Fa'afafine: Samoan Boys Raised As Girls
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- Опубликовано: 15 июл 2013
- Fafa have the body of a man but identify as female. They have relationships with heterosexual men mostly and are generally not gay. Meet the Samoan fa'afa, a third gender.
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As one of the "Fa'afafine" I was not raised to be Fa'afafine I just WAS and simply left to be ME. My family did try to direct me towards more masculine pursuits but never forced me to be anything other than myself. They definately never pushed me to be more feminine or female. Defining "Fa'afafine" is neither black or white, which is the whole point. I'm greatfull that Leo, Ymania and I were able to share our stories and that to be truly happy you must standup and be true to yourself.
if nobody pushed you, it is ok. However this seems to be in general a more pushed type of brainwashing. That is not normal at all. Because you have X boys as children you decide to treat the next boy as a girl? That is just disgusting.
I'm just curious
Okay as a Fa'afafine👉 do u have sex with men or women or u go either way?
What's ur preference?
@@janshegers7667 k
At least your not living in a delusion
Just be 'YOU" is fine. But when a lot of faafafines say they are "in the wrong body" as a man, then there's lots of questions to be answered there. "Feelings" don't need to define who you really are especially your gender!
I'm a Samoan man that respect any human..love you BRO
Great documentary on faafafine. I'm Samoan and I have known quite a few faafafine in life, and they are just ordinary people, except for their own unique way of existence, which we are used to. From my knowledge and my observation in Samoa, boys who are born feminine are always adored by their mothers at very young age and even many in their family. Mothers would always say things like "I think my son is gonna grow up a faafafine", and they would dress him up like a girl, put flowers on his ears, and start treating him differently like a girl etc. Others in the family also treat him like a girl. Not only the words they say, but the things they do to make these boys feel different from other normal boys. I think that's the start of the faafafine life in the making. It's instilled and reinforced by society a feminine boy is grown up into. I know most Samoan fathers usually are not proud of their sons when they see this feminine side of them. The fathers also mostly tend to "push" their feminine sons to the care of their mothers most of the time while they spend less time with them. The feminine boy goes to school and the same treatment by teachers; other boys isolate them and tease them. These feminine boys end up hanging around with girls at schools and the girls usually love them. The girls treat them like "sisters". These boys find comfort by hanging around with other feminine boys because they find it more accepting and convenient to be hanging out with other boys of similar nature etc and talk and do things together that they all share their liking on. They start to develop their own special slangs and girlie talk and they become very comfortable in their group of faafafines and with some girls who love hanging around with them. Faafafnes in a family, village, church anywhere, are generally very valuable members. They can do tasks that are traditionally reserved for men and tasks reserved for women. They cook, they clean the house, they cut the grass, they sew clothes, they look after kids, they organize things, they entertain, they are funny, they act they sing and they are generally smarter than most boys..they are very talented and effective in almost anything. Sometimes you will hear some people saying in Samoa "If you want anything done, give it to the faafafines" That's why they are generally accepted and tolerated in Samoa, mainly due to this "useful" nature of the faafafines, with a blind eye on the what they do sexually! Because of the way these feminine boys were brought up and how they were "conditioned" to be "girls" by their peers and people they were around with, I think that's how they gradually developed their liking for men. They are not sexually attracted to women as they were "conditioned" to be "girls" and they were also treated by boys as "faafafines", so they are conscious of their situation while growing up. These boys know very well that they were born male, but because of the adopted conditioned nature and the way people in society treat and perceive them, that's why they are comfortable with what they are and how they behave and being perceived by society. Faafafines don't have sex with other "faafafines", but they do have sex with other men (straight men). I know of some of "straight" Samoan men who had sex with faafafines just because they are seen as like "girls", especially in a society that girls are mostly conservative and are hard to be convinced for pre-marital sex. Some young men see these faafafines as alternatives to release their sexual urges when they hit, as they are easy targets. Other men see faafafines to gain sexual experience with before they have sex with a girl for the first time. I guess what I'm trying to give you here is; homosexuality is the act that can be avoided depending on our own desires. Our desires can stem from the environment within which we are conditioned and exposed to. Faafafines developed their liking for men because they were conditioned by the environment they were grow up in. Straight men wanted to exploit faafafines because of the perception, they were like "girls" etc. I believe every man whether straight or homosexual can have the urge to have sex with another, depending on one's desires and situations. For example if you put two "straight" men to sleep on one bed, there is a possibility one would feel the sexual urge to dominate the other, although he's not normally "sexually attracted" to the other. Think of male prisoners who had never had sex with other men in life, and when put together in prison, they would eventually develop feelings to have sex with other prisoners because of their environment and the situation where their heterosexual needs are not being met, hence opt to be satisfied with homosexual sex. I also know of a few faafafines who managed to "get out of the group" of faafafines, I guess I should say physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, and fell in love with some girls and eventually got married and had children. I guess I can conclude, it's all in the mind for someone to choose to do anything one wants and our minds are always in constant conditioned by the environment we are in. At the end of the day, it's what we choose to do and become by either conforming or not conforming to the values of the masses. That case, you can credit the world or blame the community/society/world for someone's becoming. By the way, the world is changing and things are still in the process of changing which can defy our normal way of seeing and doing things from time to time. That's my 2cents worth to the discussion on this topic. thanks.
