The tradition of Ma'bissu

Bissu

Bissu is one of the five genders of the Bugis, Sulawesi Selatan, an Indonesian ethnic group. There are divergent theories regarding the definitive origins and meaning of "gender transcendent", as the bissu are commonly called.

To be considered bissu, all aspects of gender must be combined to form a whole. This can include those who are born hermaphroditic as well as other cases. Being bissu does not necessarily mean one does not possess fully functioning sexual organs appropriate to the person's gender or male or female.

The unusual inter-sexual role of the bissu is not exclusively connected to anatomy, but to their point in the Bugis culture, their gender-less (or all all-encompassing gender) identity and their exhibit of many types that can not be accurately allocated to any one sex.

This can be observed in the bissu’s attire. The bissu dresses in a type of garment that is not worn by any other sex and which incorporates both "female" and “male” qualities, which explains why bissu cannot be termed transvestites or cross-dressers, as they are only permitted to wear the garment which is appropriate for their given gender caste.

The bissu are typically sought advice from when a particular approval from the powers of the batin world is required. This may, for example, be the situation when a Bugis person is departing Sulawesi for the Hajj, the compulsory pilgrimage to Makkah. In that situation the bissu will permit an excellent djinn to seize zir and to proceed as an emissary of the batin.

This is not in keeping with traditional Islam, but it has been endure by the regional Muslim establishment, on condition that it does not comprise any act that is evidently in opposition to the Sharia. In this exceptional case, it means that the spirit and the Bissu's powers should not be measured as in any way autonomous from Allah’s power, because he is the only one who is to be venerated.

In daily social life, the bissu, along with the ''calabai'' and the ''calalai'', are authorized to enter the women’s parts of the dwellings and villages in addition to the men's.

Calabai

Calabai is one of the five genders (if you include bissu), of the Bugis. According to the Bugis gender system, a calabai is a 'false woman'. So, to be a calabai, the person would be a biological man, but, in every other aspect, a woman. However, not being a woman, they do not consider themselves so, and neither do others. Nor do they want to become women. But they are not men either, and have created a special place for themselves within Bugis society.

"If there is to be a wedding in Bugis society, more often than not calabai will be involved in the organization. When a wedding date has been agreed upon, the family will approach a calabai and negotiate a wedding plan. The calabai will be responsible for many things: setting up and decorating the tent, arranging the bridal chairs, bridal gown, costumes for the groom and the entire wedding party (numbering up to twenty-five), makeup for all those involved, and all the food. Rarely did I attend a village wedding with less than a thousand guests. On the day, some calabai remain in the kitchen preparing food while others form part of the reception, showing guests to their seats." Said Sharyn Graham

Calalai

Calalai is a term in the gender system of the Bugis. It denotes a masculine female or a "false man": a person with the anatomy of a woman but with the sexuality, roles, occupations, and habits of a man. As they do not want to be an actual male, and are not considered to be a male by themselves or others, they have been given a separate designation.