mihdeke

Mandan

Alternative forms
  • mihdäckä

Etymology

From mihe (“woman”) (alternative orthography: mih-ha); numank (“man”).

Noun

mihdeke

  1. a male-bodied "two-spirit" person who typically held ceremonial rights and bundles associated with women

See also

References
  • Will Roscoe Living the Spirit
  • Sabine Lang, Men as Women, Women as Men: [among] the Mandan, [...] fathers typically sold such [ceremonial] bundles to "berdache" sons. [... ...] Mandan fathers used to thrash their sons on account of the latter's feminine inclinations [...]
  • Will and Spinden, The Mandans: A Study of Their Culture, Archaeology and Language
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