Winkte
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Winkte is an old Lakota word, "Winyanktehca," that has been contracted through long use. Its meaning is 'two-souls-person,' or more directly, 'to be as a woman' and applies to male-bodied individuals. It generally refers to someone who is transgender (i.e., male-bodied humans who do not conform to the ordinary man's gender role). The winkte are not despised. To the contrary they are considered to be people with special spiritual and other talents that fulfill some needs of the community that other people could not fill.
See also: Two-Spirit, List of transgender-related topics
NB: Some people are spelling the word 'winkte' others 'wintke'
External links
- www.gender.org.uk/conf/trilogy/winkte.htm
- Directions in Gender Research in American Indian Societies: Two Spirits and Other Categories by Beatrice Medicine (http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~culture/medicine.htm)