+Anonymous Dude . You are welcome. This issue is very interesting and I have a lot of knowledge about faafafines as I've grown up together with them in our Samoan society, and have observed the way they are and behave in our small communities. If you need further info, please let me know as I am happy to assist or discuss about this topic. Regards.
I daresay I took the time to read all that you've typed, quite informative and enlightening. I too am Samoan, and was just having a discussion with a family member on where faafines are in the spectrum of the LGBTQ community. It's interesting to see the culture shock here in the states where Samoans are still completely against two men kissing but our culture allowing for faafines not to be frowned upon.
Im also a Pacific islander frm the Micronesian region. We call it “niefefin”
My mom had 4 of us boys & one girl. Growing up i was always told to be close with my only sister. I was also taught at a young age of doing female chores in & around the house. I still knew i was a boy. I always thought of myself as a boy & always thought about growing up to have a family of my own. I never identified myself as a “Niefefin” but was always told by family that i was.
Today i have a girlfriend & thinking of raising a family together...
Amazing point of view! I’d love to speak more about the topic and would for sure read more about your opinion and experiences about the topic. I’m currently studying how a boy’s masculinity can be maleable depending on his surrounding, life experiences, and way of facing life. Is there a way I could get in contact with you or some of your work?
Choice in the matter is what’s primarily in my view. If obligated or conditioned by your mother or father than it’s abusive. It’s clear that some grow up with a complex from this treatment. I’d run away from home. THIS IS NUTS! I couldn’t care less if they decide on what or who they are.
it's a beautiful when parents embrace their children as they are, no matter what cultural background you're from
rss671 totally agree
Yeah, but some of these parents are forcing their sons to take on this role. That's the exact opposite of embracing your children for who they are.
Definitely, that's the proper response
Correction : "it's a beautiful CRIME when parents embrace their children as they are and molding them into WHAT THEY ARE NOT , no matter what cultural background you're from"
Im also a Pacific islander frm the Micronesian region. We call it “niefefin”
My mom had 4 of us boys & one girl. Growing up i was always told to be close with my only sister. I was also taught at a young age of doing female chores in & around the house. I still knew i was a boy. I always thought of myself as a boy & always thought about growing up to have a family of my own. I never identified myself as a “Niefefin” but was always told by family that i was.
Today i have a girlfriend & thinking of raising a family together...
Are they disappointed that you didn’t take on that role ?
Cameron Howe i dnt feel they are disappointed, but i do feel like my mom especially is disappointed that i moved out of the house to be with my girlfriend. Not disappointed but more saddened actually. Because when i was single i was the one that took care of the house & the house chores. Preparing foods, clothes & cleaning 24/7 except when im sleeping. I actually do feel it is my duty as their child that those are my duties for them while they are still alive repaying for the life they have given me even though it can nvr be paid in full. In our culture having alot of kids & having a huge family is something nice. People respect people with huge families unfortunately my parents only had 4 boys & 1 girl & because we only had 1 sister they tried to make me feel i was a girl just to be the one to help my sister while we grow up together in our household.
many different cultures recognized the so called 'third sex' = until the christian missionaries forced it out of them.
Учёные говорят что раньше, совсем давно, это было широко распространено и потом исчезло из-за появления новых ценностей.
Came across this and I found it very interesting. Definitely looking forward to learning about this particular Samoan culture.
Great video and appreciated every moment learning about Fa'afafine culture in Samoa. I will be sure to share this video on my networks Australia, and Asian Pacific neighbours along with the rest of the world. So well done once SBS for a really great documentary. Thank you so much!
