Gender In Bugis Society

The Bugis people are the most numerous of the three major ethnic groups of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, with about 3 million people. Most Bugis are Muslim, but many pre-Islamic rites continue to be honoured in their culture, including the view that gender exists on a spectrum. Most Bugis converted from Animism to Islam in the early 17th century; small numbers of Bugis have converted to Christianity, but the influence of Islam is still very prominent in their society.

In contrast to the gender binary, Bugis society recognizes five genders: , , , , and . The concept of five genders has been a key part of their culture for at least six centuries, according to anthropologist Sharyn Graham Davies, citing similar traditions in Thailand, Malaysia, India and Bangladesh.

are loosely comparable to cisgender men, to cisgender women, to transgender men, and to transgender women, while are loosely comparable to androgynous or intersex people and are revered shamans or community priests. The classification of the ''calabai'', ''calalai'', and ''bissu'' as a third genders is disputed. These roles can also be seen as fundamental occupational and spiritual callings, which are not as directly involved in designations such as male and female.

In daily social life, the , the , and the may enter the dwelling places and the villages of both men and women.

Bissu

The ''bissu'' belong to one of the five genders of the Bugis. There are divergent theories regarding their definitive origins.

For one to be considered ''bissu'', all aspects of gender must be combined to form a whole. It is believed that you are born with the propensity to become a ''bissu'', revealed in a baby whose genitalia are ambiguous. These ambiguous genitalia need not be visible; a normative male who becomes a ''bissu'' is believed to be female on the inside. This combination of sexes enables a 'meta-gender' identity to emerge. 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''. To be considered a "true" ''bissu'', an individual needs to undergo initiation rituals and mentorship from another ''bissu'', but this practice is waning due to the decreasing amount of people taking the role. They are expected to remain celibate and wear conservative clothes. In practice, many ''bissu'' do partake in sexual activities (especially with ''oroané'') but this is not widely acknowledged and public recognition is seen as delegitimizing to the ''bissu's'' spiritual power.

In pre-Islamic Bugis culture, ''bissu'' were seen as intermediaries between the people and the gods, according to Indonesian anthropologist Professor Halilintar Lathief. The ''bissu'' are closely associated with the female yet androgynous moon goddess, as her spiritual offspring. Up until the 1940s, the ''bissu'' were still central to keeping ancient palace rites alive, including coronations of kings and queens. Historically, ''bissu'' have played an important role in other ceremonies as well, particularly in weddings and childbirth events.

Within the ''bissu'' category, there are also several subcategories with differing roles, as described in poems such as ''La Galigo''. One consists of those directly descended from the gods and tightly connected to the courts and nobles. The second consists of landowning ''bissu'' who are absent from spiritual roles. The last category consists of ''bissu'' whose main roles are in facilitating religious rites.

Persecution

Bugis society has a cultural belief that all five genders must coexist harmoniously; but by 2019 the numbers of ''bissu'' had declined dramatically, after years of increasing persecution and the tradition of revering ''bissu'' as traditional community priests. ''Bissu'' have mostly survived by participating in weddings as maids of honour and working as farmers as well as performing their cultural roles as priests. Hardline Islamic groups, police and politicians have all played their part in Indonesia's increased harassment and discrimination of nonheterosexuals.

The state of ''bissu'' tolerance during Dutch colonial rule was mixed, with the colonial government allowing some indigenous social structures to stay in place to maintain agricultural productivity and because they viewed indigenous traditions as a bulwark against Islam. Still, the Dutch contributed to an environment that was hostile to "immoral" sexual practices and identities, especially as a way to differentiate themselves from indigenous people. After independence in 1949, the ancient Bugis kingdoms were incorporated into the new republic and the roles of ''bissu'' became increasingly sidelined due to their connection with Bugis royalty. Although ''bissu'' traditions were able to exist side-by-side with Islamic ideals for much of pre-independence history, a regional Islamic rebellion in South Sulawesi led to increased persecution (part of the Darul Islam rebellion known as ''Operasi Tobat''). As the atmosphere became increasingly hostile to nonheterosexuals, fewer people were willing to take on the role of ''bissu''. With the rise of Suharto's New Order administration, the ''bissu'' were further marginalized as deviant and un-Islamic elements of Indonesian society. The ''bissu'' were also targeted during the New Order era because of their purported association with the Communist Party of Indonesia. This persecution included the banning of ''bissu'' practices, the destruction of spiritually significant objects, the forced assimilation of ''bissu'' to male roles, and the execution of many ''bissu'' individuals.

