Why are boys made into girls in Polynesia?
We will tell you about Samoa, the island nation of Polynesia (South Pacific Ocean) and its amazing tradition, which is already several thousand years old.
If too many boys are born in Samoa, one of the sons has little choice but to be brought up and raised as a girl. What does it mean?
This means that the child will learn to sew, wash, do all the housework, cook, etc. Accordingly, they will also dress him like a girl. In the future, such a representative of the "middle sex" will not be able to marry - this is prohibited by Samoan law. He will have to devote his life to his family or public service.
If a person wants to live separately, it is unlikely that anyone will interfere with him. True, this happens very rarely.
They call such people faafafine.
Being a faafafine is not a disgrace at all. Samoan families (and not only poor ones) always have many children. The story when all boys are born is not uncommon.
It's hard for a European to understand, but over millennia of tradition, Polynesians have learned to love and respect their Fa'afafine. And there is a reason. As a rule, these are smart, empathic, hardworking and gifted guys. After all, no one encroaches on the male side of their personality, they simply develop the female side. And, oddly enough, complete, harmonious development is taught. And the fact that such people are not like us is no reason to consider them inferior. Do you agree?
female2 Photo//milfordgalleries.co.nz
There is even a competition in Samoa in which boys raised by girls take part every year. To win the title of "Queen of the Faafafine" is a very honorable thing.
As they grow up and learn different trades, the fa'afafine can choose what they want to do next. Some reach such peaks of skill in certain crafts and arts that they leave behind the craftswomen of the originally female sex.
The Fa'afafine have masculine names but are addressed as women. If you ask a Samoan about the stigmatization of this status, he will not even understand what you are talking about.