Thank you for sharing your stories. Your strength and ability to share your feelings and experiences during your journeys is so inspiring. I am so happy that you have clarified the misinterpretations and misunderstandings of what a faafafine is. So many misconceptions about Fafa's. Thank you and all the best in life.
Talofa All. I am a samoan gay male living in nz and this is the first time I've seen this doc. Although I've heard of the tradition of a selected male being raised as a girl, i can't say that i was given the same treatment. But from since i could remember i always knew i wasn't attracted to girls. I was raised christian with a Morman dad and a mother who is AOG and thankful for the values that the church has given me. in saying that it was only when christianity arrived into samoa (likewise with other pacific islands) that being dressed half naked was considered taboo, being fully clothed became the norm and that being fa'afafine was a sin. I use to hate the term fa'afafine only because it was used in such a negative way when i was growing up and because i didn't feel i could identify with the term. I am a man, who enjoys being a man whose preference is to be in a relationship with a man, and don't wish to be a woman. As previously mentioned there is no samoan word for Gay. But having such creative, strong willed, determined, intelligent and selfless friends who have redefined what fa'afine is to me. I am proud to stand beside them. Although i don't know those featured in the documentary Im grateful for their bravery and there courage to challenge peoples views. My sexual identity is such a small part of something greater..I know some feel their sexuality defines them and thats great but for me I am first samoan, a son, a grandson, a brother, a cousin, a nephew, a friend, and im fa'afafine. Sorry for the long blurb lol..
it was a honour and privelege to have known these Samoan fine ladies (Phineas and Ymania)...your story echoes not only in your homeland of Samoa but all over the Pacific in general including Kiribati. Please continue to make ripples and waves wherever you are and whenever you can...love! xox
These are men
Fa’afaines are rlly nice
i love my uncle
he lets me call him aunty
and just laughs because at first I called him uncle
then they all laughed
so the next time i called him aunty
then they laughed again
but because he had long hair I just called him aunty
c:
It's funny because Polynesian people in ancient times looked at the faafafines with PROUD and respect even in hawaii they people who were half man and half women even in Tonga and they were well respected people until the WHITE MAN CAME !!
moesha pempengco - Its not white men. It's religion that made it worst.
+Bobby Owens In my Melanesian(mostly black people in the Pacific region) culture sexual intercourse is more narrowly defined as an act of procreation not an act of desire, sexual intercourse for desire can happen outside normal cultural process but must remain hidden because before European colonialism marriage was widely and some places still used as a political tool. Within some tribes women held high status with land, wealth and vice versa. So families would try marry off their sons and daughters to secure their own futures
Needless to say bisexuality was commonly practiced and did not have stigmas attached to.
that is true. but the stigma was not created by religion. it is by the media, and the obsession about monogamy. And in black Africa, we see no need for a husband to kiss his wife in public. It is considered utterly disgusting and I agree with that view. Not sure how it is in North Africa.
the WHITE MAN also had there own faafafines in high civilization such as Greek and Roman.
man boy love in shiieet yes your romans and greeks had em.
I am very proud of these individuals bringing their stories forward. However I have to strongly disagree with the cultural constructs surrounding fa'afafine. The individual that was chosen to be a fa'afafine by his parents is a rarity. Fa'afafine don't choose their gender identity and they do not choose their sexual orientation. And that's why the rugby player is not a fa'afafine. When a fa'afafine demonstrates female behavior when they are young, families are left with a dilemma. Force the child to behave in a manner consistent with their biological gender or allow the child to choose to progress naturally. Sometimes the child is allowed to conduct themselves like a girl, but still is asked to do chores that are reserved for the males in the family. The reason I am writing is that fa'afafine deserve to be treated with respect, because they are human. Suggesting that parents choose the child's gender identity is a myth and myths are not given equal rights, while every human is deserving of such.
I concur with your comment
I hope the guy who was being forced into it has peace in his life now today! I agree with him that it's a form of child abuse! It's a wonderful he made it through such a horrible childhood!! I think choices like that should be made at 18 or over whatever the culture!!
Yeah, that was very interesting to hear from Leo. It's sad that his peers bullied him. I wish the other boys had been nicer... And it's sad the violence from those outside his home, created more distance within the home, and especially towards his mother it sounds like.
Reciprocally, I can easily see how a fa'afafine child (or queer children of any culture) who might not be accepted by their family would be in a lot of pain too. Gender is important to humans. All of our cultures are saturated in gender roles and qualities. Respecting someone's gender, regardless of what it is, is part of our human kindness to one another.
