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Within Machi rituals and ceremonies, gender is fluid and dynamic. The majority of Machi are females bodied, but male bodies can also be Machis. The Machi power is usually passed down from the maternal grandmother Becoming a Machi is a spiritual transformation and fosters a place where people can flow between spectrums of gender.. Gender in this way is not determined by sex, as it typically is in Chilean society, but rather by indentity and spirituality and gender is ambiguous within the culture. Some scholars have coined this as “cogender”, which is a partly feminine and partly masculine identity first termed by Barbara Tedlock. Most of this research has been focused upon males and femininity versus females and masculinity, however; both are present within the Machi sphere. Typically, most Machis identify with being femininity and during many ceremonies, especially healing ones. During some ceremonies gender is transcended and transformed spirituality where binaries between genders do not exist. (bacapulgico). Within Machi culture, plants and spirits are given gender. Usually these assigned genders are based upon perceptions of masculinity and femininity. E.g. Laurel is a feminine plants because it is regarded as soothing and soft whereas Triwe is masculine because it has protective powers. These genders are fixed and do not change. Machi, however; transcend static gender and dynamically flow between them. For example, during healing ceremonies Machis can flow between male, female, and cogendered identities in order to balance the spirit of the person they are healing. “gender of spirits remain permanent, whereas Machi move between gender identities” p.75 This is because in Machi cosmology the Nguchen, or the giver of life, is balanced by 4 identities; the man, the woman, the young man and the young woman. Therefore, during ceremonies Machis embody some or all of these identities at different times or simultaneously in order to heal. When someone is sick, Machis believe it is because the 4 are out of balance. Thus within Mapuche culture, there are “well defined notions of gender, but Machis are able to manipulate them”. Thus, gender exists in two realities, the earthly where gender is fixed and spiritual where gender in fluid. Machis are able to flow between both realities freely. Gender Roles and Discrimination While the Machis accept many different and even conflicting identities, Chilean society does not. There is a lot of discrimination against transgender Machi women whom do not fit into traditional gender roles. Homophobia and transphobia is rampant in Chilean and Mapuche culture. The Machis are respected, but also shunned. Women Machis are not viewed fully as women by Mapuche society because of their “masculine power” (Tedlock). Male machis, also called the Machi Weye, are rarer than female bodied Machis and do not posess as many powers as the female Machis. Many male Machi dress in women’s clothing as this is perceived to be more pious and connected to nature. As a result of the gendered perception of Machis i.e. that they are usually female, many male machi face discrimination from other Mapuche and Chilean society as a whole. Since they do not fit conventional gender stereotypes they are out casted and called derogatory names. Machismo in Chilean society plays a large role in this as men are out casted from circles because they are seen as “too feminine”. Males within Mapuche culture participate in discrimination however, whenever they are sick “they go right away to the male machi” because they are believed as “more powerful [than female machi]”. In this way machismo culture simultaneously out casts male Machi but also empowers reinforces stereotypes amongst men in society that males are more powerful than females. As a result many Machi have reinvented themselves as “celibate priests” in order to avoid further criticism and shame. To protect their masculinity, other male Machis have labeled themselves as “spiritual warriors” or “doctors” in order to gain more respect form the community. (Add quotes from the male machi). In some healing ceremonies and rituals male Machis are not permitted to participate because “they are not close enough to nature” and that “[women] are more patient with the sick and know more about herbs…the spirits get along with women better” p.212 Machi women are sometimes out casted from traditional Mapuche gender roles. Machi women are revered and feared. Masculine female machi are called derogatory terms such as bruja (witch) mujer de la calle (woman of the street) or marica (deragorty term of homosexual). One Machi describes that Machi women are given a higher status than female mapuche because “they are sent here [earth] by god” she says for example “she is served before other people [at meals]” p.219 In this way the Machi regulate ther own gender norms but are also combatted with traditional gender norms of Mapuche and Chilean society, this further complicates the notion of gender within the society. Gender in Machi culture is filled with contradictions, paradoxes, and complications because they simultaneously exist within the gender binary and defy it. “Whereas male Machi legitimate their sexuality as celibate priests, most female Machi gain status and virtue by marrying and having children” p 224. Thus Machi still abide by the gender roles and norms of Mapuche culture, but then fight against them during spiritual ceremonies and rituals. The gender identity and construction of the Machi is nuanced and complex. Machi are able to fluidly move between genders throughout different ceremonies, but then face discrimination from Chilean society and Machis themselves. One Machi states, “Here people don’t talk much about homosexuality because it is looked down upon”. Thus, simultaneously Machis celebrate diverse gender identity, yet also look down upon it. Some Machis are concerned about the way the West portrays Machis, afraid that they are only perceived as homosexuals or brujas “witches”. One Machi states “Why do anthropologists always say who we are? Why don’t they ask us?” Ana Baccipulgo, a distinguished anthropologist in the field of Machi gender roles, urges people to see the nuances in Machi gender identity and allow complexity to exist.”Machis gendered identities and practices can be experienced and interpreted endlessly along different paths and for different purposes that simultaneously bind people together and draw them apart” p.260