Tropical Indigenous Queer as Guardians of Tradition: The Bissu of Bugis Society, Indonesia

Abstract

Bissu means neither a man nor a woman, but a holy person representing all genders. The Bissu are unique to the Bugis society of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Traditional Bugis culture, as told in the ancient La Galigo epic, acknowledges five genders: uruwane (male), makkunrai (female), calabai (male who has female traits), calalai (female who has male traits), and Bissu (all genders). The Bissu have sacred roles in Bugis society. At the royal level, they bridge the relationship between God and king. They are the priestly protectors of the royal heirlooms, without which the kingBissu perform the mappalili ritual as part of rice cultivation. This shamanic ritual, performed during the tropical monsoon season, is to ensure a bountiful harvest. However, the Bissu, and their sacred roles, have faced challenges in modern Indonesia, especially during waves of conservative Islamism. In recent times, Bissu have also received condemnation under the label of LGBTQ. Such actions, although deadly serious, have not had a lasting impact at the local level where the Bissu continue to preserve Bugis culture and traditions. Thus, while LGBTQ groups across Indonesia fight for their rights for social acceptance through legal and political advocacy; the Bissu of Sulawesi, fight for their cultural role as guardians of Indigenous Bugis traditions, highlighting their identity a "the fifth gender". This cultural strategy contributes to practices of queering the tropics.

Keywords

• Bissu
• five genders
• LGBTQ
• Bugis society
• Sulawesi Indonesia
• queer tropics