Fa'afafine is a third gender specific to Samoan culture.
Fa'afafine are biologically men who in childhood choose by their nature to be raised to assume female gender roles, which is not discouraged in the traditional fa'asamoa (Samoan society). The word fa'afafine includes the causative prefix "fa'a", meaning "in the manner of", and the word "fafine", meaning "woman"; and it is cognate with other Polynesian languages like the Tongan "fakafefine" or "fakaleiti", the Maori "whakawahine" or "akava'ine" in Cook Islands Maori, and the Hawaiian "mahu". Samoan slang mala or gay for fa'afafine is in less use being an abject derivation from the Samoan bible.
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Fa'afafine role in Samoan society
Fa'afafine are prominent in all aspects of Samoan society as workers, administrators, educators, church elders, business people, and artists. They are known for their hard work and dedication to the family, in the Samoan tradition of tautua, and are often the guardians and caretakers to elderly parents, and often for the children of their siblings.
European viewpoint
It was mistakenly attributed in Western anthropology that Samoan parents with too many sons and not enough daughters will dress one of the boys as a girl and assign him to perform girls' chores, such as housecleaning. There is little evidence that this characterization is correct, as it does not allow for the agency of fa'afafine themselves in their growth. Modern social evolution has influenced traditional viewpoints on fa'afafine. Mainstream Samoan society now relates to fa'afafine with a complex mixture of impatience, mockery, tolerance, and admiration for their artistic and performance abilities.
In recent years, several new organizations have been involved in promoting the health and welfare of fa'afafine worldwide, including the Samoa Fa'afafine Organization of Apia in Samoa, the Island Queens Alliance of Pago Pago in American Samoa, UTOPIA of San Francisco, UTOPIA Hawaii of Honolulu, and the Faafafine Fono annual international gathering in Auckland, New Zealand.
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, and fashion artist Lindah Lepou. Recent exhibitions of indigenous GLBT 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.
See also
External links
- Samoa Faafafine Association
- UTOPIA San Francisco organization of fa'afafine,fakaleiti, and mahu
- UTOPIA Hawaii organization of mahu, fa'afafine, and fakaleiti
- ABC 2005 Fa'afafine - Samoan boys brought up as girls
- Fa'afafine New Zealand / Australia Community Activist Phylesha Acton-Brown
- Fa'afafine artist and writer Dan Taulapapa McMullin
Citations
- Milner, G.B. 1966. Samoan Dictionary. "Fa'afafine" entry pg. 52 under "Fafine"
- Besnier, Niko. 1994. Polynesian Gender Liminality Through Time and Space. In Third Sex, Third Gender: Beyond Sexual Dimorphism in Culture and History. Gilbert Herdt, ed. Pp. 285-328. New York: Zone.
- Schmidt, J. 2001. Redefining Fa'afafine: Western Discourses and the Construction of Transgenderism in Samoa. Intersections, Issue 6.
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