What is the fifth gender?
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What is the fifth gender?
The fifth Bugis gender is bissu, which is considered neither male nor female but representative of the totality of the gender spectrum. Bissu, like calabai and calalai, display their identity through dress: they often wear flowers, a traditionally feminine symbol, but carry the keris dagger associated with men.
What are the five genders in Indonesia?
Their language offers five terms referencing various combinations of sex, gender and sexuality: makkunrai (“female women”), oroani (“male men”), calalai (“female men”), calabai (“male women”) and bissu (“transgender priests”). These definitions are not exact, but suffice.
How do you become a Bissu?
However, ambiguous genitalia alone do not confer the state of being a bissu. The person must also learn the language, songs and incantations, and have a gift for bestowing blessings in order to become bissu. They must remain celibate and wear conservative clothes.
How do you become a bissu?
To become a bissu one must be born both female and male, or intersex. “To be precise, the Bugis believe that a bissu who appears externally male is internally female, and vice versa; this combination of sexes enables a meta-gender identity to emerge,” she said.
What are people from Sulawesi called?
Sulawesi (/ˌsuːlɑːˈweɪsi/), also known as Celebes (/ˈsɛləˌbiːz, səˈliːbiːz/), is one of the four Greater Sunda Islands….Sulawesi.
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Pop. density | 105.5/km2 (273.2/sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | Makassarese, Buginese, Mandar, Minahasa, Gorontalo, Toraja, Butonese, Muna, Tolaki, Bajau, Mongondow |
What language do they speak in Makassar?
Makassarese (basa Mangkasaraʼ), sometimes called Makasar, Makassar, or Macassar, is a language of the Makassarese people, spoken in South Sulawesi province of Indonesia. It is a member of the South Sulawesi group of the Austronesian language family, and thus closely related to, among others, Buginese.
Which cultures have multiple genders?
In many cultures all over the world there are traditionally third gender or gender-fluid identities. “There are the Hijras in India, what are known as two-spirited people in Native American culture, Muxe in Mexico, and the Bakla in the Philippines.
What is Sulawesi known for?
South Sulawesi is the gateway to the famed Toraja highlands, where the predominatly Christian population still carry out traditional funeral rites, drawing thousands of tourists each year. South East Sulawesi, the most geographically remote province, will fulfil your fantasy of deserted tropical islands.
