance towards those who did not fit the patterns of a hetronormative society.

I did not understand the complexity of the term Two Spirit prior to reading this article. I had always assumed that Two Spirit meant a person who was only an intersex person. After reading I realized that Two Spirit was a highly inclusive term that could also include those who were homosexuals, or lesbians. I learned that Two Spirit was a term meant to describe aboriginal men, women, and intersex people who typically fulfilled three criteria: Firstly they engaged in work that was common to the opposite sex, secondly they may have partaken in religious roles such as healers, and lastly a majority of Two Spirit people would engage in relationships with members of their own sex.

I noticed a great discrepancy between how aboriginal society and western society approached those who experienced gender dysphoria. In the early 1970s and 1980s western society dealt with young boys who experienced gender dysphoria with the intention of preventing them from becoming homosexuals.^[2] If a boy had been seen playing with dolls parents would believe that something was wrong and that drastic measures (such as gender reassignment surgery) were required to save their child. North American children, who had gender roles forced upon them that they did not agree with, grew to resent their parents and in some unfortunate cases commit suicide.^[3] Aboriginal society allowed those who experienced gender dysphoria to be themselves without having parents and doctors make decisions based on how children should live. Native Americans utilized rituals to determine whether suspected children were two spirited (not conforming to a hetronormative form of gender). I believe that this is an ingenious practice because these rituals focus on observing a child while they are in an isolated environment. One such ritual involves a boy being placed in a brush enclosure and then required to choose between a hunting tool and a basket after the brush was set on fire. It is highly likely that setting fire to the brush was meant to force the boy to decide what he would leave with under the direst of circumstances. This situation forced upon the child would lead them to decide which item would be the most essential to their future, and thus cause the observers to see which gender the child was most comfortable with. A hunting tool would indicate that the child saw itself taking on male roles, and if the child picked a basket it would indicate they identified with the female role of gathering. The significance of these rituals is that they demonstrate a desire aboriginals held for aiding children in avoiding gender dysphoria. The rituals employed by aboriginal society also display a similarity between tribe practices and western notions in terms of having clearly defined hetronormative gender roles. A weakness that I have identified is the fact that rituals could in some cases be misinterpreted. If a boy plays with a basket momentarily but is a masculine person at his core, then a misinterpretation of his gender by a ritual could prove to be disastorous. Despite the similarity of clearly defined gender roles amongst western and aboriginal societies there is an overwhelming level of acceptance for those who are born third gender in indigenous tribes, this acceptance was not accomplished in western society until only recent decades.^[4] Aboriginal societies also questioned children about their dreams, and drew interpretations to determine if the child was third gender and should thus not be forced to occupy a gender role they are uncomfortable with.