I think the main takeaway from this is to listen. Families can listen to their children, and respect their wishes. Forcing anyone to do something they don't want to do is cruel. I don't think that age has any bearing on that, because anyone is deserving of being heard and respected at any age!
Sending love to all who have been disregarded and forced into being someone they are not. That is a horrible feeling and space to exist in. I hope we can all learn and work together to receive others as they are and celebrate every person for the unique colors they share with the world.
I have never personally seen a boys forced into becoming faafafine but I’m sure there are parents who have tried it. I’ve seen it unfold two ways. I have cousins who were embraced and allowed to become who they are and I have cousins who’s parents tried to beat it out of them.
I never knew this. My best friend in college was Chamarro, so I naturally stayed dancing hula and had many Samoan, Tongan, Micronesian friends, but never learned this. We had a guy who now I know was fa'afafine but the leader of our Huloa forced him to dance with the guys. Thank you for sharing this.
Inspiring and enriches my life and who I want to be in the world.
This was very interesting. You learn something new everyday....
As someone who was born female, soul and body, and raised as such, gender issues can sometimes be hard to wrap my head around, but I think this documentary did it really well, with a lot of dignity for all participants.
I'm not fa'afafine, but I'm trans and if u ever need clarification on gender identity, I and other trans (+ other alternative lgbt+ related genders) people probably would be cool with shedding some light as well :) if u have any questions I'd be happy to answer as long as u ask in a respectful way ofc.
I have 6 brothers and we grew up doing the chores that was assigned to us. Fai umu, clean in and outside the house, cook, etc... I never saw or heard my parents told us that one of us will be treated at a faafine or as a girl. Magaia foi le pepelo o mea ale vaega lea. E leai lava se tradition faapea a Samoa. Me and all my brothers are married with family of our own.
yeah this is my first time hearing of this and I'm Samoan and grew up in American Samoa. Maybe this is for the Samoan families in NZ and AUS
Poor babies I wanna give them all hugs 😢😢😢😞
To be honest, being a fa'afafine and only finding out about this.
This video was really interesting. It shed a light on a culture that I didn't know anything about. It is great to see multiple sides of the story and how different people feel about the topic as it was happening to them. This video helps show that gender is not black and white, male or female. There is a lot of grey area when it comes to gender. The most important thing, in my opinion, is to let people be what ever gender they want and what ever gender they identify with even if it isn't male or female.
If it's up to their choice of which gender they want to be, then they must also be informed to prepare to face the various consequences the communities, society and the world will cause them.
It sounds like the division of family chores is a core motivator of parents choosing a male child to be faafafine. If there are only boys? Who will do the female tasks? The faafafine. Great film 👍🏽
Lmao i cant get over this! I wish I had a family who hand picked me to be the faafafine in our family cause I went through hell getting accepted and I still am.
Sorry to hear that Uce...
Stay strong! I hope you are doing well today!
Great story and thanks to the different point of views made by all.
Leo you are very courageous and brave thank you for sharing your story.
I am from American samoa and this is not true. Part of our culture? Nope. I am a faafafine and I wasn't raised up to be a girl just because we didn't have enough females in the family. Wrong lies and idiocy. Faafafines back in American samoa was born the way they were. Samoan people are just very accepting and doesn't really mind if their loved ones grow up to be faafafine. They weren't raised up to be women, they were just born like that. This probably happens in new Zealand and western, but definitely not American samoa.
*SOMEONE* I could not get that out of my head every time I heard Samoan
My brother and I are Samoan and both gay. My brother got beaten up by our dad till he had an inch of his life left. I ran away. They're devoured Christians. It makes you wonder, if God is a loving God then why would he make his people hate each other? I was adopted out to extended family and to this day I love them more than I do my immediate family (excluding my gay brother). I've been with my partner for 6 years, I've taken my Palagi (Caucasian) partner to Samoa in the past, we've fostered state children and we work to help society here in Oz. We're loyal citizens and we still get hated by some people of our nation. I hope they learn sometime that LOVE isn't something that shouldn't be thrown around.
You do you and don't let any negative hating person/people affect the way you live your life. If your happy, carry on and enjoy it! They're the ones with the problem and will the rest of their lives depressed & unhappy. Don't let it break your happiness. Live, Love, Laugh 😉
I never understand WHY people choose to be gay, plz explain...
