Of course, you don't have to be from Samoa. It is widely known that similar traditions have existed in many different cultures throughout the planet. In the case of some Native American tribes, for instance, there was an extra category: physical women whose gender identity is that of males (or something along those lines; I don't recall the details at the moment). The variety of human practices, beliefs and values truly is remarkable, isn't it?
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Fa'afafine = "in the way of the woman" in Samoan.
ReplyDeleteInterested readers can learn more at wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fa'afafine
Thanks for the tip!
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