Reading through these Trickster Tales have sparked many different topics of interest for me whether it be creation&man, man's connection to nature, gender equality, power&deception, etc. But thus far, the role that sexuality plays in these cultural tales has been what has stuck with me the most. Not just sexuality as identification, but the act of sex, that is 'copulation', or tawiton. Sex is presented so openly and actively within these tales, we saw it with Coyote and now even more so with Iktomi. Sex often has a very "taboo" nature for a lot of reasons, but what I appreciate so much within this cultural representation is it's integral part of human nature, that is, it is something that not only men, but women enjoy as well. Iktomi introduces his penis to a village of women, and upon realizing what it can do, they cry out in pleasure. Presenting sex as exactly what it is, desirable, pleasurable and an act of nature is very important in breaking down the barriers that many people have regarding sex. Whether it's a man and a woman, or a man and a man, sex is represented in these tales as not something that is dirty or wrong, but a normal aspect of human desire. So I did some searching.
While looking up "sexuality in Native American culture" on Google I came across a few interesting resources, one of which I share here: http://www.channel501.com/tantra/dancing.html This website introduces the idea of "Free Dancing" or, Native American "Tantra". Yes, it is about sex, but to me, it is about a lot more than just that. If you scroll through the page, you will see words like trust, balance, fear, love, truth, partner, shame, etc. These words not only apply to sex and love, but life in general, which just seems to remind me that life is really interconnected with all ways of living, whether that means being celibate or sexual active. Why should we be ashamed of that elephant in the room? I mean, he's probably getting it on, too.
