Third Gender in Society: Indian Hijras and North American Two Spirit People

Running head: THIRD GENDER IN SOCIETY
THIRD GENDER IN SOCIETY
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1THIRD GENDER IN SOCIETY
The aim of this essay is to discuss the identity and position of the third gender in the
society. This essay is completely based on the identity crisis of the third gender and will be
focusing on the conditions of these individuals with special features irrespective of countries.
The exploitation and ignorance for these individuals are seen to be same in the north America as
well as India. They undergo several crises for which the mainstream social thinking and
understanding or consideration of gender are responsible (Devine, Savage & Scott, 2005, p. 172).
Very few societies in this world have really taken care of these people considering them a gifted
part of the society and respect their two-way thinking capabilities and unusual talents. In both the
cases of the North American Two Spirit People and the Indian Hijras are considered to function
in the systems of multiple gender and seen to be different from the mainstream which has
increased their vulnerabilities in the recent times.
Thesis statement: the situation of the Indian Hijras and North American Two Spirit People has
no difference and all face the same ignorance and oppression from the society.
Third gender or the third sex is the concept based on which the individuals of the human
society are categorized. The word third is actually understood to consider other gender beyond
man or woman. According to the biological perspective, the human chromosome may have
uncommon variations in the sexual dimorphism which create a degree of ambiguity leading to be
known as intersex. From the very beginning of the building of human societies, these people
were present in the communities and considered to be special having uncommon qualities to
either create good or bad for the humanity. The Hijra is a term given to the intersex people,
transgender or eunuchs in the south Asian countries. They associate themselves as Kinnar, the
mythological beings with excellent talents of singing and dancing. The Two Spirit People are the
indigenous North Americans who fulfill the ceremonial role of the third gender in the

2THIRD GENDER IN SOCIETY
communities (Jacobs, Thomas & Lang, 2013, p. 103). There are some very ignorable differences
among hoards of similarities among these to communities separated by the huge distance of land.
Both the Indian Hijras and the North American Two Spirit People play a very important
role in the religious life of their respective societies. However, this is much more emphasized in
the case of Indian Hijras. In earlier times, the Hijras are legitimated by their devotion to the
mother Goddess, particularly the ‘Bahuchara Mata’- the goddess who is considered to be the
direct patron of the Indian Hijras as a symbol of sacrifice, mutilation and purity (Nanda, 2015, p.
373). There are several myths regarding the dual gender of lord Shiva and the female
personification of Krishna- the gods with whom the Indian Hijras identify with. Devoting to
Goddess, emasculation and asceticism, the Hijras gain a special prestige and power. It helps
them to curse or to bless such type of spiritual roles at the time of celebrations like weddings and
child births and the Indian society do respects that to a great extent. On the other hand, North
American Two Spirit People perform several rituals and spiritual roles. The North American
Two Spirit People are valued for their significant contributions to the tribes, notwithstanding of
their gender attributed that they exhibit (Chaudhary & Shukla, 2017, p. 39). They too, gain
prestige by means of performing important spiritual role. They are also very strongly connected
with the supernatural experiences such as their dreams and visions. It is believed that they give
medicines to every problems of real life as they are directly connected to goddess and the spirits.
Hence, most of the common public respect and fear them but it is to note that the prestige and
power of the Hijras in this regard seems to be of much greater.
As mentioned before, both the Indian Hijras and North American Two Spirit People are
the most burdened and exploited sections of the human society (Connell, R. (2017, p. 36). In the
Muslim rule in India the Hijras were appointed to be the watchdog of the harem where the