Berdache

Berdache (from French, from Arabic bardajo) is a generic term used for a third gender (woman-living-man) among many, if not most, Native American tribes.

They were often viewed as having two spirits. Their dress was usually mixture of male and female articles. They had distinct roles in their tribes. here was one ceremony during the Sun Dance that was performed only by a berdache.

The term is often considered to be a pejorative term by many.

Each tribe obviously had their own term for it. The Navajo word is Winkte.

See The Spirit and the Flesh: Sexual Diversity in American Indian Culture by Walter L. Williams http://www.ifge.org/books/spirit_and_flesh.htm