Fa'afafine may be viewed as a third gender specific to Samoan culture.
Fa'afafine are the gender liminal, or third-gendered people of Samoa. A recognized and integral part of traditional Samoan culture, fa'afafine, born biologically male, embody both male and female gender traits.
The word fa'afafine includes the causative prefix "fa'a", meaning "in the manner of", and the word fafine, meaning "woman".[1] It is cognate with linguistically related words in other Polynesian languages, such as the Tongan fakafefine (also fakaleiti), the Maori whakawahine, the Cook Islands Maori akava'ine and Hawaiian mahu. The Samoan slangword mala (or "devastation", by way of the Samoan Bible) is in less frequent use for fa'afafine.
Contents |
Fa'afafine are known for their hard work and dedication to the family, in the Samoan tradition of tautua. Ideas of the family in Samoa and Polynesia are markedly different from Western constructions of family, and include all the members of a sa, or a communal family within the fa'amatai family systems.[2]
It is a mistake to attribute a Western interpretation and mislabel the fa’afafine as “gay” or “homosexual”. Fa'afafine have a varied sexual life, where they may have sex with women but mostly with men. It is taboo among the fa'afafine to have sex with another fa'afafine.
Being a fa'afafine is never a choice. It is a cultural identity that indicates the diversity of the Samoan society long before Christianity reached its shores.
A sexual relationship between a Fa'afine (third gender) and a Tane (man), is not considered as one between the 'same-genders,' but rather between two different genders and thus are not considered homosexual in Samoan society. This is also the objective view by most fa'afafine. Ultimately, English language terms can only approximate Samoan terms and do not encompass the cultural basis of Samoan sexuality and gender.
Fa'afafine in the Samoa Islands, and internationally among Samoan diaspora, have formed several organizations since the 1980's. Currently prominent ones are Samoan Fa'afafine Organization of independent Samoa, SOFIA of American Samoa, and UTOPIA of San Francisco and Honolulu. These organizations are involved in political action and cultural functions. The Samoan Fa'afafine Organization of independent Samoa is working to remove criminal laws regarding homosexuality and transgenderism that remain from New Zealand colonial administration, laws that no longer apply in New Zealand itself.
Fa'afafine are taking part in the development of contemporary Oceania or Pacific Islander arts, as in the works of painter and writer Dan Taulapapa McMullin, artist and curator Shigeyuki Kihara, performance artist Buckwheat, poet and performance artist Brian Fuata, and fashion artist Lindah Lepou. Recent exhibitions of indigenous LGBT artists including fa'afafine, were the 2006 Le Vasa Art Exhibition in San Francisco, 2007 Measina Fa'afafine Art Exhibition in Auckland, and the 2008 Hand in Hand Art Exhibition in Sydney.
New Zealand animated television series bro'Town includes a fa'afafine character named Brother Ken, a school principal, and personal friend of many well-known New Zealanders. Brother Ken appears in nearly every episode throughout the five seasons.
Samoan writer Sia Figiel's novel Where We Once Belonged includes a fa'afafine character named Sugar Shirley, known for her exploits on the rugby field.
American Samoa footballer Jaiyah Saelua made history in November of 2011 as the first transgender person to compete in a FIFA-sanctioned event, during World Cup Oceania qualifiers.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||