Sir Goofynoodles its not a choice and never was or will EVER be a choice for them. They were born that way. They didn't ask to be gay. We all don't have the answers, scientists say this and that but they're all theory. It the end, its their journey between them, their families and GOD.
Roseanne YN u do CHOOSD to be gay, before I get into why I say that just know that I'm for gay people I just want to understand why they are the way they are,
Now people do choose to be gay, u can't control what your attracted to but u are in control of the actions you make when you're gay or attracted to something, I know a man that said he's attracted to men but chooses to be with women,
Sir Goofynoodles *Who you have sex with does not define your sexuality* Men who are only attracted to men but have sex with women are still *GAY*. Men who are only attracted to women but have sex with men (prisoners) are still *STRAIGHT*. Imagine if the roles were reversed and you were a straight man who was forced to have sex with other men frequently. Wouldn't you be completely miserable? That is no way to live.
One of the saddest things I've ever seen! Heartbreaking to watch!! Hope the guy that was so terribly abused can find Peace and Comfort! Wow! 😥😥😥😥😥🙏🙏🙏🙏❤️💙💜😍😍
Awesome. "Be true to yourself" I love it :)
watching this video after learning briefly about this in my sex/gender textbook, interesting stuff
These are such beautiful, gifted people god bless you.
Hi, I'm a student currently making a presentation about the Fa'fafine and was wondering if I could use some of the footage from your video ‘Fa'afafine: Samoan Boys Raised As Girls I The Feed.' My teacher will be the only person to see this, it will not be posted online anywhere, and you will be credited.
I LOVE ALL THE FAAFAFINE IN THIS WORLD NO MATTER WHERE THEY R FROM.THEY WERE GREAT ED BY GOD LIKE EVERY ONE.
It's one thing for guys who choose on their own to live this way. But the parents who choose one their children and force them to adopt this role? That's just sick and cruel.
Parents don't force their kids to assume the role. This video is incorrect in so many ways. A fa'afafine is a gender to an extent. Its literally like transgender or non binary. So please stop being ignorant.
There's is not apparent in all Samoan families but an individual who chooses a role to be the female. This segment is an example of one family who choose this NOT all.
jachin manu Don’t be an ass because you want to promote someone who CHOOSES to live like this. It’s clear that there are some of these men who are damaged by this. Watch the video again but don’t spin what is clear as day by the example of the guys who were forced by their parents and resented this treatment but had to conform to it. Let the child choose otherwise don’t be a parent. Would it be okay for society to snip the reproductive organs of parents who do this? I certainly would be fine with that.
@@jachinmanu2593false ! Don’t be simpleminded and ignorant. Let’s address real issues in the Samoan culture ! Molestation is huge issue in the Samoan community and A lot of our young children don’t know how to cope or know to handle these issues these are the affects of them and Manu are damaged mentally ! These issues are swept under the rug and Samoan parents act like nothing happened smh 🤦♂️
@@ufaxpyro4200 I don't deny that. But no one is forced. Learn to read instead of being dumb.
Great video i can kind of relate to what Phineas is saying
rich sage this was the only piece on the topic of "Fa'a fafine" which obviously barely scratched the surface. No one can describe a culture a people in 10minutes.
talofa, was just wondering if this was just part of a segment, or was this the full version. fa'afetai. lava.
My brother is also a faafafine. I knew from the he start when he was in school. And I accepted him for who he was. He was happy with himself. My parents and siblings on the other side were quiet about it. And later on accepted him also as who he was. He's very beautiful and very talented in many ways. I am closer to him then my other siblings and we share a lot of stories and feelings about life. I'm his older sister and he was my babysitter at many times. And as a person and human being. I have no regrets or not ashamed of my brother. He made his decision and I adore him for being bold and did his thing. I love all of them whether family or not. I think they're special and unique. Some people judge without knowing the story behind them. He loves his life and I will be by his side always with a big heart. He is a rich one right now and he believes in God always. God is our creator and only him can judge. I love you all faafafine out there. God bless 🙏❤️🙏
Fa'afafine in english translation is...?
Talofae hello Sunny I remember you from Love Life Fono in oka 2011?. Hope your well.
this is cool. Never thought they would broadcast pacific stuff on sbs
thank you all for sharing your korero nga mihi koutou katoa.