In the post-Suharto era, there have been attempts at revitalizing traditional ''bissu'' practices, with many elements of ''bissu'' custom merging with those of Islamic tradition. ''Bissu'' can be found providing Hajj blessings to pilgrims and even partaking in the pilgrimage themselves. However, this revitalization has also caused ''bissu'' customs to be viewed as an attraction for tourists, which reduces their tradition to entertainment purposes and disregards the spiritual background on which the practices are based. ''Bissu'' also experience greater societal acceptance and respect when they are seen to be actively fulfilling their spiritual roles, but stricter male/female roles are often expected of them instead when they are not. Although the ''bissu'' are spiritually distinct from non-binary and intersex people in general, this distinction is becoming increasingly blurred. Many ''bissu'' are now engaging in occupations which are associated more closely with ''waria'' roles, such as in bridal makeup. Even in Bugis society, the role of the ''bissu'' have recently been conflated with those of the ''calalai'' and ''calabai''. Due to the decline in ''bissu'', some rituals have begun to substitute ''calalai'' and ''calabai'' in their place.

Calabai

According to the Bugis gender system, ''calabai'' are generally assigned male at birth but take on the role of heterosexual women. Their fashions and gender expression are distinctly feminine but do not directly match those of "typical" heterosexual women. Especially in the modern era, ''calabai'' fashion has also been influenced by styles outside of traditional Bugis culture, such as from Islamic and Christian sources. Customary ''calabai'' roles include wedding planning and hairdressing.

''Calabai'' embrace their femininity and live as women, but generally do not think of themselves as female, nor wish to be female or feel trapped in a male’s body. Large-scale feminization surgeries are not often performed because although many ''calabai'' desire more feminine features, male genitalia is not inherently contradictory to their ''calabai'' identity. However, the high cost and low accessibility of such surgeries cannot be overlooked as a major barrier either. Much of Indonesian society emphasizes the importance of the nuclear family (in Indonesian, ''azas kekeluargaan'') and heteronormativity, and ''calabai'' often comform to this basis by taking on the roles of wives in a nuclear family. To this end, some ''calabai'' will undergo unofficial marriages (known as ''kahwin di bawah tangan'', or marriage below the hand).

The ''calabai'' identity is seen as unavoidable, permanent, and given by God. Although this view has aided in the general tolerance of ''calabai'' in many parts of modern Bugis society, in some cases it also promotes the exclusion of ''calabai'' due to implications of pity and lack of individual agency. Additionally, they lack much of the spiritual significance associated with the ''bissu'', and there is a corresponding drop in the amount of respect afforded to the ''calabai'' in comparison.

Calalai

The ''calalai'' are assigned female at birth but take on the roles of heterosexual males. They present themselves as men, hold masculine jobs and typically live with female partners to adopt children. Although they typically dress masculinely, many ''calalai'' include distinct indicators of a unique ''calalai'' identity in their style and do not dress entirely like ''oroané'', such as by wearing an earring only in the right ear (compared to the left ear for ''oroané'' and both ears for ''makkunrai''). The ''calalai'' are often expected to exhibit a mixture of feminine and masculine virtues, such as devotion and bravery, respectively. Similarly, ''calalai'' can perform both masculine and feminine behaviors, and there is a certain degree of fluidity in this expression depending on the occasion.

There is a considerably small amount of ''calalai'' even compared to the ''bissu'' and the ''calabai'' because many are disincentivized from identifying as ''calalai''. There is generally a higher level of discrimination towards people assigned female at birth who forego becoming mothers and wives, and they are often stereotyped as lazy. Much of their work is also out of public view, such as in agriculture, compared to ''calabai'' who are often seen working as cooks, hairdressers and wedding planners, and these contrasts may contribute to this stereotype.

See also

* Gender binary
* Third gender
* Two-spirit
* Māhū
* Fakafifine
* Faʻafafine
* Bakla

References

Further reading

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