Article Review on Albert Hurtado’s “Sexuality in California's Franciscan Missions: Cultural Perceptions and Sad Realities”
In his article, “Sexuality in California's Franciscan Missions: Cultural Perceptions and Sad Realities”, Albert Hurtado gives an account of the Franciscan Missionaries’ perception of sexuality, particularly in regards to the Native Americans in California. The author’s purpose is that of demystifying the missionaries’ legacy and showing the negative side of their work with the natives (1). The author shows that many aspects of the Franciscans’ impact upon the Natives remain unknown and while they are known for the good things they accomplished, their influence was in fact devastating for the natives’ lifestyles and ideology, and particularly, their sexuality, which the Franciscans tried to control and to regulate(2.).
In the article, the author talks about the Natives’ sexuality and their personal relationships.
He explains that often, marriage was a contract which ensured the survival of the tribe, and the peaceful relationships between tribes. Hurtado also gives details regarding the Natives attitudes towards adultery and divorce. In particular, the author talks about the berdache tradition in the Native American culture, which represents a form of transvestitism where males undertake the roles of women and accomplish feminine roles, behaving and dressing according to their assumed gender. The author explains that the Natives did not regard this as a form of sexual transgression but on the contrary, the accepted berdache’s feminine roles and even married them as they were considered better workers (Hurtado 374). In the same time, the Spanish had a double sexual ideology drawing from medieval heritage and religious teachings, both of which however aimed to control women’s sexuality, while being less strict on men’s sexual transgressions. Spanish colonists regarded the berdache practice as an awful sin against nature and tried their best to stop it, torturing and humiliating the berdache in the process. On the other hand, the missionaries condemned and tried to stop Spaniards’ rapes of Indian women, who were not only immoral, but also constantly jeopardized the colonies and the missions by angering the Natives. As a result of the contact with the Spaniards, Natives slowly altered their sexual behaviors (summary).
I personally liked the fact that the author tried to show the other side of a very popular part of California’s history, which satisfied the vision of White Californians on their own past, but completely ignored the sufferance of the Natives and the injustice committed against them (5.). However, the paper would have also benefited from the use of secondary sources that would have offered a balanced image of the situation. Also, Hurtado’s ending was rather abrupt and emotional, and did not provide a strong overview of the situation after the mission era, and how the Natives’ sexual ideologies had been radically changed, if that was the case (7.). This article however contributes to understanding California’s Ethnic history by highlighting the relationship between Spaniards and the Natives, the intense struggle of the latter to keep their identity and to preserve their way of living. It also brings back the natives to the heart of California’s history (8.). This article contradicts competing visions for example, by showing that the Franciscan missionaries were not as saintly as they are remembered by public memory and had a negative impact on the Natives (9.).
The article is a very important work because it fills a gap in the literature regarding California’s history, by focusing on the Native population, and by tackling such an important topic as the contradiction between the Natives’ and Spaniards’ views on sexuality and gender roles. This work might trigger historians’ interest in other aspects of Natives’ lives thus making them justice at least partially. In order to learn more about California’s history, Kevin Starr’s ok published in 2005, “California: A History” is useful, being complete and well documented. In addition, one of the most interesting topics addressed in this article, the case of the berdache, is discussed in Walter William’s 1992 book, “The Spirit and the Flesh:Sexual Diversity in American Indian History” and in the 1997 work, “ Two –Spirit People: Native American Gender Identity, Sexuality and Spirituality, by Sue-Ellen Jacobs, Wesley Thomas and Sabine Lang, as well as Albert Hurtado’s “Intimate Frontiers: Sex, Gender, and Culture in Old California”, published in 1999 (10.).
Works Cited
Hurtado, Albert. “Sexuality in California's Franciscan Missions: Cultural Perceptions and Sad Realities”. California History 71.3 (1992): 30-385.