Is there an equivalent in samoan society for people born biologically female but who identify as male or 3rd gender? I know Fa'afafine have been recognized in Samoan culture for centuries but I've never heard of transmen in Samoan culture.
fa'afatama is females who take on a more male role
tomboy is a commonly used word in Samoa, but FTM are much less accepted and well regarded than MTF (this is only from what I've read so I'd be happy to be corrected by a Samoan!!)
Great story Patrick
Love it!
Very inspirational and I’m so excited to see a culture embrace these differences this is so cool!
I’m
Proud of our faafafine
What a diverse cast! Really demonstrates the diversity in identities and lived experiences.
It was very interesting to hear from Leo. So heartbreaking that his peers bullied him so severely. I wish the boys had been nicer... And it's even more sad that the violence from outside his home, created more distance within the home, and especially towards his mother it sounds like. I wonder if the others had been more accepting if he wouldn't have had such a turbulent experience and probably maintained a healthy relationship with his mom/family. It seems that he never aligned with fa'afafine to begin with, but perhaps he wouldn't be so opposed to the gender now if he hadn't been so poorly received by his community... :(
Reciprocally, I can easily see how a fa'afafine child (or a queer child of any culture) who might not be accepted by their family would be in a lot of pain too. Gender is important to humans. All of our cultures are saturated in gender roles and qualities. None of us live outside of these gender games. Being able to respect someone's gender, regardless of what it is, is part of our human capacity for kindness towards one another.
I think the primary takeaway from this is to listen. Families can listen to their children, and respect their wishes. Forcing anyone to do something they don't want to do is cruel. Anyone is deserving of being heard and respected at any age; be that as a child or an adult. It is a sacred duty as a parent to try to understand your child to the best of your abilities and encourage them to grow in whatever way they wish to. When we feel embodied in ourselves, we are able to help others.
Sending love to all those who have been disregarded and forced into being someone they are not. That is a horrible feeling and space to exist in. I hope we can all learn and work together to receive others as they are, and celebrate every person for the unique colors they share with the world.
Very interesting.
Proof that identity (you are a girl or a boy ) is a social construct. just because you are a "boy" doesn't mean you have to like girls, wear blue and fight. let human being do, speak, wear whatever they want.
It's not entirely a social construct. Experiments have been done that show women trend towards home keeping and men trend towards bread winning. That's not to say exceptions don't exist. Obviously there are women who are bread winners and men who like to house keep.
To an extent, it is somewhat cultural, things like gendered colours, toys and clothes, however there will always be that biological trend.
no it is not because in this case they are pretty much "forced" and many of them know something is wrong but they are brainwashed. They are NOT given any freedom on growing up.
Gender is a mix of social constructs AND biology.
Its pretty sad that some are groomed in this way I find that to be very controlling and it is mental and emotionally abuse
Let them be , accept n respect it 💯💛
i m man and i love samoan men alot ....
Music too loud can't hear them talking
As strong as Samoans are it's surprising that they would accept this in there society. Good for them
All kids should be doing the chores regardless of gender. This shouldn’t be pushed by parents. If the individual feels they are in a different body then let them find this for themselves and the parents support it when and if it happens.
Even before the missionaries arrived, a lot of different Pasifika cultures had strict gender roles. Despite the existence of groups like fa'afafine and takatāpoi. Those third options were the exception that provided the rule. Rather than a celebration of gender and sexual fluidity, like how they've evolved in modern times to be.
The experience of this man is achingly similar to queer children raised by homophobic parents.
Bottom line is, when someone is forced into being someone they are not, then they suffer tremendously.
All of us humans can learn to listen and receive each other exactly as we are. Trying to control another living being is a cruel thing.
There are many around the world born with this nature/spirit that transcends Samoan society. Today they are often referred to as the LGBT community. Unfortunity Western culture and the Abrahamic religions have aborted these people and traditions. Having a strict binary perspective has demonized these people and has left them in a world with no place. The only problem I see with the Fa'fafine tradition is that you might be raising a boy in a role that is not natural for him. The child has to be involved with this decision. Raising a boy with a masculine spirit as female is just as tragic as raising a boy with a feminine spirit as a man. Either you have this nature or you don't. Clearly the world needs to realize that gender, sexual orientation, and the roles they take are multi-faceted and are NOT determined by whats between your legs.
amen
yeah thats not how it works.
Girly boys almost always lose battles, thats why. Dont dont blame Westerners or Abrahamic. Mongolians and Muslims did that too.
But the Fa'afafine don't deny they are male, do they? They're males with atypical interests/behavior.
