This is the first entry for Native Nations: Cultures and Histories of Native North America by Nancy Bonvillain. Primarily, the Preface outlines the structure of the book. Bonvillain states in Chapter 1 that the book describes aboriginal and “traditional” cultures; I assume “traditional” is in quotation marks so as to play off of European influences that intruded North America.
Egalitarian ethics underlay relations amongst Native Americans. One thing that always made me appreciate Native American relations was the fact that this egalitarian ethic wasn’t exclusive to just the workplace or whatnot, but all encompassing, including gender, sexual activity, and marital relations. It’s pretty telling that rape and beatings are so prevalent in western culture when they’re virtually non-existent among Native Americans. Europeans imposed inequality when they invaded North America, and this is solely due to the Christian notion of sin, in that Eve was the first to eat the apple.
Another under-appreciated aspect of Native American society, which ties into egalitarianism, is the concept of the third gender category – “two-spirits”. What struck me as accepting thought is the notion that this need not specifically be a biological classification, but that one could become a two-spirit by way of spiritual calling or just mere personal inclination. If only westernized culture were so accepting! Sure, there still appear to be distinctions among genders, but Native Americans seemingly embrace all of them as opposed to excluding one or another. Also, I thought that the concept of dreaming to give assurance to assume the third gender is really a very personal thing – regardless of external influence or pressures. And since dreams carry messages of spirit powers to Native Americans, dreams are very important to intuit and pay close attention to.
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