#aboriginal cultures

[liskantope]

I just read the whole Chapter 2 of the book linked to in the OP (titled "The Eternal Boy", which includes some of the excerpts quoted in the OP but not the last ones) and would find it fascinating to read the whole book if I can find a time when I'm not mired in already simultaneously trying to read several works. It's really remarkable how the author's ideas about letting boys live as girls (and vice versa) match up with those of the modern transgender movement.

But. But but but. Here is yet another moment that runs me into one (of several) of my fundamental causes of skepticism of some ideas in the trans movement: the blurring between (semi-arbitrary, once strict, but nowadays very amorphous) gender roles and the Actual Essence of being a certain gender. In my more charitable moments, I imagine that there's something I'm just not equipped to understand here; in my less charitable moments, I feel that this betrays a deep confusion within the collective set of beliefs of the recent movement.

The early 20th century exhibited a dramatically different severity of and degree of enforcement of gender roles from anytime in the lifetimes of most of us here, particularly the past twenty or so years. As forward-thinking as she is on certain aspects of trans identities, note that the author (1) shows a (by today's standards) conservative set of beliefs about innate gender differences (which I don't entirely disagree with, and which also shows a great deal of nuance in acknowledging that there are exceptions everywhere), and (2) seems to follow by default the prevailing beliefs about how gender roles should be enforced (e.g. disciplining boys and girls differently, molding boys into men whose defining feature is agency and self-sufficiency) until she makes exceptions for particular boys if they show strong evidence of being exceptions, who are then thrown into the category of girl.

For her, boys are by nature tough, loud, rambunctious, and risk-taking by default, and the "boys who are really girls" (which are implied by others in this thread to map to trans girls/women) are essentially the ones who defy most or all of these stereotypes. The text implies that being timid, not wanting to get into fights, or crying easily each make a boy less of a boy. (Not to mention having longer eyelashes -- yes, this author seems to believe that the physical trait of long eyelashes is an outward sign of a girl's soul inside a boy's body!) My childhood self, which was gentle to an extreme, hated sports, preferred quiet imaginative play, and had a number of other traits (including the long eyelashes thing!) was, according to people who talk like this author, already halfway along the spectrum to being a girl in a male body. (I didn't go as far as wanting to be considered a girl or have a feminine name, although in earlier childhood I had some interest in wearing girl things like bracelets and necklaces and I do sometimes wonder, if an authority figure had offered me the opportunity to "live as a girl", whether I might have been inclined for half a moment to take them up on it.)

I've always found it offensive to my anti-gender-role sensibilities to suggest that non- traditionally masculine traits such as being gentle and nurturing or crying a lot make someone "less of a man" (and the analogous idea for women). And the thing is, the progressive subculture that seems to promote the "gender identity = affinity for gender role" definition of transness among other definitions seems completely with me on the above sentiment when very directly dealing with it -- in fact, if anything, in my experience many seem to take it perhaps further than I do (going an even longer way than I might in actively encouraging men to cry and be more vulnerable, for instance). The fact that this thread has generated a 5-digit number of notes on Tumblr, which I would assume are mostly from people eager to hold it up as an example of how current models of what transness is about were Objectively True a hundred years ago to those with keen enough perception to see it, is not evidence that this subculture secretly thinks that traditionally feminine traits make a boy less of a boy. Rather, I think the level of excitement about the OP betrays muddiness and unnoticed contradictions in how certain strains of a social movement are moving through rapid changes in the concept of gender identity.

"But you're clearly not reading what is plainly explained there: that the ultimate defining characteristic of the 'girl-boys' is that they want to live as girls." Here's the thing: their wanting to live as girls is presented as being a direct result of their completely failing to fit into the stereotypes that were strictly enforced for boys a hundred years ago. Of course it makes sense that in an environment with rigid gender roles (regardless of which ones came about through arbitrary traditions, actual innate gender differences-on-average, or somewhere else), some individuals would feel violently enough incompatible with these roles that they would prefer to live entirely as the opposite sex if it was a ticket out of those roles. (I imagine this was most likely fairly close to the case for the indigenous cultures always being brought up as having developed the concept of a certain kind of nonbinary gender, where gender roles if anything must have dictated even more about hour-to-hour behavior than they did in the early-20th-century developed world.) It makes less sense -- or at least is much trickier to explain in a coherent manner, to my mind -- for this phenomenon to be seen to justify the claims of progressives driving the modern trans movement which lives in a liberated society where enforcement of gender roles has (fortunately) been rapidly deteriorating thanks in part to those very same progressives.

I'm reading a book named "A Guide to The Correction of Young Gentlemen Or, The Successful Administration Of Physical Discipline To Males, By Females" - essentially, a fantasy femdom BDSM book, written in 1924 by Alice Kerr-Sutherland but first published in 1991.

