This seminar class will address the American Indians' tribal
understandings and view points on gender and sexuality identities,
cultural obligations, duties and roles.  At the beginning of the
semester, the creation stories (or tribal folklores) of a couple of
tribes will be used to explore the Native cultural constructions of
human beings, maleness, femaleness, hermaphroditism, boy, girl,
woman and man's identities.  The English-language based gender terms
such as man and woman will be clarified and explicitly dichotomized
from sex, sexual and sexuality, for a better understanding of the
difference between Native gender and sexuality.  Native narrative
readings will be the topical discussions within the seminar.
Multiple tribal rites of passages of different personhood (boy, man,
girl, woman, and so forth) will be elucidated.  Western (European-
American) concepts of heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality
and "tri-sexuality" will be covered using both Western and
Indigenous theories.  Toward the end of the semester, the class will
address the changed American Indian gender roles of man, woman
and "other" due to the ever-present acculturation and assimilation
of indigenous cultures.