In the U.S. the transgender movement is trying to say people are the opposite sex if they don't fit into traditional stereotypes. They even mutilate themselves so they can pretend to be the opposite sex. It's the most brutal conversion therapy yet!
^it depends who you're talking to.
2013-2019, SHOWING LOVE YESH,
Beautiful
had some Samoan friends one of the brothers was fafafine no big deal
wow this was interesting
from what I know faafafige aren't raised as boys. They grow up different. The families just support them with their choices as faafafige has always been part of Samoa
Oh I personally wasn't there but heaps of the Kweenz were. Hope your well too though.
@ Nejolo I agree with you. This is an interesting piece only in the sense that such a piece of work ia finally presented from the Pacific by Pacific Islanders who grew up up there. Like some of you stated, this is a long-winded explanation. The conclusion is the same as anywhere of Western and European influence. Homosexuality was introduced and was foreign to Samoa like most native and indigenous societies globally that persevered. Enduring culture, heritage, identity, community, and respect deterred such nullification. Europeans targeted and challenged all such peoples by paganizing roots in spirituality, balanced diets, heterogeneity, etc by disrupting all aspects of natural order. Thereby, the after effects of dichotomy remain as conditioning or modifying one to express desired behaviors via expressing alternative behaviors in contrast to any traditional, spiritual, and extensive norm. Today, globally, we have an increase in every possible negative component of health factors in relation to dietary, sexual, and moral practices or acts. Think about 🤔 Peace ✌ It is so awful to learn that some parents would train and encourage this. I met a Guamanian who confirmed this for me years ago. This is equivocally sad for those who did not and do not want to be feminine. Once a male willingly crosses the line with another male, women should think twice about getting involved with either male. Stay healthy and true to oneself. Be careful out here.
it's a diseases and all different country have their own FAQ, but its not right, we should appreciate the gift from God. be proud who you are.
I never heard of this before
Are Fa'afafine and Mahu the same?
Yes bro. Samoan fa’afafine. Hawaiian mahu.
Certainly a different take on gender roles. Not so clear cut is it?
No because they are raising the bots by a female code so it's very clear
I saw something very similar on Nat Geo
How depressing is the background music?! Hoiiiii.
Lol
I think they should wait and see what expresses naturally on each boy, and encourage it, not expect the role to stick through education. Or at least I hope that the whole point of LGBT representation and indigenous third gender experiences should be to teach us to allow the natural expression of children without expectations or roles to fulfill. What happened to the man who was forced into the role of Fa'afafine is the same thing that happens to trans people everywhere who are forced into cis gender roles. We shouldn't force anything, just present the options and allow people to flourish.
Same with bakla and bissu in Philippine and Indonesia. Not boys but identity "more" as girls. But they aren't fully girls. It's complicated. It's a very cultural thing. It's an Austronesian thing i think because Micronesian, Polynesian, and Maritime Southeast Asian society is Austronesian
I love you aunty ymania ♥️♥️
WORD!
Ymania is still a good looking lady but dang what a stunner in her prime
respect
leo is so cute
💜
The word os hard to pronounce
why isn't this upside down????
It's common in india aswell.
Carry On I Cannot Believe it, bring it my way BBBBrrrrrrrrrrraaaahhhhhh boom in your ka boom moo moo
BAHAHHAHA chur my fafafines samoans aye lmfao
My best friend in High School was fafa, he wasn't "raised to be a girl" he was a femboy and it was a common, accepted 3rd gender. Vastly different from today's "trans" ideology.
What if they don’t have a feminine male child? Do they just pick one?
I think that the parents do not force the role on the boys to turn them into fa'afafine, but I do get they just accept them the way they are and support them, different to our crappy "civilized" societies; nevertheless I feel bad for the rugby player man tho...
I've never heard of this tradition in Samoan society. Where did this cultural tradition come from? So, in a family of all boys the parents will select one of the boys to become the girl so he/she can help out with chores around the house!!?? Are you serious??? Wouldn't it be easier to assign chores to all of the boys to help out around the house (in addition to their MASCULINE duties, LOL) instead of subjugating one of the boys (who is heterosexual to begin with) to a life time of confusion, frustration and disorientation? Absolutely STUPID!
Trent Timoy I agree fully. I wish they would stop propagating this myth that Samoan parents can dictate their child's gender identity. And wow does western media eat this crap up.
