Gender Roles In Native American Tribes By Kulliyati Chahar Kitab

The “Kulliyati Chahar Kitab” is a book which is used in muhajirin schools to teach classic Islamic values. Within it discusses how men and women are called equally to maintain control of their nafs, however in another portion it states that women have less ‘aql than men, and thus are associated with nafs. While men are believed to be able to grow their ‘aql through study of the Qur’an, women are believed to lose their ‘aql after marriage as they reach their sexual awakening, and thus required to control their nafs in order to avoid men becoming distracted, as their religious duties come first. Without their ‘aql, women are considered to be sexually insatiable, and associated with concepts such as faithlessness, immodesty, and anger, all believed

This information came from Evelyn Blackwood’s “Sexuality and Gender in Certain Native American Tribes: The Case of Cross-Gender Females”, in which she explained and analyzed how gender roles were perceived, along with the concept of cross-gender that existed within the Western Native American culture. There existed multiple tribes within the western United States, including the Kasha, the Klamath, and the Mohave. Within these tribes there developed a role that a woman could perform, that of a cross-gender female. Berdache, as they were called, were individuals who forewent their biological “gender” to pursue the roles of the opposing. This role could be acquired through multiple ways, both predestined and thrust upon. In the Mohave, they valued dreams highly, and believed them to be signs, so it was said that if you dreamed of being cross-gendered, then it was meant to be, and your tribe and family would back this decision. However, in the Kasha, it could be the case that a female showed interest in male roles, then they would become a berdache. Potentially, a family could have all females for children, in which the parents would pick on to take on the role of the berdache. The berdache would partake in hunting, trapping and building, just as the men. In this way, the gender identity of a person was based on their role

At this time, they would be given the status of unmarriageable. However, in the Mohave, there existed a ceremony in which the berdache would be given a male name along with clearance to search for a wife. This ceremony would also inform the community that the berdache was in all ways but physical, a man. As an adult berdache, they would perform all the roles of a man, including male roles in rituals. Along with the rituals, the berdache would adhere to the traditional taboos associated with their wife’s menstruation.

Looking at women in their entirety, they were very much equals. Both genders had equal say in decision making regarding the collective, and both could achieve leadership roles. While the genders had their separated roles, neither was greater than the other, as all roles were of equal importance. Going further, it was acceptable for either gender to help with the other’s work without being considered a berdache. With this, there did not exist any form of gender