Examine the following documents and answer the questions below.
Document F: Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca
Spanish Conquistador Cabeza De Vaca explored Florida from 1528 – 1536. During his travels, he was captured by local Native Americans and chronicled his five-year stay with them. One aspect he described was that of the two-spirit people. Two-spirit Native Americans were people born male who identified as female (or those born female who identify as male).
“During the time that I was thus among these people I saw a devilish thing, and it is that I saw one man married to another, and these are impotent, effeminate men (amarionados) and they go about dressed as women, and do women’s tasks, and shoot with a bow, and carry great burdens, and they are huskier than the other men. And taller.”
Questions:
- What did Cabeza De Vaca think of the Two-Spirit people he observed?
- Why do you think Cabeza De Vaca thought the two-spirit people were “devilish”.
- What are some contradictions held within Cabeza De Vaca’s account?
Document G: Expanded Criminalisation of Homosexuality in Uganda: A Flawed Narrative
In 2004, the organization, Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), created an argument in defense of LGBT+ minorities. SMUG wanted to push back against anti-sodomy laws and turned to Uganda’s rich history of Pre-Colonial LGBT+ leaders and cultural traditions.
(While the document was written in 2004, the arguments and themes within are primarily based on Unit IV: colonialism)
Expanded Criminalisation of Homosexuality in Uganda: A Flawed Narrative
Questions:
- Why is SMUG against the proposed sodomy laws?
- Where does SMUG base most of their arguments?
- Should one’s cultural past say what modern laws are?