It has some genuinely fascinating stuff to say about gender, and I feel like it's worth looking at/thinking about in the context of Historical Gender Stuff. This 100 year old book has the following to say:

"The truth is that some young gentlemen would rather they had been born young ladies: they cannot admit this openly, because in the male world to confess as much would lead to instant ostracism if not worse; but they cannot conceal it either, and by preferring the company of girls, and soft, feminine clothing, and by flinching during the rough pursuits to which all boys, willing or no, are occasionally heirs, they attract opprobrium."

"Such boys weep too readily for their fellows' tastes - weeping is a great crime among boys unless it is generally admitted that circumstances left little choice - and are hounded for that reason."

"Just as there are girls who had rather been boys - we all know examples of the type - there are boys who, in a kinder world, would have been born into the gender more suited to their dispositions."

"Many young people of this sort are riven with a guilt they do not deserve but have been forced, by the conventions of society, to adopt; they are confused, ashamed and thoroughly unhappy."

"The ideal thing to do would be to treat these cases on their merits, send them to girls' schools, and so on. (The same thing should happen with those girls who would rather be young gentlemen.) Boys of this sort are girls in any case-in all respects save one."

"Most subjects of this sort have a secret name - a girl's name."

[afriblaq]

[folkfashion]

Wiradjuri woman, Marley Morgan, Australia, by Trent White

[travelmanposts]

Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, Victoria, Australia: The Budj Bim Cultural Landscape is located in the traditional Country of the Gunditjmara Aboriginal people in south-eastern Australia. The three serial components of the property contain one of the world's most extensive and oldest aquaculture systems... Budj Bim, also known as Mount Eccles, is a dormant volcano near Macarthur in southwestern Victoria, Australia. It lies within the geologically-defined area known as the Newer Volcanics Province, which is the youngest volcanic area in Australia and stretches from western Victoria to south-eastern South Australia. Wikipedia

[newguineatribalart]

Aboriginal symbols used in carving and painting

[hasellia]

Okay apologies for hopping on tag trending train but I have an important request.

If you don't know about the history of Aboriginal genocide in Australia, watch this program.

It's a very very hard watch but one that is important.

If you're outside of Australia, make sure to set your VPN to Aus. You may also need to set an acount for SBS but it's free viewing.

I would also recomend most of SBS's docos through NITV, as they're the National Indigenous broadcast station.

A little update on the warnings before I forget. I'm a little pressed for time so this is from my DM's with someone I've shared with.

I just wanted to give a heads up that the show contains footage of a mourning ceremony (with the grievers's permission from what I remember). There is also a segment where stolen remains are returned to their families but there is no appearence of the remains themselves on screen. From what I can tell/remember these scenes are treated with care and gravitas but I don't think I can be the one to say whether they were treated appropriately. Anything on colonialism is a hard watch, but this doco particularly follows on the unglamourised brutality of the frontier wars as well the lack of recognition on the wars from the Australian government/military and from the wider Australian public. That's on me for not disclosing that properly in the post.

[bayofwolves]

i have to say, the fact that spirit animals borrowed multiple real-life dreamtime stories to use in stetriol's mythology but never once showed an aboriginal stetriolan character is just disrespectful.

[tredawakandan]

Decided to do a remake of AbTheLegend original post(1st pic) .. Us in America who descend from the indigenous people existing here Pre 👨🏻‍🦱 European arriving in mass/Colonization were talking amongst other groups and mixing with them as they arrived. This history is often hidden or ignored by mainstream. But luckily folks are starting to listen to them less and less😅. Hell the period of slavery also added some more of this as you may be aware of.Anyways these five main groups are Africans(North Africans,West&Central) , Pacific Islanders, South Americans , Black 👨🏿‍🦱Europeans and of course North Americans. Like other groups everywhere they mixed but what was important is they kept their identity/heritage. Something I amongst others is helping to revive. Me myself I call it the Through Line(See the reblog for more indepth use of what I made it mean) All being said hopefully you learned something 💯

[taylors-a-goblin]

I wrote this but my employers were too nervous about the swear words, so I published it myself :)

[bun-fish]

underrated movie, underrated queen. 7 y/o me had the biggest crush on her. (still do)

[flokali]

I knew Natlan would disappoint in terms of diversity but damn… this is so bad I can’t even lie (TT)

[blackbrownfamily]

[lottiestudying]

31.12.2023—almost New Year’s Day here in australia, so happy new year 🥳 thank u for all the love and support over the last 12 months, it’s been a crazy ride. some snaps from a museum we visited today.

[folkfashion]

Aboriginal Australian mother and child, Australia, by Trent White

[cartoonybus]

pnf revival hope: no more of this shit

[newguineatribalart]

Indigenous australian art by Billy Stockman Tjapaltjarri