nádleehi

Nádleehi is a social and, at times, ceremonial role in Diné (Navajo) culture – an "effeminate male" or "male-bodied person with a feminine nature". However, the nádleehi gender role is also fluid and cannot be simply described in terms of rigid gender binaries. Some Diné people recognize four general places on the gender spectrum: feminine woman, masculine woman, feminine man, and masculine man. Nádleehi may express their gender differently from day to day, or during different periods over their lifetimes, fulfilling roles in community and ceremony traditionally held by either women or men. At times, some may hold positions that can only be held by people who are near the middle of the gender spectrum. Contemporary nádleehi may or may not participate in the modern, pan-Indian two-spirit or LGBT communities. Notable people who were recognized by their communities as nádleehi are traditional weaver and ceremonial singer Hosteen Klah (1867–1937) and Fred Martinez, who was murdered at the age of 16 in June 2001.

== History == In Navajo society, where gender was understood in various ways than a simple male-female distinction, is where the Nadleehi role had started. The ability for Nadleehi individuals to transition between traditionally male and female activities was seen as normal in Navajo culture. As weavers, medicine people, and ritual leaders, Nádleehi people frequently had important spiritual roles. It was valuable to their communities due to their awareness of both masculine and feminine perspectives. An example is Hosteen Klah, a renowned healer and weaver whose Nádleehi status allowed him to combine his imaginative weaving skills with knowledge of ceremonies of faith. The value of this identity was highlighted in traditional Navajo teachings. The importance of this identity to Navajo spirituality and culture is shown by the fact that Indigenous legends say that the first man and woman were twins which were both Nádleehi.