Vaiaisa Growing up on the mainland I was told by my mom that just about every Samoan family (back on the islands) had a fa'afafine in the family and I'm thinking there must be alot of gay people in Samoan society. I had no idea that this was a common practice within the culture.
Yes, fa'afafine are pretty common. We have several in our family. None of them were selected to be raised as girls, because Samoan culture doesn't practice randomly assigning gender identity. There is no word for gay in the Samoan language. People are starting to use "fa'afafine" to mean gay too, but gender identity does not equal sexual orientation.
Vaiaisa Samoan society should be praised for gay acceptance (fa'afaine....if only tolerable of gay people) but this "practice of randomly assigning gender identity" is a very Real and deviated slope of concern. It sounds like the fa'afafine's in your family (for example) are probably gay/trans to begin with. There's nothing wrong with that. My only concern is the fact that there are Samoan families (such as the one profiled here) are encouraging (especially in a family of all males) for one of the boys to become a fa'afafine. That's just plain stupidity....an ignorance beyond comprehension. Can you imagine being the "unlucky heterosexual boy" in a family of only boys, selected to be the "girl" or fa'afafine in the family? In the U.S. we would call that "child abuse....child endangerment"
I agree that its a form of abuse, but not a common practice. In fact of the many fa'afafine that I know (and we're talking of close to 100), none of them had this experience. Samoan society struggles with acceptance of LGBT, but are incredibly supportive once they are. Many fa'afafine are beaten, teased and forced to be masculine until their family finally accepts them for who they are.
I've cried like 5 times in this video. Bravery over all.
This may apply only in the WESTERN SAMOA and not in AMERICAN SAMOA. Western Samoa may have raised boys as girl but not in American Samoa. This is why theres a lot of confusing of what a Fa'afafines true definition is. I have to say it is not in my American Samoa Culture that a family has to raised a boy as a girl and its not a tradition....BYE FELICIAAAAAAAA.. I'm a Fa'afafine myself and was not raised as a girl. I have to go thru hell to gain acceptance. I was born this way and am proud of it.
+brisayes medici Malo. I don't think this is a common practice in Upolu either. But its so popular for the western media to pass around that myth. Too bad they want to focus on the circus act instead of concentrating on the good work that fa'afafine do for the society as a whole. #SOFIAS
+brisayes medici I am from both Samoas, and I can tell you that this video is packed with lies. No Samoan family in both Samoas raises any of their children to be a fa'afafine. People are just born a certain way or develop into becoming effeminate, irrespective of how they are raised. Please stop perpetuating the diabolical lies.
Instead of choosing a son to be fa'afafine, why doesn't one just ADOPT a daughter if the need of a daughter is so important?
If samoanins only knew that men also CAN help the "woman" of the family and that cleaning or cooking is also the role and duty of a man...
Cl none umm... the cooking and the cleaning is considered a male job in samoa. female roles are really just care taking for the elderly.
But you do not need to take another form to do a particular job. It is about being able to do the tasks, not the image.
but ur white az bro u r palagi g look at u u wudnt know shit g
Hope you know that in western Samoa men do all the cooking. Women are not aloud in the umu which is the kitchen. Men also serve the food work the land and more. Get the facts before you mislead anyone with your information.
Exactly. I help my wife with housework all the time. However, i don't put on a dress and makeup to do it.
He --- she. Is really good looking
I feel sorry for the boys that at have been forced into this bu their families. It's one thing to enjoy it, it's another to be a heteromale and to have no say so.
Faaaliga 22:11 O le amioletonu ia amioletonu pea o ia, o le ele'ele ia ele'ele pea o ia, o le amiotonu ia amiotonu pea o ia, o le paia ia paia pea o ia, Revelation 22:11 Whoever is evil must go on doing evil, and whoever is filthy must go on being filthy whoever is good must go on doing good, and whoever is holy must go on holy 12 " Listen " says Jesus, "I am coming soon! I will bring my rewards with me, to give to each one according to the what he has done, John 10:10 The thief come only in order to steal, kill ,and destroy, I have come in order that you might have life- life in all its fullness. 14- 15 I am the good shepherd. As the Father know me and I know the Father, in the same way I know my sheep and they know me, Ezekiel 18:31 Give up all the evil you have been doing, and get yourselves new mind and hearts. 32 I do not want anyone to die," Says the Sovereign Lord. "Turn away from your sins and live. "
I've come across some REALLY BEAUTIFUL STUNNING Fafafine. Better looking than women 💀
It’s not part of Faasamoa.