PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

The Berdache were Indian men, mostly of the Plain Indians, who took the gender role of Indian women in the community.  Both men and women accepted the Berdache as if they were women.  Their counterpart, "the manly hearted women," took the gender role of men.  They would hunt game or enter wars alongside fellow men.  The significance of both the Berdache and the "warrior women" is that it showed FLUIDITY IN GENDER ROLES.  Genger roles FOR BOTH SEXES ARE NOT RIGID in a sense that ANDROGYNY provides a greater contribution to the community.  If a Native American male had to follow a rigid plan for what it is to be a male instead of following what he is better at doing, such as pottery or housework (a woman's role), he would be a waste towards the community's advancement and development.