Who Am I? Constructing Concepts of the Self and Gender Identity in the Pacific Islands
Kandyce McGill
Dr. A. Pomponio, Faculty Mentor
McNair Independent Study,
Fall 2003
Original human nature was not like the present, but different. The sexes were not two as they are now, but originally three in number; there was man [descended from the sun], woman [from the earth], and the union of the two [from the moon], having a name corresponding to this double nature, which had once a real existence, but is now lost, and the word "Androgynous" is only preserved as a term of reproach.
- From Aristophanes’ Speech in Plato’s Symposium
At first glance this quotation might seem rather peculiar to readers; in most Western societies), there is a strong tendency to view aspects of gender and sexuality as strictly dichotomous. People are raised from birth according to societal standards of either masculinity or femininity as polar opposites. With male-female relations viewed as complete opposites, the idea of the existence of more than two physical sexes coexisting is seldom recognized by scientists concerned with interrelationships between physical sex and culture (Martin and Voorhies 1975: 85).
After taking an introductory course on the Pacific Islands, however, I have found that in many Pacific societies, the idea of supernumerary (more than the minimal number of two) sexes/genders does in fact exist. There are two reasons for this. The first deals with the establishment of a sense of “self,” or substance across Pacific Island cultural groups. The second reflects the way notions of the “self” are in fact culturally constituted by what A. I. Hallowell (1955) describes as “behavioral environments,” aspects of individuals’ environments that ultimately affect their development. Examples of these environmental factors include: geography, economics, and social / political systems. Another way of defining the behavioral environment is the way particular environments and cultures are responsible for constructing and reinforcing self awareness in individuals.
In this paper, I will analyze the development of concepts of the self in the Pacific Islands (Oceania). I will focus my research on two of the three major cultural regions of the Pacific – Melanesia and Polynesia. I will then discuss how these concepts, along with the behavioral environments of each cultural area, are influential in the formation of gender identities among several cultural groups: The Hua, Sambia; Ilahita; Samoans; Tahitians; and Tongans.